Reading is a very important skill. 阅读也是一种提高你的英语的好方法。However, to make sure what you read isn't too difficult, it's important to know what makes texts difficult and how you can improve your understanding of them. Here are some suggestions.

    ①Understand the purpose of your reading. The way you read depends on the purpose of your reading. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer holidays.

    ② Find background information. Find something out about the topic you are going to read.

    The more background information you have, the easier it'll be to understand the text.

    ③Increase your vocabulary（词汇）. The more vocabulary you have, the easier your reading will be.

    ④ Use your dictionary correctly. A common mistake is to read everything very slowly and carefully, looking up each unknown word. Sometimes this is necessary, for example, when reading exam questions. However, it takes a long time and can be very boring; it can even make understanding more difficult!

    If you've followed the above advice and still can't understand a text, then it's simply too hard for you. Stop reading and ask someone to help you. 没有人想要放弃。However, you'll just be wasting your time if you continue to work at a text that's beyond you.

    Once upon a time, there was an old woman who lived in a small house. She planted a lot of beautiful tulips (郁金香) in her garden.

    One night, the sounds of sweet singing and of babies laughing woke her up. She looked out of the window. The sounds seemed to come from the tulips, but she could see nothing.

    The next morning she walked among her flowers, but there were no signs of anyone having been there the night before.

    On the following night she was again wakened (弄醒) by the sounds of sweet singing and babies laughing. She got out of bed and walked softly into her garden. The old woman looked closely and she noticed that a fairy (精灵) mother was singing softly, and that in each tulip-cup was a little fairy baby, laughing and playing.

    The old woman went back to her house quietly. From then on, she never picked a tulip. She didn't allow her neighbours to pick the flowers, either. When the old woman died, all the tulips disappeared overnight. But her grave (坟墓) looked beautiful, because the fairies sang above it and kept it green.

    I have always loved cars. After graduating from college, I got one, which I regarded as my best friend. I called it Victor. For the next three years, everything I did was connected with(与…有关)Victor. I lived a happy life. But because of money problems, I had to sell Victor. Then my life broke down. Without Victor, I was like a fish out of water. Three months later, with the encouragement of my friends, I decided to start a new life. I tried and made it. Everything went well again. Losing my car made me grow up. I have learned that life won't go our way, but we can choose to be positive and make the best of it.

    The Great Wall is known as the eighth wonder of the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Last Saturday I went to the Great Wall with some of my friends. It was a sunny day. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They helped the elders with their bags, take photos for some their bags, take photos for some tourists and answered people's questions. Though they were very busy, they didn't stop to have a rest. We were moved when we saw this.

    Just at the moment, we saw a little boy standing alone and crying.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} From his answer we knew that he could not find his mother. We told him not worry about it and then we tried to get in touch with his mother with the phone number he gave us. Twenty minutes later, his mother turned up.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    That day we not only enjoyed the beauty of the Great Wall, but also felt the warmth of the society. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. We went over and asked what happened to him.

B. Every year thousands of tourists from all over the world come to visit this place of interest in China.

C. when she saw her son , she was very excited and thanked us with tears in her eyes.

D. If everyone can reach out a helping hand to others, the world around us will be more and more harmonious.

E. On our way up, we saw many volunteers keeping order in the sun.

A. A fire engine will arrive quickly. The firemen know what to do. They have long ladders to reach high windows.

B. If you want to be a fireman，you must be strong and healthy. A fireman has to be able to carry heavy things. He has to be able to climb ladders and to work in high places. So he also has to be brave.

C. They try their best to rescue the people who can't get out. If some people are hurt，they are taken to hospital in ambulances（救护车）.

D. When a fire begins，we must tell the fireman. Do you know how to do this？

E. After all the people have been rescued，the firemen put out the fire. Sometimes this is very difficult because some people keep things in passages and on stairs. Then the firemen can't get past to fight the fire.

F. Go to the nearest telephone and dial the number 119. When someone speaks，tell him about the fire. Speak slowly and clearly.

D→ {#blank#}1{#/blank#}→ {#blank#}2{#/blank#}→ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}→ {#blank#}4{#/blank#}→ {#blank#}5{#/blank#}