A. Practice makes perfect.
B. Every minute counts.
C. Failure is the mother of success.
D. A good beginning is half done.
E. It is never too old to learn.

Dear Wang Fang,

    Thank you for your letter. You wrote to ask me about American social customs(风俗) in their dinner party. You are asking the right person. I once lived in America for five years. Now I'll tell you something about it.

    It's a good idea to bring a small present when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always nice, or you may bring a bottle of wine if you know that your friends drink it.

    You should arrive(到达) on time or five minutes late. Don't get there early. If you're going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call before.

    Try to be free at the dinner table. If you don't know about choosing(选择) the right fork or knife, just watch the other people, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, ask the person beside you .

    If you like the food, say so. Of course, you'll thank them for the meal and for their kindness. It's also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

Rose

Answer the following questions with No More Than 5 Words

    Kobe Bryant was born in August 23, 1978. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He began his career at the age of 18 when he became the youngest player in history to be drafted out of high school.

    As the most successful Shooting Guard after Michael Jordan, in 2006 he once scored 81 points at a single game. In 2008, he got the MVP award, and led Lakers back to the top. It was the 20th year for Bryant to play for the Lakers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But in recent years, he missed a lot of games because of injuries.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So it was a largely ceremonial(仪式的) season for Bryant to say goodbye to all his fans. Every game he played had a large crowd. Many people wanted to see him play once more.

   On Wednesday, April 14th, Kobe Bryant played his final game. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A lot of famous players and people came to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to watch his performance. Fans even signed a big goodbye message for him at the sports center. Also, lots of people watched the game on TV and the Internet.

   This season, the Lakers were not a good team. They only won 17 of 82 games. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He scored 60 points to help Los Angeles defeat Utah, 101 to 96. He finished his playing career with over 33,000 points. That makes him third on the all-time scoring list.

    When you speak, write a letter, or make a telephone, your words carry a message. People communicate with words. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears (眼泪) in your eyes tell others that you are sad.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions, You shake your head and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes".

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of other signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} An artist can use his drawings to tell about the beautiful mountains, the blue seas and many other thing. A writer writes books to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can help us lo know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.

Tom and Jerry

    Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse are two of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. In the short cartoons, Tom is always trying to catch Jerry, but he never has any success. Almost every cartoon ends with Tom in trouble and Jerry laughing at him. The stories are full of fun and have a long history.

    William Hanna and Joseph Barbera both worked for MGM in the late 1930s. Their boss told them to make funny cartoons. Together they thought of the idea of a cat and a mouse. They thought it would be funny if the mouse was clever and always got the cat into trouble.

    The first Tom and Jerry cartoon was shown in cinemas in 1940. It was a great success. Over the next 17 years, they made many Tom and Jerry cartoons. Most of them are around seven minutes long.

    In total, Hanna and Barbera made 114 Tom and Jerry cartoons. The cartoons were so good that they won a number of awards. The famous cat and mouse remain popular today, as the cartoons are still shown on television around the world.