Long，long ago，people in Rome(罗马)talked to one another in Latin(拉丁文)．Pupils in school learned to read and(A)        in Latin．Books are in Latin．

    Some Romans went to other parts of the world．They took their language with them．Soon(B)拉丁文在许多国家被使用 ． It became a world language．

People in other countries did not talk in Latin the same wav．In each land，they(C)        the language a little．As time went by，they made more changes.(D)．At last they did not talk in Latin any more ． New languages had come from the old one．

(E)People do not talk to each other in Latin today ． But they still use many Latin words．You do，too．Street，wall，city，and salt are some of the Latin words we use．There're many pupils in school．Pupil is a Latin word．It means(F)“little doll”．

B

Venus is close to Earth．It is the second planet from the Sun．Earth is the third planet from the Sun．Venus is similar to Earth in size and mass (质量).It is often described as Earth's“sister”.

    Scientists have been learning about Venus for a long time．First they looked at Venus through telescopes(望远镜)．But Venus is covered with thick(厚的)clouds．Scientists could not see Venus well through the clouds．So they made guesses about it．

    For a long time, scientists thought that Venus had water and plants．They thought Venus might have animals，too．But they didn't know for sure．

    Then scientists found a way to learn more about Venus．In the 1960s，they began sending probes (航天探测器) to Venus．The probes flew through the thick clouds．They took pictures of Venus up close．They found out many things ,too．The probes sent the pictures and things they found out back to the scientists．

    The scientists learned a lot from the probes．First they learned that most of their guesses were not right．And they learned that Venus is very hot．

    After that，scientists knew they could not send people to Venus．But they still wanted to know more about it．So they sent new probes．These new probes took great pictures of the planet．The pictures showed that Venus has plains(平原)and mountains! And in some ways，Venus looks like Earth．

    Confidence is very important in daily life．It can help you develop a healthy attitude．A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But how to be more confident？Here are some suggestions：

    Speak loud

    When you are not confident，you can't do well what you want to do{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly．The high voice can help you become more confident．

    Play sport

    Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed．A strong body helps you be full of confident．

    Encourage yourself

    Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well．Did you finish your task on time？Did you help your family with the housework？{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Get rid of fear

    Fear comes along with failure{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time．Try to start again and believe you can do better．

    Pick up a hobby

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  In some ways，a hobby can make you outstanding．And it will make you happy and confident．

A．You speak in such a low voice that other people can hardly hear you．

B．If you like singing，sing as much as you can．

C．But it's easy to overcome if you know that failure is part of your life．

D．They can have more chance to make themselves successful．

E．Give yourself praise of the good things you've done．

    Many Chinese people like hot pot and Li Yang is one of them.

    Three days ago, Li Yang arrived in England. There he had three days of hamburgers, sandwiches, and potatoes. Yesterday he was very excited when he heard that there was going to be a meal of hot pot to welcome the new students.

    He went into the room and sat next to an American girl. To his surprise, he saw potatoes and bread in front of him. Where was the hot pot?

    When she saw Li Yang was very surprised, the American girl told him that hotpot is NOT hot pot. China has hot pot in two words but English hotpot is written in one word.

    Hotpot is made from meat, potatoes and onions. People put it in the oven (烤箱) all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. It is easy to cook.

    Hotpot tastes nice. But Li Yang still misses hot pot, two words!

    A good book can help you learn more things than you can learn in class. If you want to get into a good reading habit(习惯), here are a few ways.

    Plan your time

    You should give yourself at least thirty minutes for reading every day. When time is set, nothing can change it.

    Always carry a book

    Wherever you go, take a book with you. When you leave the house, make sure that you always carry a good book as well as your school things.

    Find a quiet place

    Find a place in your home where you can read a book quietly and no one will trouble you. There should be no television, computer, music or even noisy family members around you.

The Art of Paper

    Chen Zijiang is a paper cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.

    "It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr. Chen told me, "Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes (宗教目的) and for design patterns.

    Paper cuts for decoration are often seen, on windows and gates. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are also used on presents. A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children, for example. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.

    Paper cuts for religious purposes are often found in temples{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The third kind of paper cuts are these used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewelry (珠宝) boxes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.