Do you often communicate with your parents?

    Some parents are always comparing their 1 with themselves when they were young, or with other people when they were children.

    “When I was your age,” a father said to 2sixteen-year-old son one day, “I was at the top of my class every year. And I 3 what I wanted to do when I left school. I had goals. You have no goals, 4your are always at the bottom of your class .”

    The man's son said nothing. He had already heard this from his father 5 times.

    “And when your mother was your age,” the young man's father, 6 , “She had a good job and she was earning money. You don't even have a part-time job. You earn nothing.”

    The man's son still said 7. He had heard this before, 8.

    “And 9 your elder brother was your age,” the young man's father went on, “he studied hard. But your just 10your time.”

    And the man's son still said nothing.

    Finally, the young man's 11 said, “And when Abraham Lincoln was your age, he worked all day and studied at night.”

    This time the son 12 stay silent(沉默).

    “And when Abraham Lincoln was your age, father,” he said, “He was the president of13United States. 14 are you?”

    His father had no answer to this.

    Are your parents always comparing you 15 others? And what's your reply? Do you have a better way to communicate with each other?

    Nasruddin(阿凡提) was a very clever man. When a nobleman named Shah heard Nasruddin's stories, he decided to ask some questions to puzzle him.

    On a sunny morning, Shah rode his horse and set off. When he got to a crossroads, he saw a man coming to him. He stopped his horse and asked,“I say, Mula（对有学问的人的一种尊称）. Do you know Nasruddin? Where does he live? Tell me.” Shah had a habit of asking the way when he saw every scholarly-looking man. Luckily, this man was Nasruddin.

    Nasruddin looked up at the nobleman on the horse and asked,“How did you know I was a Mula?”

    “How did I know?” he bragged（自夸）.“Well, I am a mind-reader. That's how.”

    “I am very pleased to meet you,” said Nasruddin with a smile,“I live in the next door to Nasruddin. I know his address. Since you are a mind-reader, read my mind and find the way to his house all by yourself.”

When we are talking about animals in China, the most precious (珍贵的) animal we would think of is the panda. In fact, we have one kind of bird as precious as the panda,1many people don't know much about it. The bird is called crested ibis (朱鹮) . It is as2as snow with a red face and looks very beautiful. It is also in danger like the panda.

Crested ibises3in tall trees by small rivers or rice fields. They look for small fish and4small animals for food. About one hundred years ago,5crested ibises lived in China, Russia and Japan. Later, as they lost their homes,6them was getting smaller and smaller. Between 1965 and 1980, people didn't see any of them living in the wild. Luckily, on May 23, 1981, scientists7seven of them in the south of Shanxi Province. 8protect crested ibises in the wild, the Chinese government is setting up nature parks and developing other plans. Now scientists are doing a lot of research to help them to9more babies. Today there are about 1,500 crested ibises living in the wild. Zoos and research centres10after about 500 crested ibises.

A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in a year. You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam. If you want to be good at English，you have to read stories in English，and speak English as much as possible. A few days before the exam you should go to bed early. Do not go to bed late at night studying. Before you start the exam，read carefully over the question papers，and try to understand the exact meaning of each question. When you have finished your exam at last，read over your answers. Correct the mistakes if there are any and be sure that you don't miss anything out. 

When we talk about reading, we probably think of eyes, because we do the reading with eyes. Many years ago, some people {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (wonder) whether they could do some reading with ears or not. And now their dream has already come true. With the development of smartphones, it's getting much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (easy) to do some reading with ears. This is audio reading.

Many people think reading in bed before going to sleep is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(help) to have a good sleep and it would be a perfect time to do some audio reading. When they read an ordinary book, the lights have to be turned on and they have to turn the pages with their{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (hand）while they don't need to do that when they do audio reading instead.

Also, some other people would like to do audio reading in the kitchen. They can enjoy their time by{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(listen)to the news or stories while cooking. They find it interesting{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (cook) according to instructions that are made{#blank#}7{#/blank#}famous cooks. Audio reading is some people's favorite while they are exercising. It allows the mind to be free while the legs, body and arms are kept busy. But be careful. Don't make yourself or others in danger. Let's take driving for example. If you pay no attention to{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (drive) but lose yourself in doing audio reading, you may cause a traffic accident.

Finally, audio reading is{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (true) helpful to blind people. It was difficult for them to read in the past. But now they can do it easily. What {#blank#}10{#/blank#}interesting way to read! 

Every thirty seconds there is an earthquake in the world. Some of these earthquakes are so weak that people can't feel them. But some of them are very serious and many people get hurt or die in them. Do you know what causes earthquakes?

The earth's surface(表面)has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake. Scientists are trying to predict(预测)big earthquakes, but it's very hard. Do you know how to protect yourself during an earthquake?Here are some ways You should remember them. 

If you are inside

◆ Quickly move under a desk or along a wall. It will protect you from falling things. Don't run out of the door

◆ Keep away from windows. 

◆ Turn off lights. 

◆ Don't get into a lift. If you are in a lift, get out as quickly as possible. If you are outside

◆ Don't stay near tall buildings and trees. Things may fall on you. 

◆ Be careful of fallen power lines. 

◆ Lie on the ground in clear areas until the shaking stops.