In July, my friend Jim and I are going to have a camping trip. We will travel for four weeks and will tour the United States and part of Canada.

    We decided to go camping because we didn't have to spend much money in that way.

    We had to make our plan very carefully. First, the car we are going to drive is very small, so we decided to take only one small suitcase(皮箱) each and as few camping things as possible (尽可能的). We will take some medicine with us to stop insects(昆虫) from hurting us, and also food for outdoor meals. Second, there is a lot to see in the United States and Canada, so we had to decide on which way we wanted to drive before we started.

    All of this planning took a long time.

    The date we are leaving is July 2nd. We want to see and do many things on our camping tour. We want to climb the hills and swim in cool rivers and lakes. We want to go sightseeing in many cities and talk to many people. We also want to find a hotel room if it rains at night. We hope to have an exciting and interesting trip.

    Anne Zhang is a 21-year-old girl from Hangzhou, China. Now she studies in Britain. One day, when she was taking a train from London to Oxford, she heard loud noises on the train.

    Before, the train had been very quiet. Some people were resting while others were reading books or listening to music. Suddenly, a group of Chinese people laughed loudly as they played a game of cards.

    As it becomes easier for Chinese people to get visas(签证) to foreign countries, more and more of them are traveling abroad. However, their bad manners have given them a bad reputation (名声).

    Chinese always talk loudly in places like cafes and museums. They also spit (吐痰) and litter whenever they want and jump queues. Some Chinese tourists also like to write or draw pictures on famous buildings. In Singapore, Chinese tourists are fined(罚款) because they were smoking in Non-smoking areas.

    Some people may say that they can do everything that they want because they spend money in the country. In fact, this is not true. Besides enjoying ourselves, we should respect local customs and take care of the environment.

Information Card

    A man came out of the airport. A lot of taxis were there. He asked the name of every taxi-driver. Then he took the 3rd one. It cost 5 dollars from the airport to the hotel. "How much does it cost for the whole day?" the man asked. "One hundred dollars," said the taxi-driver. This was very expensive, but the man said it was OK.

    The driver took the man everywhere. He showed him all the parks and museums in the city. In the evening, they went back to the hotel. The man gave the driver 100 dollars and said, "What about tomorrow?" The taxi-driver looked at the man and said, "Tomorrow? It's another 100 dollars." But the man said, "That's OK! See you tomorrow." The driver was very pleased.

    The next day the driver took the man everywhere again. They visited all the parks and museums again. And in the evening they went back to the hotel. The man gave the driver 100 dollars again and was going home tomorrow. The driver was unhappy because he liked the man and above all, 100 dollars a day was a lot of money.  "So you're going home. Where do you come from?" he asked. "I come from New York." "New York!" said the driver. "I have a sister in New York. Her name is Lucy. Do you know her?" "Of course I know her. She gave me 200 dollars for you!"

    English book Animal Farm (1945) tells a story about farm animals. They are fed up with ( 受够了) Mr Jones, the farmer. He treats them badly, so they decide to kick him off the farm and run the farm themselves.

    One day an old pig called Old Major gathers the animals around him. He tells them that all animals should stand together. He says they should take over the farm. They say that all animals are equal.

    After they get rid of ( 摆 脱 ) Mr Jones, two pigs become the leaders of Animal Farm. One pig called Snowball is a great speaker. He has big ideas for Animal Farm. The other leader is a pig called Napoleon. Napoleon is a crafty (狡猾的) animal. He brings together supporters by offering them advantages.

    Napoleon makes a war against Snowball and kicks him away from the farm. He turns Snowball into a big enemy. He says that Snowball is working with Farmer Jones and other farmers to destroy Animal Farm.

    But as it turns out it is Napoleon who is working with the enemies of the animals. He joins up with the old human enemies of the animals. But he tells the animals that he is working for them. Meanwhile the animals work hard. It seems that it is as bad to live under Napoleon as it was under Farmer Jones!

    Why is the story so important?

    Animal Farm is an excellent choice for learners of English because it's very short. The language is also simple.

    Like many famous stories Animal Farm is not just a book. It was played on the BBC radio in 1947. The big modern way of telling stories is in movies of course. Orwell's book has become a film twice. Perhaps it won't surprise you that the first one (1954) was a cartoon. In 1984 another film was made.

    This was a live-action (真人版的) film. The famous book has also been put on in the theater. In 1984 aversion was made and it toured a number of British cities.

    Friendship is one of the greatest pleasures that people can enjoy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}A true friend does indeed find pleasure in our joy and share sorrow in our grief. In time of trial, he or she is always at our side to give us his or her help and comfort.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We must choose someone who has a good character, whose activities are good and who shows kindness of heart. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you tell a friend your secrets, he or she won't tell anyone else. Friends share each other's joys and sorrows. They help each other when they are in trouble and cheer each other up when they are sad.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In conclusion, when you have made a good friend, don't forget him or her.

A. Knowing how valuable friendship is, we should be very careful in our choice of a friend.

B. It is very difficult to find a better definition of friendship.

C. A true friend can always be trusted, loved and respected.

D. The most important thing is that a friend always understands you.

E. We should avoid these shallow people who are easily changed by adversities or misfortune.