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    A very important world problem is the growth of population on the earth. The population of the world today is more than 6,500,000,000. That is a great number and we know it quite well. ①The important thing is not how large the population of the world is now, but is the rate(速度) of the growth. It is about 1.63% every year after the number of dead people has been taken away.

    To give you some ideas of the birth rate, look at the ②second hand of your watch. Every second, four babies are born in the world. Another baby! Another baby! Another baby! Another baby! ③You can not speak quickly enough to keep up with the rate of the growth of the population. It is growing faster and faster. So it goes on, hour after hour. In one day, people have to find food for about 350,000 mouths more.

    This great growth of population will make a big problem by the year 2050 — there will be as many as 7,500,000,000 people on the earth! So this is one of the biggest problems that you are going to meet in your life.

    Over the last few centuries, there have been many changes in our lives.

    To start with, people were not able to travel such a long distance in such a short time in the past. Planes were not very popular at that time because they used to be a very expensive way to travel. Nowadays, we have fast, comfortable cars, and more and more people can travel by plane.

    Secondly, in the past, people had to work much harder because they did not have the tools that we have today. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and machines.

    Thirdly, in the past, the living conditionswere not as good as they are now. There were no bathrooms or running water in many houses, and many people could not buy things like fridges, TV sets or washing machines. Now, most families have several of these things.

    Finally, nowadays, more and more people have the chance to get a good education. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of education was much poorer. Also, it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need on the Internet now. 

    The scientific and technological development in the world is amazing. Life now is much faster and busier than it used to be. And we are still creating new things to make our lives better and easier.

    Mom and Dad are two of the most important persons in your life. Over your lifetime, they may influence you more than anyone else you will meet. So if your mom loves to read, you just might grow up carrying a book wherever you go, just as she does. But parents do a lot more than just pass on their hobbies. Moms and Dads need to care for their kids the minute their kids are born. Most parents will do this as long as they live.

    Here are some ways you can stay close, get along well, and build a strong relationship with your parents.

    Spend time together. Instead of playing computer games or watching TV, ask your mom and dad to play with you. Go outside together, or do some reading.

    Be kind. Little things might mean a lot to your mom or dad. You can brighten a parent's day with a hug, a card, or a joke. It's also lovely when a kid cleans up his or her room without being asked. And if you try not to fight with your brothers or sisters, your parents will be so happy!

    Do your best at whatever you do. You don't have to be perfect, but when you do your best, you make your parents proud. It makes them happy to see how you're turning into a good kid. Why？Because it lets them know they're doing a good job.

    International travelers, whether traveling for business or pleasure, will find themselves alone from time to time. Here are a few ways to meet new people and perhaps even get new travel chances.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Be polite and friendly. Remember to put yourself in social situations. Restaurants, shops and parks are all great places to meet people. If you want to make local friends in a country, stay near the places the locals often visit.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Keep a small photo album in your bag when you travel. Photos of family, friends and pets will help your new friends learn more about you. They will share their similar experiences with you, and it will help you learn more about your new friends.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Can you help your new friends improve their Chinese? Can you cook a traditional Chinese meal? By sharing your experiences, you can have a close relationship with your new friends that they won't soon forget.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷Many foreigners love Chinese goods but have to pay a lot when buying them in homeland, so you'd better prepare some gifts such as silks, tea and china (瓷器). They are always popular.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸If you and your new friends get along well, you can give them your information and plan to live in each other's house for your next trip. Then you can visit their countries and stay in their houses while they stay in yours. In this way you will improve your friendship and live like a local abroad, but pay less for traveling.

    I am an English boy. My first name is Eric. Miller is my last name. What's this in English? It's a kite. It's blue. It's my kite. I like it very much. Look! That's my jacket. It's black and white. Where is my family photo? Oh, it's on the wall(墙). In the photo, you can see my parents, my sister Jane, my brother Tom and me.

    There are some skills for students to listen to the teachers in class, which means you're going to have to practice them. Just as you would have to practice basketball to be a better player, you also have to practice listening. How to listen in school? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One of the things you'll need to do is to make sure that your mind doesn't wander(漫游). It's easy to start thinking about other things, especially when you are not interested in the subject. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

   Next, listen for the main ideas. If you want to catch every little piece of information, you'll feel tired and bored. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Not only does this show respect to the teacher, it also helps prevent your mind from wandering. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Or it could just be someone talking to their neighbors who shouldn't be, it can even be some birds outside the classroom window, or a group of kids who are talking loudly as they pass the door to your room.

    Finally, you need to take notes because you will not remember everything the teacher said. You'll have to take down the notes so that you can study it after class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Listening isn't always easy, but if you follow these simple steps, you'll be much more successful in your classes.