In almost every big university in the United States, football is a favorite sport.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to move the ball ten yards.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points. This is called a touch-down. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Eleven men on the team try to stop the man who has the ball. If the man does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball to the other team. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They all yell for their favorite team. They dance and jump while they yell. Each team plays ten or eleven games each season. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January the first. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on TV.

    Our country used to be very poor in technology, but great changes have taken place these years. Lots of our technology is much better than those of foreign countries. High-speed railway technology is one example.

    We learned about high-speed railway technology from foreign countries, but now we have mastered(掌握）and developed the key technology. Our high-speed railway technology is advanced. It can not only have a high speed but also be used in different environment and the cost is lower.

    China Railway Corp (CRC) is fully prepared to sell a full supply of high -speed railway technology. The company said selling of railway technology and building railways for other countries are going very well, and progress is being made in a number of countries. We have a major advantage. We are able to sell whole railway technology. It isn't very good to buy some technology from one country and other technology from another.

    The selling plan for our high-speed railway technology will follow the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (一带一路).

    Like the US-made Boeing 737 and France's Airbus, our high-speed railway technology could be an important project to help sell our technology in the future.

    Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising there are many expressions about cats. Do you know any of them? Now let me tell you.

    Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone feels excellent about himself, we say, "he looks like the cat that ate the canary."

    Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you play "cat and mouse" with someone, you change between different kinds of actions when facing another person. For example, a child might serve something sweet to her little brother, and then take it away when reaches for it.

    A cat will often catch a small animal and show it to its owner. The saying "that looks like something the cat dragged in" describes something in bad condition.

    A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.

    There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or which kind would you like to be? 

    When you go to an American's house for dinner, there are some table manners(餐桌礼仪)you should know.

    ⒈Don't talk too loudly at the table.

    ⒉Never talk on the phone at table.

    ⒊Eat soup quietly and with the side of the spoon(勺子).

    ⒋Break your bread; don't cut it.

    ⒌Don't eat food with your fingers unless(除非)it is finger food like bread, pizza and so on.

    ⒍Don't play with food or table utensils(用具).

    ⒎Don't put your elbows(肘)on the table.

    ⒏Keep the napkin(餐巾)on the lap(膝盖).

    ⒐Never ask a doggy bag(打包袋)when having a formal(正式的)dinner.

    ⒑It's OK not to finish all the food on your plate.

    Follow the rules and you will have a great time enjoying your dinner.

    Music and Art will enter the Entrance Exam for the high school in Jiangsu. Without music, life would be a mistake. Music is a big part of our lives. But in recent years, some US schools have cut music classes to control budgets (预算).

    For example, Chicago public schools hurt arts education when it fired (解雇) over 1,000 teachers. Among them, 10 percent of the teachers taught art or music, according to The Washington Times. In fact, this is not just a problem in the US. In other countries, such as China and the UK, music classes are not thought to be as important as ones like science, math and history. That's partly because music is not seen as a very important life skill, and it isn't tested. Many students are busy with schoolwork, so parents and students choose to focus on subjects that are tested more often.

    However, learning music is beneficial (有益的) in many ways.

    When playing music, you need different abilities to work together. It is not as simple as it looks, according to Kenneth Guilmartin of Music Together, an early childhood music development program. For example, when playing the piano, people see music notes and decode (解码) them in their brains. They also use their fingers to make sounds. You need to deal with all these things at the same time.

    Music has a special connection with science as well. You can see that many scientists are good at playing music: Einstein played the violin, and German physicist Max Planck was talented in playing the piano.

    Family traditions are special habits or customs that your family have. For example, in the family of Bill Gates, his parents keep the tradition of reading with children. And what's the tradition in your family？