A

    “Who needs a shopping mall（购物中心）if you have Taobao?" says Wang Lin, 28, a writer in Beijing.

    Taobao, China's largest online shopping site（网上购物网站）, has become an important part of Wang Lin's life. She spends lots of money on Taobao.

    A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Wang have found the joys of online shopping. Most online shoppers are students or young workers. More women shop online than men; Clothing and home-use products are the most popular on line.

    It was reported that more than 250 billion (十亿) yuan was spent on online shopping last year, 80% through Taobao.

    Taobao means "looking for treasure" in Chinese. People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books, from candies to DVD players.

    You may question the security of online shopping, Wang Lin said, "It's very safe and convenient. Unless you receive the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owner will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the products.”

    This is a train timetable. If you want to go to Shenyang, you should take Train {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You have to spend {#blank#}2{#/blank#} hours on the train if you go to Shenyang from Beijing. If you want to go to Taiyuan from Chengdu, you can take the T8 train. The T8 train arrives in Taiyuan at {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.The Train T7 will take you to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} from 22:46 to 20:50. If you want to go to Beijing from Tianjin, you can take Train {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It will take you 33 minutes.

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.

A.    B.     C.   D.     E.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Sara--I went to Beijing this summer vacation. I climbed the Great Wall on a sunny day. The Great Wall is very tall. It was hard to climb, but I got to the top.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Jack-I went to Huangguoshu Waterfall with my parents. Huangguoshu Waterfall is really wonderful. We rowed a boat near it. We all enjoyed ourselves.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Andy- I took a trip to Sanya with my uncle in the summer holiday. We went there by air, because we wanted to get there soon. I loved swimming in the sea. It made me feel cool.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Mary I didn't take a trip. I just went to my grandparents' house. There is a mountain behind their town, so I climbed the mountain with my brother. We took many photos on the mountain.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Lily I went to Beijing, too. But I didn't go to the Great Wall. I went to Tian' anmen Square. I never saw such great buildings like them before. Look, this is a photo I took there.

    On 19th September 1783, Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, sent the first hot air balloon. The passengers were three animals and the balloon stayed in the air for about 15 minutes before hitting back to the ground.

    The first manned(载人的) flight was about 2 months later, with a balloon made by 2 French brothers. The balloon flew for a period of 20 minutes.

    Sailing through the sky in the balloon, high above buildings and trees, you can't feel or hear the wind because you're traveling in the same direction and at the same speed as it is.

    A hot air balloon has three main parts: the balloon, called an envelope; a basket, where passengers ride; and a burner system, which supplies the hot air.

    Most balloon envelopes are made of strong, lightweight nylon(尼龙). They are different in size and shape, but they have to be really, really big to lift even one person. Most weigh more than an adult man.

    The basket is usually made of wicker(柳条), which is strong but not too hard. It needs to bend a bit for a soft landing, just like a good jumper bends her legs instead of keeping them straight when she lands.

    The hot air balloon works on the theory that hot air rises faster than cooler air. When the burner system is turned on, it makes a noisy sound, but once the balloon is flying, the burner can be turned off. The air in the envelope will then cool, and the balloon will slowly go down unless the pilot starts the burner system again.

    To control a hot air balloon, a pilot adds hot air to it to go up or lets the air out to go down until he finds a wind blowing in the direction he wants to fly. But no matter which way the wind blows, the passengers have an amazing bird's-eye view of the world.