Giving directions in different places

    If you ask people of different countries "Could you tell me the way to the post office?", you will get different answers.

    In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The post office is across from the bus stop."

    In Kansas, America, there are no towns or buildings within miles. So instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. For example, people will say, "Go north two miles {#blank#}2{#/blank#}".

    People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions. They will often say, "Follow me." {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sometimes if a person doesn't know the answer to your question, he or she, like a New Yorker, might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. A visitor can often get lost in Yucatan!

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You might not understand a person's words, but maybe you can understand his or her body language. He or she will usually point to the correct direction. Go on in that direction and you may find the post office!

    The world is an interesting place. Different people like different things. Some people like loud music. Other people don't.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Many people like sports, but they do not all like the same sports. In some countries, cricket (板球运动) is a very popular sport. In others it is not popular at all. No one plays it or watches it on TV. However, most people like cocker. The World Cup is very popular.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Different people like different foods. Some people do not like meat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some people do not like potatoes or bread. They prefer rice.
    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Most people have their favorite colors. Some people like bright colors. Others prefer pale colors.

    Many people like traveling. Different people like different places. Some people like to go to the country. They like the fresh air. Some people like to go to the cities. Because they like shopping.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    What do you like? Have you got an idea?

A. They like soft music.

B. Not everyone likes the same color.

C. Millions of people watch the game on TV.

D. They eat fruit and vegetables most of the time.

E. Some other people enjoy beautiful places like the mountains or beaches.

(D)

    According to the traditional Chinese custom, 2018 is just the year of Dog. Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac -- the Shengxiao, Dog is a symbol of loyalty (忠诚) and honesty.

    ●Self-mocker (自嘲)

    Words and phrases including dogs (Gou in Chinese) are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves. For example, you can say “Valentine's Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog.” It is believed that dog-related words and phrases usually have good humour.

    ●Close relationship

    Among some young people, adding “dog” to a friend's name has the meaning of a close relationship. One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans.

    ●Easy to raise

    Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up, according to an ancient Chinese saying. Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs.

    ●Metaphor (隐喻)

    Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities ( 品 质 ), the word is included in more than 10 Chinese metaphors. For example, “serve like a dog or a horse,” is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers.

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    My hometown is different from what it looked like before. To be honest, it is more beautiful than before. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Ten years ago, it used to be a poor village. There was only one mountain path (小路) to go there. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People lived in low straw­thatched cottages (破草房). Now my hometown has changed a lot since our government helped us. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So it's convenient to go in and out of our hometown. Also, we have built some schools so that the children can receive a good education. As people have made more money by working in the cities, or planting more economic crops (经济作物). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} All the villagers are living in new houses, some even in large buildings. There is a beautiful park in our town. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Every day, after dinner people would like to go to the park to enjoy themselves. We are living a happy life now.

    I have always wanted to write {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When Harry Potter came out, I lost myself in it. In those books, every wonderful thing was created (创造) on a page. The problem is that I am not a very good writer.

    Then I prepared a little black book and it looked very common. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} it started as somewhere to write down all of the interesting experiences. When an idea came into my head, I would write them down.

    Sometimes the first idea was not such a good one, but it might lead to better ideas, wrote down 10 ideas, no matter how bad they are. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} .After that I would develop it into a few pages.

    Now I bring the book everywhere with me.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is full of colorful thoughts or what the world is like.

    The world is full of strange things. Every day, there is something special and unusual just waiting to be discovered (发现)

    My book is amazing .It lets me catch all of those small things and catch them before they can go away.

    So far I have written a great novel and some poems.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.For me, this book is more than just words on paper.

    It is my special wealth (财富).

The story of the magazine

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    When you look at the different kinds of colorful magazines in the shops (and online) today, it's easy to think that they are a modern idea. However, magazines have been around since the 18th century and they have been an important part of people's daily lives for hundreds of years.

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    One of the earliest magazines was The Gentleman's Magazine which was started in London in 1731 by a man called Edward Cave. He was the first person to use the word "magazine" about a regular publication. The word comes from the Arabic makhzan or storehouse. His idea was that his magazine was a storehouse, or place that you could keep information about many different things.

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    Magazines became more popular in the 19th century. They gave people tips to help them with their daily lives, and they often had serialized(系列的) stories which gave the readers a new episode every week. Each part finished at a very exciting point in the story. Famous writers such as Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created serialized novels for magazines.

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    One very important serialized novel was Hard Times by Dickens. It came out in 20 weekly parts between 1 April and 12 August 1854 in the magazine Household Words. This magazine was very good value and it was a cheap way for readers to buy a version of a novel.

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    Soap operas on TV today are often similar to the serialized novels. These old stories have often been made into modern films or TV series and they are still popular with modern audiences because they are so exciting.