You may use banknotes every day. But did you know that there is a lot of science behind the money? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Australia was the first country to use polymer(聚合物）banknotes in 1988. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

They can stop water from making them wet. They are also cleaner because bacteria don't grow easily on them.

Now, the Australians have improved their banknotes again by creating a new 5-dollar note. The new one has a clear window in the middle in which there are pictures of an Australian bird and a building. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Tilt (倾斜）the note a little and you will see the bird flapping its wings as if trying to fly away. Turn the note from side to side and you will notice the building come to life and spin. While these features are impressive and entertaining, that was not the reason why the Australian Government spent ten years perfecting them. Their primary purpose was to make it impossible to fake a banknote.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The new $ 5 bill now has a raised bump alongside the two long edges, enabling the blind or those with limited vision, to quickly determine its value.

The Australian government will give the new 10-dollar note the same features in a year's time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Note makers still have a long way to go.

B. Other notes will have them in the future.

C. The magic of the new features lies in them.

D. They have many advantages over paper notes.

E. The new Australian 5-dollar note is a good example.

F. The new note is also the first touchable Australian banknote.

G. Their material and pattern set them apart from ordinary banknotes.

    I grew up on a farm in the small rural (乡下的) community of Catawissa, Missouri, as the sixth of seven children{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the fall of 1970, he was working on a house when the ladder broke. His back was broken.

    He stayed in the hospital for three weeks. When Dad returned home, he was still in a back brace(支架) and unable to work{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    One night we heard a car coming up{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Rose was at the door, holding an envelope filled with money. She told my dad she had collected money and was there to deliver it

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I can still hear her saying, “Archie, whenever someone's baler (干草打包机) is broken, you bale their hay. Someone passes away, Altha is cooking. It's our turn.”

    That evening, this 6-year-old understood what being a good neighbor was, and that because her parents were good neighbors, their kindness would be returned. I learned later my mom's sisters all “adopted” one of us kids to help with Christmas, and we received gift baskets from more than one organization.

My parents were used to being the givers and not the receivers of such generosity (慷慨{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. He tried to protest but Rose would have none of it.

B. Besides running the farm, Dad was also a carpenter.

C. Apart from a carpenter, Dad was also running a farm.

D. We kids were always curious about who was visiting.

E. I was too young to realize our family had no money coming in as Christmas approached.

F. It was comforting to be helped when in trouble, but what was important was to help others in return.

G. They had a bit of pride to swallow, but continued all of their lives to show us kids the value of kindness.

    With modern technology, much written communication tends to focus on the keyboard, but handwriting is still a necessary and important skill.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some tips for you to improve your handwriting.

    Examine Your Handwriting

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Look through your writing to decide what makes it difficult to read or what makes it unattractive. Perhaps you write your letters too small. Check on spacing of letters and words, and proper formation of letters. If your letters are small, put more effort into writing larger letters. If certain letters trip you up, practice those letters separately and within words.

    Write Correctly

    Positioning and technique play a role in how your handwriting looks. Hold the pen between your thumb and first two fingers so that it rests against your fingers. Hold it firmly enough to control the tip but not so hard that it hurts your fingers. Lighter pressure on the paper helps you create smooth lines and focus on your letter formation.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Letters are formed from several basic strokes(笔划). Practice those strokes separately to get your hand used to forming them. Strokes found in letters include vertical lines, horizontal lines, and circles. Build on those to practice specific letters.

    Write for a Purpose

    Teach young children handwriting in meaningful contexts. Use that same idea by picking up a pen to write lists and notes by hand instead of typing. Keep a journal daily with slow, correct strokes.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}These true and sincere writing opportunities make the practice meaningful.

A. Build on Basics.

B. Practice makes perfect

C. Focus on improving your correctness instead of speed

D. Writing at a slower speed also helps you focus on letter formation

E. Put a handwritten letter in the mail to surprise a friend or a relative

F. Handwriting requires your brain, eyes and hands to work together to form letters.

G. Before you can improve your handwriting, you need to know where you're falling apart.

    Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It was esports, or competitive computer gaming.

    Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Are players athletes? Some say no. Esports players don't need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies esports as kinds of games, not as sports.

    But others say yes: esports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps esports should be too.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?

    For many esports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that esports are growing in popularity and importance. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Taking photos while on holiday is not an uncommon activity. Tourists do it all the time, but if you want to take things further, here are some tips that can help you along the way.

First of all, there is the matter of equipment. Of course, most people believe that the higher end your camera is, the better the photos will turn out. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The quality of DSLR cameras (数码单反相机) is superior to the one of small cameras and smartphones, but only if you know how to adjust (调整) their settings. However, if you don't know how to do it, an iPhone camera is enough too. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can shoot amazing photos without having to travel with a large and heavy camera.

Secondly, you need to do some research in advance and discover the best photo spots. Your photos don't have to look like travel cards. On the contrary, you can catch the beauty of a place by finding its uncommon corners and subjects. For example, if you're going to a crowded city, don't just take photos of high buildings. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You may see a new face of the city at that time.

Thirdly, you have to be patient. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}For the best picture, come back to the same spot several times or stay at one spot for some time. You might come across something special as you wait: a bird flying across an old temple, a mother and her baby passing by, or just the sun giving beautiful colors on the roofs. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Take as many photos as you can and don't be disappointed if your first travel photos are not National Geographic material, because they will get better with time.

A. So this is the most important.

B. But that is only true in a way.

C. Its quality has increased a lot.

D. Don't forget that practice makes perfect.

E. I also enjoy photographing animals.

F. You may have to take several shots until you discover the right one.

G. Try street photography or take pictures at night.

Going to concerts and live performances is a lot of fun. As a teen, you'll want to prepare for the event far in advance in order to ensure that your concert experience is enjoyable.

Check to make sure that the concert venue(场所) is for all ages.

Some venues, particularly those that serve alcohol, will only allow entry for guests who are over 21 years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you buy a ticket and get turned away at the door, you likely will not get your money back.

Ask your parents for permission.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Have a conversation with your parents to figure out how you will travel to and from the concert, and talk about ground rules for staying safe at the event.

Find a friend to go with.

For your safety, it's best not to attend concerts alone. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you're having trouble finding company, consider posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to see if other people in your social network are interested.

Buy tickets.

If the concert is for a popular band, figure out exactly when the tickets go on sale. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Ticketmaster. com sells tickets for bigger shows, but if you're going to a smaller show, look online at the venue's website for information on how to buy tickets.

Research venue policies and regulations.

Find the venue's web page to get a sense of what to expect, and to avoid any problem on the day of the concert. You should know how early the doors will open. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}