Sarah Hutchins has won a prize from Amazon.com in a competition for young inventors. She invented “camoculars”! Now what are “camoculars”?  Camoculars are binoculars(双筒望远镜) and a camera combined. Amazon.com, a web company, organized a competition for young inventors. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sarah was at a concert when she thought of her invention. “I was sitting a long way from the stage and I was watching the band through my binoculars. While I was watching, I thought,' {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 'Then I got an idea. Why not have binoculars with a camera inside them?”

    When she got home, she took some plastic binoculars and a cheap camera and put them together. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So Sarah sent her idea to Amazon.com and two months later, she got a surprise. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They didn't give her the top prize in the competition, but she won $1,000 and a trip to New York.

    People are already asking Sarah what she is going to invent next. “I don't know,” says Sarah. “If you just sit there and think, you won't invent anything, because you get ideas at strange moments. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Sarah likes music very much.

B. I'd love to be able to take a picture of this!

C. Amazon.com phoned to say that she was a winner.

D. I have always dreamed of travelling around New York.

E. The only thing you can do is keep your eyes and ears open!

F. Her sister was watching her and told her about the competition.

G. Sarah was one of thousands of young people who took part in this competition.

    Everyone has heard of Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    People in America think that the groundhog awakens from its winter's sleep on February 2^nd. The groundhog comes out of its hole. If the sun is shining, it will see its shadow. The shadow scares it. So it runs back into its hole. This means six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, it will not see its shadow. Since it is not scared, it stays out of its hole.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. These are the same things we say on Groundhog Day today.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are known mainly to country people. City people just don't know how to look for them. City people think that a groundhog sitting by its hole may look like a root(根). It could also be seen as a clod (块) of earth. Or it may look like a broken fence-post(栅栏柱). But a farmer sees groundhogs anywhere he looks. They'll be watching like guards.

    The groundhog is a native American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It may also appear as far north as Alaska. It is hated by farmers. The groundhog eats a third of its weight in a day. What a big appetite(胃口)！It may eat about a half-ton of alfalfa(苜蓿) in a summer. So 10 groundhogs in a big field would eat five tons.

    Why do groundhogs eat so much? To prepare for winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .This extra food is changed to fat. This fat is what they live on during their long winter's sleep.

A. It is an American holiday.

B. Groundhogs are strange animals.

C .This means that spring will soon come.

D. There are several ways to protect the groundhog.

E. In the fall, when there is a lot of food, they fill up.

F. It is found in most states east of the Rockies(落基山脉).

G. While it is not one of your major holidays, it is one that children love.

    Moving abroad cab be a challenging experience. You leave your family, friends and everything you know behind. You enter a new culture where the customs and sometimes the language are different.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's a time to discover new things, make new friends and begin a new adventure.

    So what are the best ways to involve yourself in the new culture while living abroad?

    Live with a native speaker

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} First, you have a friend! Living alone can be a lonely experience, especially if you're far from home. I've also had the opportunity to meet my housemate's friends and socialize with them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In addition, you have someone to tell you about the cultural customs and interesting places in this area.

    Volunteer

    Volunteering is a great way to meet people of different ages in your local area. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This is a insightful(具有洞察力的)experience and speaking with homeless people about their life stories is improving my French vocabulary and understanding. I am also able to form relationships with people that I may not have met otherwise.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    The food in France is amazing and discovering new food is a fun experience. I've tried things that I've never tried before. My knowledge of the different bread and cheese types has grown greatly.

A.Try the local food

B.But it's also exciting

C. I currently cook French food for myself

D.You can speak the local language every day

E.Improve my French vocabularyand understanding

F.There are many advantages to living with a native speaker

G.I currently volunteer with homeless people through my local church

    Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the fact of friendship for granted, we often don't clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Moreover, a great many relationships come under the general term "friendship". In all cases, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of closeness between them and the reasons for their interest in each other change greatly.

    At the beginning, much depends on how people meet, and on good first impressions. As we get to know people, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Although these factors are not of the greatest importance, it is more difficult to have a good relationship with people when there is a big difference in age and background.

    Then, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Friends will stand closer together and will spend more time looking at each other than ordinary friends. Smiles and soft voices also express friendliness, and it is because they may give the wrong signals that shy people often have difficulty making friends. A friendly look with a wrong facial expression can turn into an unfriendly stare, and nervousness may be wrongly understood as unfriendliness.

    Some relationships are a result of argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have the same ideas and beliefs, the same opinions and interests. The more closely involved people become, the more they depend on each other. And {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Equally, friends have to learn to make allowances for each other, to put up with annoying habits, and to accept differences in opinions.

    In contrast with marriage, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But the support and understanding that results from shared experiences and affections does seem to create a close and lasting relationship.

A. we are usually friends with only a few.

B. many factors can affect friendship and relationship.

C. people want to do friends favors and hate to let them down.

D. argument and discussion can improve personal relationships.

E. we consider things like age, race, looks, economic and social status, etc.

F. there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the relationship between two people.

G. we pay attention to actual behavior, facial expression, and the way a person speaks.

A Housewarming Party

    A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person or people who bought the apartment or house or moved are the ones who throw the party.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like. It is an opportunity to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

    It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some common items(物品) people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and items like curtains. Even if there isn't a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like, a piece of art or a plant.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is often appreciated since at a housewarming party there isn't a lot of food served, usually just appetizers or sandwiches.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into a new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes. This isn't usual though.

    Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift so that the person could keep the home warm for the winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can also bring food or drinks to share.

B. Different activities are held to make guests satisfied

C. There are usually no planned activities at a housewarming party.

D. Now most homes replace fires with central heating to keep warm.

E. Different people hold or attend housewarming parties for various reasons.

F. Some people register a list of things they need for their new home at local stores.

G. The party is an opportunity for friends and family to congratulate the person or people on the new home.

How to Make Friends

    Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

    ⒈Associate with others.

    The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

    ⒉Start a conversation.

    Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

    ⒋Let it grow.

    It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

    ⒌Enjoy your friendship.

    The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A. Be cheerful.

B. Do things together.

C. Do not wait to be spoken to.

D. Try not to find fault with your friends.

E. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

F. So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

G. Making new friends comes easy for some people.