Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Are you often late for work or school? Yes? Then a scientist called Mike has a special bed for you. His Bed will get you up in the morning! Here is how it works!

    The bed is connected to an alarm clock. First, the alarm clock rings. You have a few minutes to wake up. Next, a tape recorder in the bed plays soft music and then your girlfriend's beautiful voice comes, “Wake up, darling, please.” A few minutes later, loud music comes from the tape recorder. At the same time, you may hear the voice of your boss. Your boss shouts angrily, “ Wake up at once, or you'll be late!” If you don't get up after that, you'll be sorry! A plastic “foot” is in the bed. It kicks you in the head. Then the bed waits for a few more minutes. What! You're still in bed! Slowly the top of the bed rises higher and the foot of the bed goes lower. Finally, you fall off the bed and onto the floor. You are out of the bed and awake!

    Mike made his bed because he wanted to take part in a competition. Mike won one of the top prizes for his bed.

Doing "Clean "Exercise

    When you go for a run outside, chances are that you'll find litter all around you. Do you just go past it, or do you stop and pick it up? If you choose the second, you're part of the latest popular sport in the West: plogging.

    The word "plogging" is the Swedish phrase" plocka upp"（ pick up） and the English word "Jogging"(running slowly)put together.

    What a plogger needs is a rubbish bag and a pair of gloves to protect your hands. While collecting rubbish, ploggers learn to classify (分类)and deal with it correctly, too.

    Plogging seems simple but it does a lot of good to both the environment and your health. It can not only make the world greener, but also get you full body exercise, For example, a 30-minute logging burns around 288 calories（卡路里）， compared to 235 calories burned from just jogging.

    So next time you go out jogging, why not carry a rubbish bag and collect some litter along the way? Your body and the environment will thank you.

    My name is Frank. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It was a very interesting trip.

    We flew to Hawaii. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When we got there，we found a nice hotel. We stayed there for four days. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} After breakfast，we went to the beach. My sister and I swam in the sea and played games on the beach. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} My mom sat in the chair and read her favorite book.

    We visited many beautiful places and ate a lot of food there. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I also made two friends there. They were very friendly and they invited us to their houses. The trip was very nice. We want to go there again next year.

    "Never set foot in this house again!" should father." BANK!" the door closed behind me. With tears in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.

    The street lights were shining, causing rather sad-feeling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I don't know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions on me. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I wandered the streets, without any aim in my mind. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets. When I finally reached the apartment where I lived, I saw that the light was still on.

    I thought to myself: Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?

    In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} All the lights were off except father's.

    Dad was always like this. He had got used to arguing with me. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} After shouting at me, he never said sorry to me. But after an argument he always came into my room secretly and made sure whether I was asleep.

    The light was still on." Am I wrong?" I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Love is second to none.

A. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.

B.I wandered aimlessly.

C.I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all.

D. Maybe he didn't know how to express himself.

E.I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Cindy likes drawing(画画) very much. She can draw nice pictures. She always reads books about artists(艺术家).

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Peter likes watching NBA games. He also knows a lot about tennis stars and basketball stars.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Mary studies in a junior school. She can't always get good grades(成绩)，but she can cook(烹任) well. She wants to be a cook(厨师).

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷John is a 12-year-old boy. He likes singing and dancing very much and he also does well in playing the piano.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Jeff thinks playing games is very interesting. Sometimes games can help him study well.