L1 Get ahead with your English

    Many people (predict) in the 1700s that English (will) be the global languages one day, which (prove) to be the case. With the growing international companies and the great advances in communications, more and more people decide to learn English the second language. And the fact is speaking more than one language make you (stand) out. People have realized that in the (absent) of the native language environment, people can not learn it well. In words, you have to be (surround) by the language. Sadly, most of the English learners can not live in the native country, means we can only depend on our school resources.

    A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a hole. When all the other two frogs saw how1 the hole was, they told the two frogs that they would die soon.

    At first, both of the two frogs didn't 2 their words and tried their best to jump out of the hole. The other frogs3 telling them to stop, because they thought there was no 4 to jump out of such a deep hole. Finally, one of the frogs believed these words and 5. He fell down and died.

    The other frog 6to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs shouted at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally 7. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Don't you hear us?” To their great 8, the frog turned out to be 9. He thought they were 10 him all the time, not stopping him.

    Sir Emest Shackleton was not only a great explorer, but also he was an intelligent man. He once found himself and two of his men at the top of an icy mountain ridge (山脊) . They had no way to get down to its side. Their destination had been the tiny Whaling Station of strummers, near the South Pole. Shackleton knew if they didn't get down from the ridge, no one would ever hear from them again.

    Shackleton knew there was only one thing to do. He explained that they would all have to slide (滑) down. He instructed the two men to wind(绕) their ropes into a coil(卷) .Then each of the men sat down on a coiled and slid down the icy slope into the darkness. When they found themselves at the bottom, unhurt, Shackleton said, "You know, we shouldn't do that kind of thing too often." The laughter broke the tension all the men were feeling. They arrived later than expected, but safely at the Whaling Station.

    To find out how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of discovering and controlling more land, of expanding(扩大) trade beyond their borders and of spreading their beliefs across the world. In 1535, Francois I, king of France, ordered a navigator(航海家) named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a way to India.

    Carrier first arrived at the gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he intended (打算) to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Standalone, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term "Canada" entered the country's history. Apparently the word "Canada" came from an India word" kanata", which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Standalone or Quebec. What a huge "village" Canada is!