C

    Many years ago, a French naturalist, Comte de Buffon, wrote some books about natural history. The books were a great success even though some critics（批评家）did not like them.

    Thomas Jefferson did not like what Comte de Buffon had said about the natural wonders（奇观）of the New World. It seemed to Jefferson that Comte de Buffon had spoken of natural wonders in America as if（好像）they were unimportant.

    This troubled Thomas Jefferson. He was also a naturalist, as well as a farmer, an inventor, a historian, a writer and a politician（政治家）. He had seen the natural wonders of Europe. To him, they were no more important than those of the New World.

    In 1788, Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state, Virginia. While writing, he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of Comte de Buffon. At that moment, Jefferson created a new word—belittle. He said, “Comte de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic（大西洋）.”

    Noah Webster, the American word expert, liked this word. He put it in the English language dictionary in 1806, “Belittle—to make small, unimportant.”

    Americans had already accepted Jefferson's word and started to use it. In 1797, the Independent Chronicle（独立纪事报）used the word to describe a politician the paper supported. “It is an honorable man,” the paper wrote, “so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please.”

    In 1872, a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word. He said, “Belittle shouldn't become English. And more critical writers of America, like those of Britain, feel no need of it.”

    This expert failed to kill the word. Today, belittle is used where the English language is spoken.

    A river was running happily in the hill, the valley(山谷) and the field. Soon it was stopped by a huge rock and the river was a little afraid and worried what it could do.

    The rock said, "Hi, baby！Where are you going？"

    The river answered, "I'm going to the sea. My mother is waiting for me."

    The rock made fun of the river and said, "You're too young. Go back to the hill at once. You can't get there. Don't come back here again!"

    The river was surprised to hear that and said, "I can only go forwards(向前).There's no river that goes backwards(向后)!"

    The rock became angry and warned the river. "Don't speak! If you don't go back, you will have to change your direction. Don't want to run over my body!"

    The river asked helplessly, "Where should I go？"

    "You can go anywhere you like. Just don't come close to me!"

    While they are talking, more and more water came here. Then it began to get out of control. The river ran quickly over the rock and the rock was washed pitifully.

    The river said proudly, "A weak person will change his goal and direction. A person who is strong will only go ahead and nothing can stop him!"

 Yang Hongwei is a woman who lives in Weifang, a city famous for its long history of kite— making. She was born in a family known for its kite— making.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Each kite is a piece of art with its own story.

 As a child, Yang often spent her free time in her grandfather's workshop, watching him create magical kites." Every kite has a story to tell," her grandfather said, and these words left a lasting impression on her. And she practiced her skills with love for many years. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

 Later, with her grandfather's encouragement, Yang decided to open her own kite shop." Our kites are not just for fun," Yang explained." They carry the spirit and stories of our ancestors(祖先)." Her kites are very special. They have popular designs like butterflies and birds.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} .

 One of her most famous kites is a large phoenix with 50 small pictures of famous women from Chinese history on its wings.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This kite, which took her many months to create, is an excellent work. It shows her skill and love for traditional Chinese culture. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, she goes to Germany and New Zealand. Travel takes her a lot of time, but she likes to share the stories behind her kites." It's important to share our culture with others,' Yang says.

A. In her spare time, Yang travels to many countries.

B. Each woman has different clothing, hairstyles and expressions.

C. At the age of 16, she started learning the art of kite— making from him.

D. Some kites also have special scenes from Chinese myths(神话故事) and history.

E. Since she was a little girl, she has been interested in the colorful kites in her home.

F. Yang has not made kites for many years because of her poor health conditions.

There are some {#blank#}1{#/blank#} rooms in our school. We like them and always want to go there. 

The library is a great place to read and learn. There are so many books in it and it's also a quiet place for {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. to study. We can go there every day and usually spend half an hour {#blank#}3{#/blank#} books. 

The art room is a colorful place. We can learn to draw, paint or make handicrafts (手工艺品) in it. There we use many materials (材料) to make beautiful paintings and handicrafts. We can go there {#blank#}4{#/blank#} class. 

The music room is our favorite place. It is not big {#blank#}5{#/blank#} very beautiful. There are different {#blank#}6{#/blank#} of instruments (乐器) and we can play the guitar, the piano or even the violin. We learn to sing songs and write songs. It's {#blank#}7{#/blank#} interesting place to enjoy music. 

The computer room {#blank#}8{#/blank#} us to learn computer skills (技能). We can learn how to find out information on the Internet. There {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a big screen on the wall and 60 computers on the desks. 

All these rooms are{#blank#}10{#/blank#} good for our growth (成长). They make our school a great place to study.