A seabird named Lydia recently made a 26-day nonstop(不间断的)journey of about 2,500 mi­les, just to search for food for her baby. She is fitted with a satellite tracking device (卫星跟踪仪). Her trip started on Oct. 18 from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The trip is known as the lon­gest nonstop journey by one of these endangered seabirds.

      Before that, this kind of birds was known only to fly a few hundred miles from where they live, staying away for just a few days at a time. They usually fly over the sea.

      The scientists feel it strange that Lydia made such a long, nonstop journey and flew overland. So the above facts raise some serious questions about efforts to stop the decline(减少)of the birds. The number of the birds has fallen by 10 percent over the past 20 years.

Besides, the scientists are surprised that she was away from her baby for such a long time. They wonder why she needed to go that far. Maybe it shows that fish resources (资源)around Christmas Island are not large enough now. That might explain the slow decline of the bird 一 sea pollution(污染) is serious.

    Today, I'd like to tell you something about the history of the United States. The United States covers a large part of North America. After winning freedom from England, it had only 13 states. Each of the states had a star on the national flag. As the nation grew, new states were formed and there were new stars on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 states. In 1959 and 1960, two more stars, standing for the new states of Alaska and Hawaii（阿拉斯加州和夏威夷州）,were added to the flag. Indians were the first people of the land. Many people came from England. It is for that reason that the language of the US is English.

E

    Sara wants to buy a motorcycle. She sees an ad in the newspaper for a used one. She calls the telephone number in the ad. The person who is selling the motorcycle lives on Flag Street in Clifton, about 15 miles from Fairview where Sara lives. She'll take a bus to get there on Sunday.

    At the bus station. Sara looks through the bus schedules(时刻表). She sees one that says “Fairview, Clifton" on the front. That's what Sara needs.

    Please look at the bus schedule carefully. Then help Sara make her decision, and answer the following questions.

    Stanford is a world famous university on the west coast of the US. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, because the poor boy died of a strange disease.

    Tourists are often surprised at the beauty of Stanford. Among the green trees, buildings with yellow walls and red tops make up a beautiful picture. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. That's because they were the favorites of Mrs. Stanford.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It stands at the center. It was built by Mrs. Stanford to remember her husband who devoted himself to the university. There, students and teachers can communicate with God, and they can also hold great activities, such as concerts and celebrations.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is the landmark of the university. A man named Hoover had done a lot for the university. The things he once used can be seen on the first floor. On the top of the tower, tourists can have a good look at the whole campus.

    As one of the world top universities, Stanford has many subjects that stand among the top ones in the world. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you want to study computer in a university abroad, maybe it is your best choice.

    Xitang is an ancient water town in Jiashan Country, Zhejiang Province. It is close to Shanghai. Since some scenes of the movie Mission: Impossible Ⅲ were filmed there, it has become very popular, both at home and abroad. More and more tourists from Western countries add this town to their "must — see" lists(列表)when they are traveling in Shanghai and Hangzhou.

    Xitang is a quiet town. You will feel very relaxed in this water town, and be surprised by its beauty. Along the river, over 10,000 people live in the old buildings built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Most of them run gift shops and provide service for tourists here.

    Somethings special inⅪtang

    Ancient Lanes(小巷)

    There are 122 lanes ill Xitang. long and short, wide and narrow(狭窄的). No matter from which point you start, you can find and other place in the town. It's amazing, isn't it？

    Button(纽扣)Museum

    Xitang mikes all kinds of buttons. Button Museum is on the west street in xitang and it has a collection of over 1,000 buttons through the ages.

    Xiyuan Garden

    Xitang Garden is similar to other classic gardens in the south of China. It has trees, flowers, towers, bridges, lakes and waterfalls.

    Nobody likes to do chores, especially kids. How can you make your kids get into a good habit of doing their chores? Try making chores fun for them.

    Play some music: Music makes everything seem like a party, doesn't it? ③Play your kid's favorite music that they can dance to while they are doing their chores.

    Make it a treasure hunt(寻宝): It's a good way when you would like your kids to clean the house. Let them know that you hide(隐藏) a ＄5 bill someplace. If they find it, they can keep it.

    Change often: If your kids keep doing the   ①     chores for months, they may feel    ②   (无聊的，厌烦的). Teaching them a new task(任务) is fun for both you and the kids. They will feel more grown-up when they get a new task.

    Do it together: It's never fun to be the only one working and watch everyone else relaxing. ④If everyone takes part in(参加) doing chores, your kids will finish them faster and have more fun.