What do you do when you begin to read an English newspaper？

    You'd better know what sections are there．Usually, there is international news, business, science and technology, entertainment or lifestyle, sports and cartoons．You can choose your favorite section to read carefully．Then, you come to the article itself．If you don't have time to read the whole article, the headline and the photo give you a general idea of the story．

    A news article includes body text and a photo with a short piece of text under it．It usually puts the most important information at the very beginning．If you don't have much time to read the story, just have a look at the first paragraph．A feature article is an in-depth report on an event or person．It usually has an interesting opening．You get to know the idea of the article as you read．Another kind of article is an opinion article．Usually, some famous people give their own opinions about an important issue in a fun way．Opinion is different from news stories that are all facts．

    Reading is a very important skill. 阅读也是一种提高你的英语的好方法。However, to make sure what you read isn't too difficult, it's important to know what makes texts difficult and how you can improve your understanding of them. Here are some suggestions.

    ①Understand the purpose of your reading. The way you read depends on the purpose of your reading. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer holidays.

    ② Find background information. Find something out about the topic you are going to read.

    The more background information you have, the easier it'll be to understand the text.

    ③Increase your vocabulary（词汇）. The more vocabulary you have, the easier your reading will be.

    ④ Use your dictionary correctly. A common mistake is to read everything very slowly and carefully, looking up each unknown word. Sometimes this is necessary, for example, when reading exam questions. However, it takes a long time and can be very boring; it can even make understanding more difficult!

    If you've followed the above advice and still can't understand a text, then it's simply too hard for you. Stop reading and ask someone to help you. 没有人想要放弃。However, you'll just be wasting your time if you continue to work at a text that's beyond you.

Some birthday customs（习惯） are quite similar（相似） in many parts of the world—- birthday candles, birthday games，and birthday cakes. But some customs are more special to some countries. Here are some children talking about their customs.

Linda—I am fourteen. I come from Aruba. In our country, children take something special to school for their classmates and all teachers. Every teacher gives the birthday child a small present like a pencil, an eraser or a postcard. The birthday child doesn't need to wear special uniform(校服). He or she can wear family clothes.

Lucy—I am one year older than Linda. Denmark（丹麦） is my country. We hung a flag(旗帜) outside a window to show that someone in that house is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while they are sleeping so they will see them at once when they wake up.

Tom—I am as old as Linda. I am from Brazil(巴西). The birthday child receives a pull on the earlobe(耳垂) for each year in my country. The birthday person also gives the first slice of cake to his most special friend or relative, usually mom or dad.

    The Maldives is a country in danger. This small country — made up of over 1,000 islands (岛) in the Indian Ocean—is under threat from rising sea levels ( 面临海平面上升的威胁).

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}As the water in the sea gets warmer, it expands (膨胀). Very slowly, sea levels are rising. Over the next 100 years they may rise by 50cm or more.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's because its islands are very low (低的)! The highest place in the country is only about 2m above sea level. Many of its islands are less than lm above sea level. Every year, a lot of people come to the Maldives to enjoy its beautiful islands and beaches. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    People have already had to move away from some islands. Many have moved to the capital city, Maid.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A high wall (墙) around the island keeps the city from the sea.

    For the people of the Maldives, it's hard to know what will happen in the future.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And that's a future no one wants.

根据材料内容，从方框中选择恰当的句子填入文中空缺处，使材料完整、通顺。

    Winter is very cold in many countries. It's easy for you and me to keep warm. If we are cold, we can just buy a warm coat or use a heater and we will feel better. But what about animals? How do they keep warm in winter?

    Some animals migrate(迁徙). This means they travel to places where the weather is warmer. Many birds leave before the winter starts. They fly in groups. If they fly together, the trip will be safer. They like to migrate to the same place every year. Do you know how they can find the same place？Scientists say that birds use the sun, the moon and stars to help them. Other animals like moose(麋鹿) also migrate. Fish and whales swim to warmer water.

    Some animals don't have to leave their homes. They hibernate(冬眠) in winter. They fall into a very deep sleep. The animals' temperature drops and their breathing slows down. Before the winter, these animals must eat much food. If they don't eat enough, they may die while they are hibernating.

    Country music is very popular in America. It is a traditional kind of music from the southern states of America. At first, people played country music only at family parties. When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for jobs, they took their music with them. With country music continuing to change, it became popular throughout America. John Denver was one of the most famous country singers in America 50 years ago. His song Take Me Home, Country Roads is well-known and people still play in today.

    Pop music is another kind of musical style. Pop music can make people feel happy and comfortable. Pop music has been popular since the 1950s. In China, Jay Chou is liked by a large number of fans of all ages. He sang many songs about the world we live in. One of them is Dao Xiang, which encourages people not to give up even when life is difficult.