When we meet someone for the first time, we often would like to talk about ourselves. We just want to show the best to others. But why not listen? Sometimes, listening is better than talking. Then how to be a good listener? Here are a few suggestions:
◆Look at the speaker. It shows you are listening carefully. It's also a good way to “talk” to your friend with your eyes.
◆Don't cut in. Give your friend enough time to say what she or he thinks. Don't stop your friend's words. Even if you want to say something, you should wait till your friend finishes.
◆ Try to understand. When you are listening, try to catch her or his feelings and ideas. It helps you know your friend better. And your friend will feel better about you. She or he may think you are the right person to talk with.
◆Show your ideas at the right time. "It's interesting." "What happened next?" … These are useful when you are listening. And you can give advice when your friend asks for it.
It's never too late to become a good listener. It can change your life and the lives of the people in your life.

    Humans can't stop natural disasters because we can't stop the power(力量) of nature.

    For example, a flood comes when there is too much water on the land. Sometimes, it can come after a big rainstorm at sea. Then too much sea water comes onto the land. Fast moving flood can hurt us. It can also hurt our homes. We can't stop the water from coming, but we can try to stop the water by making a wall with sandbags. Sometimes, the sandbags help stop the water. Sometimes they don't.

    An earthquake happens where land moves. The land goes up and down and all around. The land shakes. We may be hurt by things that fall down in an earthquake. Falling things can start fires. We can't stop an earthquake from coming. We can try to make our homes strong in order to prevent them from falling down in an earthquake.

    A tornado(龙卷风) is fast air that goes around and around over the land. A tornado can pick up everything. It can break anything in the way. A typhoon is a big storm with fast moving wind and rain. It begins at sea and can come onto the land. Its fast winds can hurt us and our homes.

    We can't stop the power of nature, but we can go to places where we will feel safe.

配对阅读：上栏描述了五位同学喜欢看的杂志，下栏是七份杂志的简介，请为上栏的每位同学选择一份合适的杂志。

    Sally and Susan are sisters. They are the same in some ways, but different in other ways.

    Both Sally and Susan have long dark hair. They are both outgoing and popular, too. Sally is older and smarter than Susan. She's more serious. She reads more books and likes to talk about the things she reads. Sally isn't athletic.

    Susan is much more athletic than Sally. She plays basketball and volleyball, and she enjoys watching sports on TV. Sally likes to watch sports, too, but she doesn't play them. Both sisters like school and get good grades. But Sally is more serious about her homework. Both of them also like shopping and playing computer games on weekends.

    Hello, I'm Lisa. I'm a middle school student. What's this on the table(桌子)? It's a photo of my family. Look! The woman with gray(灰色的) hair is my grandmother. And the man next to her is my father, Steve Black. He is a football player. The woman next to(在……旁边) my grandmother is my mother, Annie Black. She is a teacher. The little girl in front of (在……前面) my mother is my sister, Laura. And the girl in red is me! Oh, I also have a lovely (可爱的) cat. It's black and white. Where is it? It's on my bed, haha!