A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school. He began his lesson by holding up a ￡100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, "Who would like to have this ￡100 bill?" The students began to put up their hands at once.

    Then he said, "I am going to give this bill to one of you, but first, let me do this." He then made this bill into a ball. Then he said, "Who wants it?" Hands went into the air.

    "Well," he said, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up the dirty, crumpled bill and said, "Who still wants it?" Hands went back into the air.

    "My friends," he said, "You've learned a valuable lesson today. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it didn't go down in value. It was still worth ￡100.”

     “Many times in our lives, we're dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value: you are always valuable to those who love you. Your value doesn't come from what you drop or whom you know, but WHO YOU ARE.”

    You are special and valuable. Don't ever forget it!

    For centuries, elephants have played a big role in the world's economies, culture and religion. The African elephant used to be found all over Africa and the Asian elephant moved from Syria to China to Indonesia. Nowadays, elephants are found in small groups in the south of the Sahara Desert and scarcely in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and India.

    In the early twentieth century, there were close to ten million elephants, and now the elephant number is as low as 252,000 and expected to drop down to 160,000 by 2025. Between 2007 and 2014, the elephant population fell by at least 30%, or 144,000 elephants. As researchers have traveled over the African plains, they only spotted one herd of 36 elephants in an area like the size of Mexico. It is clear that these gentle mammals are disappearing right before our eyes.

    There are many reasons why the elephant population has been decreasing, one of which is their habitat. Humans are competing with elephants for living space, and as more and more humans clear the land that is being used by elephants, the elephants have less space. Elephant hunting or “poaching” has been a major factor for the disappearance of this species, and they are killed only for their valuable ivory tusks. Although the trade of tusks is illegal, it is still a common practice in many places.

    Often, all the local people living among elephants would be farmers, and found that they could make more money by selling the tusks of one elephant, than doing manual labor for twelve years. That alone makes it really hard to prevent them from killing the elephants.

    Some places such as Botswana, have put in extra effort to protect their wildlife from poachers by founding their Botswana Defense Force, which is made up of around 700 specially-trained soldiers that are stationed in 40 different areas. You may feel worried about the present situations elephants are in, but there are ways to help. To find out how you can help elephant conservation, adopt an elephant, or donate, click here.

    Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.

    He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked up to the sky. What he saw frightened him. A huge group of bees filled the sky like dark cloud and seemed to be heading angrily towards him.

    With no time to waste Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding quickly without knowing how to escape the group. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping quickly, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his fear increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive(敏感的) to bee stings (蜇). Last time a sting had put him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father's words came to him. "When you are in a dangerous situation, don't panic. Stay calm, use your brain and think your ways out of it."

    On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly from the chimney(烟囱) of the Nelson family home. "Bees don't like smoke," he thought. "They couldn't get into the house." Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining around. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He guessed that the bees would catch up with him soon.

    Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a small pond used by Mr. Nelson to water his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he jumped, disappearing below the surface and away from the bees. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees have gone. Pulling himself out of the water, he walked up the hill and rang the doorbell. Mr. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.

    "You'll really need that fishing break to help you recover(恢复)," laughed his mother. "Thank goodness you didn't panic!" But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.

    Sure, it's good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more pleasant.

    And yes, it's good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it's smart to learn how to understand the different types of people you'll meet throughout your life

    "But really, there's one super-important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do, learning bursts right open," says Evelyn Vuko, a longtime teacher who writes an education column (专栏) called "Teacher Says" for the Washington Post newspaper.

    In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they're more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems, such as problems with learning or school life like bullying.

    As a kid in a primary or middle school, you're at a wonderful stage in your life. You're like a sponge(海绵), able to absorb lots of new and exciting information. On top of that, you're able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows that, and, in most cases, is very excited to be the person who's giving you all that material and helping you make it. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you're open to what they're teaching you. That's why they wanted to be teachers in the first place—to teach!

    Some kids may be able to learn in any situation, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren't going well, they won't learn as well and won't enjoy being in class.

    During an earthquake, you should know what to do. If the earthquake strikes while you're inside a house, you should lie on the floor under a strong table or other furniture. If there is no furniture, you can cover your head with your arms and keep still in the corner of the room. You should keep away from windows, glass walls, or anything that can fall.

    If you are in bed, hold firmly onto your bed and make use of a pillow to safeguard your head. You may use a doorway but only when it is close to you. It should also be considered whether it is strong enough to deal with the load.

    If you are running out, do not use lifts, even if they work. Electricity may go out at any time. Many injuries happen when people try to rush out. This means you ought to stay in your house or perhaps wherever you are.

    When you stay outdoors, you should stay far from buildings, power wires or lights. You should be in the open until the quake stops. Remember that many earthquake deaths outside the house come from falling-apart walls, flying glass and other falling things.

    If an earthquake strikes and you are driving, you should pull up to the side of the highway and stop as quickly as possible. You ought not to stop under trees, buildings or energy wires. Don't stop in the middle of the street as it could trouble others.

    When trapped, you shouldn't move. Your mouth should be covered with a piece of clothing or a handkerchief. This is because it is possible for you to breathe in some dust. Do not shout whenever possible. You should only shout in the end to get help from rescuers.

(2023陕西西安高一练习)

Donald opened the door of his pet parrot's cage and slid in his index finger(食指).Donald's parrot,Sunshine,jumped excitedly onto the finger."How are you doing today,Sunshine?" {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sunshine munched(用力咀嚼)happily on the grass while Donald put the bird on his shoulder and walked across the room to his desk.

"I need to earn some money,Sunshine," Donald said to the bird,which was now placed atop Donald's head."But who will hire someone of my age,and what am I good at?"

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} "I'm responsible," he said to Sunshine as he wrote,"and I like people and animals,but,on the other hand,I'm too young to drive,and I don't have much experience in performing most jobs."

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} After a couple of rings,the phone quieted,so Donald knew his mother had answered the phone.He heard an unclear conversation from the room as he continued his job musings(沉思).

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} She laughed when she saw Sunshine stay happily on Donald's head."That was Mrs.Johannson on the telephone," she reported.She wants to know if you would be willing to take care of their two parrots while the Johannsons are out of town next week.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Donald grinned(咧嘴笑) from ear to ear.

A.She's even willing to pay a little.

B.You might be too busy to take the job.

C.Donald was worried about his future job.

D.Donald asked as he held out a leaf of grass to the bird.

E.A few minutes later,Donald's mother walked into his room.

F.Donald was thinking about his options when he heard the telephone ring in another room.

G.Donald tore a sheet of paper out of a notebook and began writing down the things he was good at.