①Gamaham: The most difficult thing about learning English is to remember new words. I study the words and remember them, but a week later I have forgotten most of them. When reading something in English, I always get into trouble when I come across a new word. There must be a better way to learn new words. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

②Viekers: I have been studying English for so long now, and I don't enjoy it any more. I used to like it, but now I feel as if I'm not making any progress. I wish there was something I could do to make me interested in studying English again.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

③Selina: I wish I could improve my spoken English. Every time I join in a group discussion or try to speak English to someone, I find it difficult to express myself. I don't know what to say and I can't think of the words I need. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

④Gina: I don't like English at all. Why do we have to study English? I'd rather spend more time on maths and science, because I think those subjects are more important. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

⑤Jim: I think it's easy to remember new grammar rules, but when writing something I always make a lot of mistakes. How can I learn to use the rules that I have learned? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    Music has always been an important part of Chinese people's life. People enjoy listening to music at home and in concerts halls. As time goes by， music changes.

    Traditional music is part of our culture， so it often stays with us for a long time. Many of the traditional Chinese songs have been around for many years. Young musicians learn songs from older musicians and the music changes only very little. Modern Chinese music， which is loved by many young people， however， is mainly pop music. That means the songs will be popular for a short time and then replaced by new songs. Today's musicians write new songs every year and we hear new songs on the radio every day.

    Before radio and TV were invented， music could only be heard live — that is you had to go places where musicians gave performances. The best musicians were very busy， so it was difficult and often expensive to hear really good music. For most people， the best chance to hear good music was during a festival or at a wedding. Today， people hear music all the time. Radio and TV play songs every day and night and you can even hear music played on the street.

    One thing that hasn't changed very much is what the songs are about. Both modern and traditional Chinese songs are about love and life. Some songs tell stories about past and some are about the news or the future. All of the songs have something to do with what it means to be a human being.

    Music， traditional or modern， Chinese or international， seems to be a world language that everybody can understand and enjoy. Music changes and styles come and go， but nothing changes our love for good music.

Music changes as {#blank#}1{#/blank#}goes by

    Internet has become one of the most important parts in our life. The Internet is a large, worldwide collection of computer networks. A network is a small group of computers put together.

    Internet is many different networks from all over the world. These networks are called the Internet. Once you have learned to use the Internet, you can have a lot of interests in the World Wide Web. The same time you will find it is helpful and your life is more interesting than before.

    Lots of kids like to play computer and mobile games these days. Is this good or bad for us? How do we deal with this issue?

    In my opinion, playing games responsibly(负责任地)can help us relax. As the old saying goes," All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. "For example, when I finish five days of studying, I feel tired. That's when I like to play a game called King of Glory with my classmates. We all have lots of fun playing and talking about it. When we win, we feel happy. And when we lose, we still want to play more. I think that's why so many students in our school like to play this game. It can not only help us relax, but also strengthen our friendship.

    In addition, playing games can exercise our brains and help us think more quickly. When we start to play a new game, we're not very good at it. But we can get better through practice. This process exercises our brains and makes them more active. However, you should make sure that you have finished all of your homework before you play games.

    Still, some students seem like they are addicted(上瘾的)to games. They can't control themselves and will play games for five hours a day. That is not good. It's bad for not only their eyes, but also their health. They will feel tired in class the next day, which will affect(影响) their studies. That's not very responsible.

    Therefore, I can only say that we should try to be self-disciplined(自律的)and responsible when working out how much time we should spend playing video games.

    December 21 was Becky's fourteenth birthday. When she got home after school, she saw her parents in the living room. They said to her, "Happy birthday, dear! We have a present for you, Becky. Go and look for it in your bedroom."

    Becky ran quickly to her room. On her bed she saw a bright red box. She thought that her present must be in the box. She opened it. There was nothing but a card in it. The girl took it out and read.

    "Dear Becky, I'm your present. My first three letters are the same as in the word 'come'. My last two letters are the same as in the word 'water'. My middle three letters are in the word 'put'. What am I?"

    Becky thought hard and soon smiled. She then went back to the living room and shouted. "Aha, I know what present it is. Thank you very much, Mum and Dad! But where is it?" Her mother answered, "Look at the back of the card." Becky turned it over and read, "Come and look for me in the study."

    Becky hurried to the study. There on the desk she found her present. What was it? Do you know?