Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of substances in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.

    Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old．Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.

    Sharks are important for the world's oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too great. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable. Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The skin of a shark can be used like leather.  In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A.

B. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.

C. Sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them.

D. These powerful senses help sharks find their food.

E. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.

F. This is a threat to other forms of life in the ocean.

G. The others give birth to live young.

    When you're dealing with a stressful situation or going through a hard time,people in your life can help you. When someone who cares knows what you're going through,it helps you feel understood and not so alone.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Problems seem smaller when you talk about them with the right person.You can do better and find out solutions more easily when you share your problems.

    There are lots of different ways to get and give help.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}other times you need advice on things.Help can be very easy,like a homework project.Or it can go on for a while,like teaching to bring up a failing grade or advising to get through a difficult personal situation.

    It's likely you remember times someone helped you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Friends helped you get through sadness or deal with disappointment.Teachers might have guided you through the college application process.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}You might give a hand to your classmate who met difficulty.

    Friends,parents,teachers and other adults can be great resources when you need help.There are also times when you need the extra help that a professional can provide best.Doctors can offer specialized help for a health problem.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Having a right person means a lot.

B. Parents taught you to stop a bad habit.

C. Difficulties are everywhere in your life.

D. You need to learn to give help in the right way.

E. Sometimes you just want to hear an encouraging word.

F. Turn to the professional people for help when you need.

G. And you can also remember times when you helped others.

Pronunciation Tips

    These English pronunciation tips will help you get the most out of your Pronunciation Power program.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    For example, "threw" and "through", although spelled differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical（相同的） letters or letter clusters（字母组合） in words do not always produce the same sound. For example, the "ough" in "though" and "through" represents a different sound in each word. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Imagine a sound in your mind before you say it.

    Try to visualize（想象)）the positioning of your mouth and face. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Listen to and try to imitate the Pronunciation Power instructor.

In addition to listening for specific sounds, pay attention to pauses, the intonation（语调） of the instructor's voice and patterns of emphasis. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The English language has many different dialects, and words can be pronounced differently.

    It is important, however, that you pronounce words clearly to ensure effective communication.

    Finally, the Pronunciation Power program is a tool to help you.

    But you must practice what you are learning! Remember that you are teaching your mouth a new way to move. You are building muscles that you do not use in your own language. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Use the program to exercise your mouth a little bit each day.

A. Read these words over and over again and try to learn them by heart.

B. This can be just as important as the pronunciation of sounds.

C. Learn to practice what you hear, not what you see.

D. So you should force yourself to do what you really don't like to do.

E. Do not confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling!

F. It is like going to the gym and exercising your body.

G. Think about how you are going to make the sound.

    Most successful people attach importance to why learning from mistakes is important. Every unsuccessful attempt can help you gain important experience. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are some of the top reasons why mistakes are valuable.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Do you remember your first bad grade for a test? Do you remember an embarrassing moment when a teacher caught you cheating during an exam?

    These are common struggles but they are actually a great way to build good future habits. Once you have the experience, you will no longer make the mistakes you did before. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Encourage different thinking

    As we make mistakes, we remove certain ways of reaching our goal. When an approach is proven wrong, people immediately start looking for different ways to resolve a situation. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If your initial idea did not work, you are more likely to take a different stand and think of ideas you wouldn't have thought if that didn't happen.

    Build characters

    This is quite the tricky benefit since people can go either way when it comes to building characters. Very often, too many mistakes make people depressed. Too many failures convince them to just give up on their dreams. However, once you start learning from mistakes, you'll gain confidence from them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. And they will help you become a more passionate, successful person.

A. Give us experience

B. Reveal weaknesses

C. As we make mistakes, we learn from them

D. We have to practice, fail and rise up again

E. They will help you build a stronger character

F. Basically, mistakes encourage you to find a new solution

G. And mistakes can even be more valuable than achievements

How the Elderly Are Treated Around the World

    How cultures view and treat their elderly is closely linked to their most prized values and qualities. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In the US and UK, Protestantism (新教) is at play. Western cultures tend to be youth-centric, stressing qualities like independence. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It ties a person's value to his or her ability to work – something that becomes weaker in old age. As their health becomes worse, the elderly in these cultures often move to old people's homes and nursing homes.

    In France, parents are protected by law. It is difficult to imagine an Elderly Rights Law being a focus in the laws of many Western cultures. France did, however, pass a similar law in 2004. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One was a group of official statistics showing France had the highest rate of pensioner suicides in Europe, and the other was the aftermath of a heat wave that killed 15,000 people, most of whom were elderly and had been dead for weeks before they were found.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Native American cultures traditionally accept death as a fact of life. In many Native American areas, elders are respected for their wisdom and life experiences. Within Native American families, it's common for the elders to be expected to pass down their learning to younger members of the family.

    The way to care for Chinese elders is changing. Chinese families traditionally view respect for one's elders as the highest virtue, according to the Confucian tradition. Adult children are generally expected to care for their parents in their old age. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nursing homes are beginning to become a more socially acceptable option for elderly care.

A. However, this tradition is beginning to break down due to rising lifetime and an aging population.

B. In the African-American area, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life.

C. Here's what we can learn from other cultures about treating the elderly.

D. But China faces the unique problem of tending to an increasingly elderly population.

E. Native American elders pass down their knowledge.

F. It was only passed following two disturbing events, though.

G. This relates back to the Protestant work rules.

When I decided to leave my home country to pursue a degree in Canada, I hadn't expected that communication would be an issue.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}I took English lessons in my teens and scored well on English tests.

But soon after my arrival in Canada, I realized how wrong I was. In research discussions, surrounded by native English speakers, I had to be careful. I needed to consciously follow each conversation and translate it to my native language.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Finally, I tried to find the right English words to communicate that response. Constantly thinking about what I would say next, I had a hard time remaining focused in conversations.

But when I again failed to say exactly what I meant in a meeting a few months later, a simple idea occurred to me. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Communicating with my colleagues by e-mail, I had more time to think and comfortably express my thoughts. Over time, this practice helped improve my English significantly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I decided to remind them that English is not my first language. I asked them to speak more slowly to help me follow the discussions. It was a little awkward to draw attention to what might be seen as a weakness. And at first, the other members of the research team seemed slightly surprised. But the dynamics quickly improved. They seemed to become more aware of how they were speaking, and I felt more comfortable joining in the conversation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Plus, I learned to be open with my colleagues.

B. Why not contribute to the discussion in writing?

C. I had thought I could express myself in English easily.

D. Gradually I grew uncomfortable with oral communication.

E. Then, I had to reflect carefully on it and think of a response.

F. With efforts on both sides, we could overcome language barriers.

G. How can one deny the significance of effective communication?