All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in tea houses. They prefer their tea plain, with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony(仪式).

    It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drink country is England. In England, the late afternoon is ＂teatime＂. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea-＂iced tea＂. Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

    "How can I improve my English?" Alot of my students have been asking me about this same question again andagain.1 the answer won't be suitable for everyone, I'mstill going to tell you some of my experience. I hope that you will improveyour English learning skills.

    One thingI can tell you is that, once you start learning, you should try to think inEnglish as

   2as you can. If you seesomething when you're riding your bike or walking down the street, just3"How would I say them inEnglish?" At first, you may think with simple words but later with longersentences. Now I'm in America, and for4thetime, I would think in English and  speak it directly. It's amazing how much this helps.

    WhenI started learning, I was5 afraid of talking with others in Englishbecause I didn't want to make mistakes. Finally, I had a chance to6. And while traveling inAmerica, I'd try to hang out with American friends,7 I'd have no choice but to speak English. Also,I decided if I said anything stupid and other people would look8 me, then so be it. After that, my English startedto9 much more quickly.

    Besides,it may be a good idea to ask your American friends to look at the way you're writing,and give you some10 for improvement.

常言道"行动胜于空谈"，一个行动往往胜过千言万语，我们在生活与学习中需要牢记这一点。请结合你的经历或是所见所闻，谈谈你的心得感悟。

写作要点：(1) 围绕"行动胜于空谈"的主题，讲述一则你生活中的小故事。(2) 谈谈你对这件事的心得感悟。

注意：1.短文中不得出现考生的姓名、校名等个人信息，否则不予评分。2. 照抄阅读语篇不得分。

My holiday is coming. Yesterday I asked my friends about the best way to travel in the USA. They said the best way was to go by bus and told me the reasons. 

 To fly, of course, is the fastest way, but you can't see anything during your stay in the air but the blue sky and white clouds. So it's not very interesting to you. And the cost is very high. 

To travel by train is relaxing, because you can walk and buy food and drinks on it. You can also see cities and the countryside through the windows. But sometimes it's crowded on the train. And it's hard to buy train tickets during holidays. 

To travel by bus is easy, cheap and convenient, though not so fast as travelling by plane or so comfortable as by train. You can find buses almost in every city, big or small. That makes travel easy. 

I took their advice. So I decided to take a bus to the south coast for an interesting trip. 

Dear Teens,

①Do you wonder why some kids can stay calm while others get nervous so easily? Why do some kids do everything very quickly while others are very sluggish? Why are some kids always happy while some feel upset all times?

②One of the answers to these questions is personality(性格). People were born with different personalities. A baby gets its blood type, genes (pass on from its parents) and other physical things when it is still inside its mother. These factors make part of your personality. Besides, family life, school learning and life experiences can also decide what kind of person you are. You may not like your personality. Don't worry. You can always try to change it and make yourself better.

③If you are a selfish person who always thinks of yourself, you can start this way. Try to give others a hand and ask for nothing in return. The happiness you get from giving instead of receiving will-help you change your personality.

④If you are very shy and don't know how to make friends, just sell yourself to smile at others and start talking to others with warm greetings. You are sure to have more friends than you used to do.

⑤It you are a sluggish person who always does things slowly, you'd better make a plan every day. When you finish something, draw a happy face. If not, draw a crying one. No one would like to see a crying face and you will have the desire to change it into a smiling one.

⑥All in all, don't get too worried about your shortcomings. No one is perfect. That's why many people are trying to change. Don't give yourself a hard time about it all. It's not easy to change the habits overnight. Remember "Rome is not built in a day". Keep working at it. One day you'll see that you can turn over a new leaf and be a new person.

Dr. Olson

When I turned nine, my parents surprised me with a bird from a pet shop. I named him Bubba, and I was {#blank#}1{#/blank#}( excite) to have a new friend. 

But soon, the excitement went away. As a kid, I didn't know how much work it takes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} ( look) after a bird. My parents didn't know, either. Bubba lived in {#blank#}3{#/blank#} small, dirty cage. He couldn't fly around as he wanted. The bird ended up living a much {#blank#}4{#/blank#}( short) life than living in the wild. It's a sad story. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}( unlucky), it's a common story. Birds shouldn't be living in cages, but lots {#blank#}6{#/blank#} them do. Many people don't look after these birds {#blank#}7{#/blank#}( good) and they die young. 

A lot of people buy birds without thinking too much, just like my family did. Birds can get really sad and lonely in cages, and sometimes they even hurt {#blank#}8{#/blank#}( them) by pulling out their feathers. 

So, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} can we help? It's easy! Please don't go to the stores that just put birds in cages as {#blank#}10{#/blank#}( pet). And tell your friends and family that birds are for the sky, not for cages.