Every year, wildfires(野火) destroy much forest land. homes are broken down, and thousands of people die. smokejumpers are stop helping to stop this.

    Smokejumpers are a special kind of firefight. they jump from planes into areas that difficult to reach by car or on foot. they race to put out fires as fast as they can.

    At a fire site, Smokejumpers first examine the land and decide how to fight the fire. their main goal is to stop fire from spreading. using basic tools such as shovels and axes, smokejumpers clear land of burnable material like plants and other dry material. they carry water with them too, but not much.

    Although most smokejumpers are men, more women are joining. Most important are your weight and height. Smokejumpers in the U.S. for example ,must be 54 to 91 kilograms, so they don't get hurt when they land, or get blown by strong winds.

    Smokejumpers must be able to live in the wilderness. in Russia ,many smokejumpers know how to find food in the forest and even make simple furniture from trees.

    They work is dangerous, the hours are long. But for these firefighters, smokejumpers isn't just a job. They love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 28-year-old Russian smokejumpers Alexi Tishin says,“This is the best job for the strong and brave.”

    Mr. Guo is a teacher from Xi'an. He asked his students to hand in their homework through a QR code(二维码). "We spent an hour or two in class learning how to generate(使产生) the codes, and in the end everything gets easier." Said Guo, "When students finish the homework, they keep it on WeChat. Then, each student makes his own QR code and gives it to me. So I can check their work anywhere using my computer or telephone."

    The QR codes can be sent to Mr. Guo by email, QQ and WeChat. When Guo scans(扫描) his students' QR codes, their homework appears on his phone. He finds that their homework becomes more creative, with many pictures, music and even videos.

    Guo's students like the new way and think it is interesting. "We are living in the information age. Many students like to work with computers, which makes learning more fun." Said Tingting, a student of Guo's. "The paper is not easy to keep, but the code is easy to keep and share." Guo said, "It is worth trying to use new technology in education. Education itself is a kind of creation. I don't want my students to fall behind the times."

    However, some parents are worried. They are afraid that their children will spend too much time on computers and less time communicating with teachers. But in fact, it's unnecessary. Students still need to look up information in books and write it down when they do their homework. They only use the codes when they hand in their work, which doesn't take them too much time. Also for teachers, it allows them to check the students' work at any time. And it's also an easy way to share homework with other students.

    My name is Bill Black. I am a student. My home is in America. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} My classmates are friendly to me. I love China.

    We study in a big classroom. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The windows are bright. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}And we can see a big blackboard on the front wall. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They are yellow. And what color are the doors? They are white. Can you see those red flowers on the teacher's desk? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}They're really beautiful!

    Have you heard of the story of The Legend of White Snake (《白蛇传》)? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's a love story between White Snake and Xu Xian. It has a connection (联系) with the Dragon Boat Festival in China.

    Once upon a time, there were two snakes, White Snake and Green Snake. They had magical powers and turned into two beautiful young ladies. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} White Snake quickly fell in love with him. They got married soon and lived happily.

    The Dragon Boat Festival came. On that day, people drank realgar wine (雄黄酒). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If she drank the wine, she would turn into the snake again. However, Xu Xian didn't know anything about it, so he asked his wife to drink realgar wine. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When Xu Xian entered the room, he couldn't find his wife. He only saw a huge white snake on the bed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Later, White Snake recovered (恢复). In order to save her husband, she went to steal the magical herb (药草). In the end, the god was so moved by her true love that he saved Xu Xian. What a moving love story!

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    The young woman at the airline check-in desk meant no harm. She greeted a customer with a question which would be no problem in Chinese," What's your problem?" But this question is impolite in English, and the customer became very angry. In this situation, the young woman should say." May I help you?" or" How can I help you?" Then she would not be facing an unhappy traveler.

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    Maybe you would like something. Instead of saying" Giving me a hamburger," say," Could I have a hamburger, please?" or "I'd like a hamburger." English speakers often use the expressions" please "and" thank you". When requesting something, use" Can I" or "Could I". In formal situations," May I" is the best.

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    When someone asks your opinion, you don't want to make them feel upset by saying something they think is unkind. Maybe someone asks," What do you think of my idea?" Don't say," It's a terrible idea." if you don't like it. Say," I don't think it's the best idea." Then people will accept your opinion more easily.

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    When you can't accept an invitation, don't say." I can't. I'm busy" Refuse in a more indirect way." I'm afraid I can't…" or" I'd love to, but…" or" That sounds great, but..." These phrases soften the message and make it easier to accept.

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    Avoid saying others have done wrong. Don't say," You don't understand me." Say, Maybe I need to make clear what I mean." Give special attention to" I" or" We" rather than" you". Take time to learn polite phrasing. Then you'll make your communication with people more pleasant.