① {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  When a teacher assigns(布置) a lot of homework, Domenica Roman draws up a timetable, dividing the assignment into small parts. "It's like eating a steak(牛排)," she says. "You chew it one bite at a time."

② {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  One student put a vocabulary list in the bathroom. He learned a new word every day while brushing his teeth. Another student used the time to remember biology terms while practicing running.

③{#blank#}3{#/blank#}   In high school, McCray ran track, played football and was in the band and orchestra. "I was so busy that I couldn't waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. I kept everything right where I could put my hands on it," he says.

④ {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  In an international class, Asian-Americans, on average, scored higher than other students. The teacher found that the Asian-Americans discussed homework problems together, tried different ways to work out the problems and explained their solutions to one another.

⑤ {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Christi is an excellent student at the University of California. If her math teacher assigns five problems, she does ten. If the history teacher assigns eight pages of reading, she reads twelve. "Part of learning is practicing," she says. "And the more you practice, the more you learn."

    Because of Disney's film Finding Nemo, the clownfish (小丑鱼) are facing the danger of dying out. The film received positive reviews and won the Acaden Award for Best Animated Feature. It was a success as it earned over $864 million worldwide.

    Finding Nemo is about a clownfish who tried to save his son who has been caught by a man from becoming a pet. One thing we can learn from the film is that wild animals really have to remain in their habitats(栖息地). However, the message seems not to be stuck in the minds of children. The clownfish are facing the danger of dying out several years after the animated film was on, because the film itself made them the must — have pets for kids all over the world!

    It is said that just half of needs can be met by clownfish bred in captivity(人工饲养)，which means the rest have to be taken from the sea. Now the average(平均的) size of clownfish schools (鱼群) in Australia, has decreased from twenty-five members to just six, making it harder for them to breed. Dr Billy Sinclair who has spent five years studying the clownfish was the first to raise the alarm, “The film did much to educate children about sea life but the fish were then sold as children's pets. My message to kids who loved the film is simple: Tell your parents to leave Nemo in the sea where it belongs.”

    Alex Smith， a fifteen-year-old boy， studied in an American boarding school (寄宿学校). In this school， students could go into town after school in the afternoon{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One afternoon， Alex walked to the town. He looked about at the shops and then went to a cinema{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It was eight o'clock. He was a little worried， He walked back to the school as fast as possible.

    When he arrived， he ran quickly to the main entrance (入口). It was locked. He looked up at the window of his dormitory(寑室). It was on the third floor. The window was open{#blank#}3{#/blank#}But the door was also locked. Then he saw another open window on the first floor. It was the window of the teachers' office{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Alex quickly climbed into the room. Just then， he heard someone opened the door. He had to hide under the sofa at once. One minute later， a teacher came in{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Under the sofa Alex had to lie on the floor.

An American in Beijing Lives His Chinese Dream

    Wearing his bright red armband (袖章) and speaking fluent Mandarin (普通话), 62-year-old Terry could be taken for any regular Chinese man from a distance.

    His Chinese name is Gao Tianrui. He became interested in Chinese culture as a teenager when he read the Tao Te Ching by Laozi. At 18, he took a ship to Taiwan to learn Chinese. On the ship the captain advised him to have a Chinese name." He named me Gao Tianrui, based on the pronunciation (发音) of my English name," he said. Then he first visited Beijng in 1987 on business.

    Gao Tianrui lives in a Siheyuan with other three families. His neighbors are very helpful and friendly. Gao Tianrui once didn't know much about Chinese living habits and his neighbors helped him to overcome difficulties. Gradually, he could speak Chinese fluently.

    Having lived in Beijing for more than 20 years, Gao Tianrui has also finally achieved his Chinese dream: becoming a public security (安全) volunteer. Life as a"Xicheng Dama" has even made him an' online celebrity. Xicheng Dama is a club for volunteers, usually women in late middle-age, who roam (漫步) the streets of downtown at Beijing's Xicheng district. And now Gao Tianrui has joined their club.

    "I like helping others", he said. "I live in the Siheyuan and my neighbors and I usually help each other…This is where I live, where my friends are and where I call home."

Information Card

    Hello, everyone. I'd like to have a brief introduction to the overseas study group. There will be {#blank#}1{#/blank#} group members visiting the USA. We will start our journey at 19:00 on August 15 from Shanghai and will arrive in {#blank#}2{#/blank#} at 22:15. From August 16 through 23 we'll {#blank#}3{#/blank#} in Harrison Middle School. As for the nights, we'll stay at the local students' homes so that we'll have more time to practice our {#blank#}4{#/blank#} English. After that, we'll tour some large {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and the last stop is San Francisco. On August 27, we'll fly back to our homeland, and we will enjoy parents' warm hugs the next day.