Learning English is challenging because of the various rules and exceptions to the rules. The best way to learn English is to hear it spoken and repeat the words as you hear them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You will learn how to make English a daily part of your life in order to learn to speak it quickly.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask a friend to help you write letters of English alphabet on index cards. You should write a letter on each card. Practise the letters by mixing up the cards and saying the letters. You can ask your friend to help you pronounce the letters and quiz you on your knowledge.

    Make your own videos in English. If you have a video camera, you can tape yourself speaking English and practice along with your own video. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Watch your videos daily, and repeat what is being said.

    Get a private tutor. A professional English instructor can give you one-on-one instruction that will help you understand the rules of English. Your instructor can teach you how to write and speak English. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can also inquire at your local community college.

    Watch movies with English subtitles. When watching a movie in your native language, use the English subtitles so you will understand the connection between your language and English.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will make mistakes, and that is OK. You need to practice English as much as possible in order to quickly learn to speak the language fluently.

A. Learn the English alphabet.

B. Use every opportunity to speak English.

C. You can subscribe some English magazines to learn English.

D. Constant repetition is the key to remembering words in English.

E. If you have any difficult points, you can consult your dictionary at any time.

F. You can find an English tutor by placing an advertisement in your local newspaper.

G. You can make a play in which you and a friend are having a simple conversation in English.

    How similar are language and music?

    Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.

    Both language and music have a writing system.

    In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. Similarly, we use notes to keep a record of music. Musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. We can read the ideas or hear the composition of someone who lived hundreds of years ago.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.

    Both share emotion.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Of course you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words. Similarly, music can sound angry, sad or happy. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share in that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics.

A. Both are expressive.

B Both vary with culture.

C How do you know that I am angry?

D. We use language to express our thoughts.

E. So just as you read English, you can read music.

F. Similarly, music is part of many people's lives.

G. In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down.

    Living in a new country means experiencing a different way of life{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The cultures of all countries are unique, which means that people who have grown up in different places will have different ways of behaving, different ways of thinking about things and different ways of expressing themselves. Before you travel, it is useful to think about culture and the things that are affected by it {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Culture is the values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs shared by a group of people{#blank#}3{#/blank#} We learn about the culture of our own society in a very natural way as we grow up-we learn through “do's” and “don'ts” about how we treat people, how we behave and what we believe in as children.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can see some parts of an iceberg-just like you can see some parts of a country's culture when you visit it. For example, you can see different ways of greeting people, hear different languages and observe different festivals and customs. However, a much bigger part of every iceberg is hidden under water. Even though this part of the iceberg is hard to see, it is very important -without it, the iceberg would not exist. The same is true of culture. There are many aspects of it which you cannot see when you visit a different country, for example the nature of friendship and the importance of time.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will take a long time to understand those values and beliefs because you have to work them out, but it is probably the most interesting part of any time you spend abroad.

A. Culture is like an iceberg.

B. Different people have different cultures.

C. Doing so will help you prepare for living in a new country.

D. Some people like to travel to new countries and settle down.

E. The aspects of culture you can see are based on those values and beliefs that you cannot see.

F. This means that culture is like a kind of glue (胶水)that holds society together.

G. This is very exciting and interesting, but it can also be a little challenging at times.

Can zoos ever be animal-friendly?

    The topic of our last class discussion was “How can zoos provide animals with a good life?” Everyone believed it was impossible for zoos to give animals a caring environment. Our teacher suggested that visiting a modern zoo might give us a new point of view.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In our discussion, many people said that zoos were full of smelly cages with unhappy animals living in. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, however, was set in an attractive, open environment. Trees and flowers had been planted around the park. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    At school, some people accused（指责）zoos of exploiting（剥削）animals for money but at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, as I see it, nothing could be further from the truth. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Before I visited Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, I wasn't sure about the rights and wrongs of zoos. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I feel that, although zoos can't provide the freedom of the wild, they can be animal-friendly by giving animals a safe and caring environment. As long as they do this well, to my mind they make a good contribution（贡献）to animal health. They also play an important part in educating us about wildlife. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    On the bus back to school, we all agreed that what we liked most was the zoo's environment and we would recommend（推荐）it for next year's group.

A. It is difficult for the zoo to raise animals.

B. More and more animals enjoy their wild homes.

C. I think lots of my friends changed their minds, too.

D. Most of the money is used to improve conditions at the zoo.

E. I went to the zoo and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

F. In my opinion, the animals, rather than seeming upset, were pleased.

G. It was difficult to say how a zoo could really make up for animals' loss of freedom.

    Want to know how to be a confident friend-finder? We can help, with four easy steps.

    Step 1. Change your mental state.

    It's easy to get so freaked out（不安的）about being in a new situation that you start throwing off don't-come-near-me signals. And guess what? It worked. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Instead, change your attitude with some positive thinking. Tell yourself: “It'll be great to get to know someone new”, or “I can't wait to hear what these girls have to say.”

    Step 2. Remember, the eyes have it.

    The first place we look at when we're uncomfortable is the floor. No one can tell if we're embarrassed. We can't tell if anyone is looking at us. Whoa! {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Holding your head up and making eye contact is a bold（大胆的）move． It's confident and friendly.

    Step 3.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Does starting a communication bring on an attack of shyness? Try adding a good question to your friend-finding tools. Strong opening questions usually begin with “what” or “how” words that get people talking. Typically, our first instinct (本能) is to ask a “can” or a “do” question, like “Can I borrow a pencil?” or “ Do you know where the bathroom is? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Asking “what” or “how” questions gets you more information to respond to. Try something like “Hi. I really like that flower. How did you draw it?” or “Hi. I'm new. What's the least scary lunch option in the cafeteria?”

    Step 4. Practice, practice, practice.

    Making new friends is a skill. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But the more you practice, the more relaxed and natural. You'll feel, and the easier it will get. So flash that smile, offer some welcoming words, and soon you'll be hanging out with your newest friends!

A. People don't come near you.

B. All you need is one question.

C. Listen closely to their answers.

D. Not a good way to meet people.

E. The thought of meeting people makes you excited.

F. But that only gets you short answers. Like “Yeah” or “Down the hall”.

G. Like art, music, or sports, it takes practice to feel truly confident of it.

    "Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday?" Lindsey whispers to Tori.

    With her eyes shining, Tori brags, "You bet I did. Sean told me two days ago."

    What are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happens to be yours truly, Adam Freedman. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren't very different from most students here at LintonHigh School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, which are just as follows.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic—breakups, troubles at home, even dropping out—that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicer the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

    If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don't. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the "in group". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Gossip can also have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do's and don'ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your "juicy story" might have.