John went to spend his summer holiday in China with his parents last year. They visited some famous cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming and Shanghai. In Beijing he visited the Great Wall, Tian' anmen Square and the Palace Museum. They also went to the zoos and the parks. The weather was fine and cool. They had a good time in the parks. They also took lots of photos there. In Guangzhou, they visited some museums. They were very interesting but kind of crowded. In Kunming the weather is never too hot in summer. They visited the Stone Forest, the Golden Temple and EXPO Garden. They climbed the Xishan Mountain. In Shanghai they went to the beach and had great fun playing in the water.

    "It's very interesting to visit China and I learned a lot about Chinese history," John said. "

    If I have another chance, I'll come back to China again."

    My father doesn't know how to cook. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If no one cooks for him, he doesn't eat anything.

    Today, my mother doesn't feel well. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} My mother and I are happy. My father says he will go shopping first.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    So my mother writes all the things on a piece of paper(-张纸) like this: ⒈cake; ⒉egg; ⒊tomato; ⒋milk; ⒌chicken.

    Then my father goes out.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} He brings out all the things: one cake, two eggs, three tomatoes, four bags of milk and five chickens!

    Looking at those things, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    For thousands of years, kites have been made and flown by people of all ages living in most parts of the world. ⑶Kites have been especially popular in Asian countries. In Korea, people fly kites on the first few days of the new year as a kind of celebration. In Japan, kite flying is an important part of the boy's festival that is held each May. In China, one day out of every year is celebrated as Kite Day. At these special" kite celebrations", thousands of kites are flown. ⑷They are made in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Some are shaped like fish, butterflies, or birds. All of them are very bright and colorful. Most kite fans fly their kites just for fun, but serious kite fliers take part in contests. Kites are used for practical(实用的) purposes, too. The U.S. Weather Bureau uses kites to collect information about winds and weather. Some of the kites used in this kind of work carry scientific instruments and fly higher than 20,000 feet. To fly a kite, it's usually necessary to run into the wind for a few feet. As the kite begins to rise, let out more line and pull it. Do not fly a kite near trees or electric lines, or in an area where there are low-flying planes.

    There are some skills for students to listen to the teachers in class, which means you're going to have to practice them. Just as you would have to practice basketball to be a better player, you also have to practice listening. How to listen in school? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One of the things you'll need to do is to make sure that your mind doesn't wander(漫游). It's easy to start thinking about other things, especially when you are not interested in the subject. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

   Next, listen for the main ideas. If you want to catch every little piece of information, you'll feel tired and bored. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Not only does this show respect to the teacher, it also helps prevent your mind from wandering. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Or it could just be someone talking to their neighbors who shouldn't be, it can even be some birds outside the classroom window, or a group of kids who are talking loudly as they pass the door to your room.

    Finally, you need to take notes because you will not remember everything the teacher said. You'll have to take down the notes so that you can study it after class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Listening isn't always easy, but if you follow these simple steps, you'll be much more successful in your classes.

Two Canadian teenagers, Faiz and Leo, have been taking on a series of wonderful challenges. Their most recent achievement was following the Lake Ontario coastline for 73 kilometers, walking from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

"We enjoy trying new things that are good for our bodies and minds. We like to overcome challenges like these. And we feel going on a long walk seems to be the purest form of challenge that you can have," Leo said.

With very little preparation, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 6 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with nice views along the way.

On their walk, one of the interesting things they came across was a cargo ship (货船) which was no longer used. "You' d be surprised by the things that you don't see when you' re driving and that you will see when you' re taking your time walking," said Leo.

However, the journey was not only a trial (考验) for bodies but also an important test of minds. There were moments of loneliness for the pair, requiring them to support each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ran into a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing something painful.

"I wasn't sure what was going to happen me and Leo, we tried to talk him out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was eased and everyone was OK," Faiz said.

The walk is now long over but Faiz and Leo are not done challenging themselves, with plans to start a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.