Since May 1, 2015, Beijing started to allow blind people to take guide dogs (导盲犬) onto the subway(地铁). How much do you know about guide dogs? What can they do to help blind people?

    Not every dog can become a guide dog. The most common guide dog breeds (品种) are Labrador Retrievers (拉布拉多猎犬) and Golden Retrievers (金毛猎犬). That's because they are smart and have a good temper.

    To help blind people, dogs need to learn many skills, such as finding and following a clear road, moving around obstacles (障碍物), and stopping when they reach a curb (路牙) beside a road. Of course they should pass tests. They also need to learn an important lesson known as “intelligent disobedience (智能抗命)”. For example, blind people ask the dog to go forward when crossing a road. But if the dog knows that a car is coming, it will not move until it is safe.

    At about 10 or 12 years old, guide dogs retire(退休). Some of them stay at their owner's home and become their pets. Others may go back to training schools and live there.

    What can a guide dog do to help blind people?

• Follow a direct road, paying no attention to other things such as smells, animals and people.

• Keep a steady (稳定的) pace and just ahead of the owner.

• Stop at all curbs until the handler tells them to move forward.

• Stay quiet when the owner is sitting down.

• Help the owner to move around buses, subways and other public transportation.

    Answer the following questions. (in no more than eight words)

    The "green" car has become popular in recent years. A green car is an environment friendly car. Today, most cars are powered (驱动) by petrol (汽油). They make our life easier. But cars have also made problems for the environment.

    There are a few new types of cars that use no petrol or a little petrol.

    Electric cars：This kind of car uses a battery (电池) for power. When you're not driving it, just plug it in like a mobile phone to power up the battery. They don't make exhaust (排放物). But car makers still can't make a battery that lasts for more than a few hours. That's why electric cars aren't very popular.

    Fuel cell cars (燃料电池车) : Fuel cell cars use hydrogen (氢) and oxygen (氧) to make power. The only exhaust they produce is clean water. But fuel cell cars are still much too expensive to make.

    Solar cars : This kind of car has large panels (板) on the top that take power from the sunshine. The car holds that power in a battery. Solar cars might be the cleanest of all. But no one uses them, because solar panels can't get enough power from the sun to make a car go for a long time. Also, they are very slow.

    Hybrid cars（油电混合车）： This kind of car is the most exciting kind, because it is very clean and not too expensive. The hybrid car is very smart: Half the time, it uses petrol, and half the time it uses a battery. So, when the petrol engine is working, it puts some of its power back into the battery. It uses much less petrol than other cars. It also makes less pollution for the environment.

    "Have you finished your lesson, George?" said Mr. Prentice to his son, who had laid aside his book and was busy making a large paper kite.

    "No, father, "replied George, hanging down his head.

    "{#blank#}1{#/blank#}"

    "Because it is so difficult, father. I'm not sure that I shall learn it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}My memory is so bad."

    "If I were to promise you a holiday on the thirtieth of the month after next, do you think you would forget the date?"

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}"

    "You are good at skating, and flying your kite, and playing footballs, aren't you?"

    "Yes, father."

    "And you cannot learn your lesson! My dear boy, you are lying to yourself.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

    "But have I not tried, father?" again asked George.

    "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Come, for this afternoon lay aside that kite you are making, and give another effort to get your lesson ready. Be serious, and you will soon learn it."

    On March 14, one of science's brightest stars went dark. Stephen Hawking, the world-famous British scientist, died at 76 in Cambridge, UK. 霍金是历史上最伟大的科学家之一。 He came up with the theory that the universe (宇宙) began with the Big Bang (大爆炸) and will end in black holes. His theories became the base for a lot of later research. 他还写书帮助人们了解宇宙。 His most famous book is A Brief History of Time (《时间简史》), which has sold more than 10 million copies around the world. Hawking has great scientific achievements. He is also a man with strong will.

    When Hawking was 21, a serious illness stopped him from walking and talking. Later in life, he had to sit in a wheelchair and "speak" using a computerized voice. But this didn't stop him from living a meaningful and colorful life. "If one is physically disabled (身体残疾), one cannot afford to be psychologically (心理上) disabled as well," he once said.

Dear Tom,

    Most of the time, I just stay at home for my vacation. That's too boring. But I had a special and exciting vacation last summer. My classmates and I made a trip to Mount Tai by bus.

    When we arrived there, it was dark(天黑). At 7 pm, we began to climb the mountain. It took us the whole night to get to the top of the mountain. On the morning of the next day, we enjoyed the beauty of the sunrise on the top. That's wonderful. In the daytime, we visited a temple (寺庙). In the evening, we had a big dinner in a local restaurant together. The food there was delicious but a little expensive.

    I hope you can come to China next year. Then we can visit more interesting places together.

Yours,

Mike