We may have many difficulties in life, and sometimes it's even unfair for someone, but it depends on how you face them. Sally is a student from a university, she made a1last August. She decided to take her grandmother2their hometown and live with her in a rented room(出租房) near her school.
Sally's family have met a lot in the past few years. Her grandmother3her legs and she could walk only with a stick, Her father died because of illness, Sally's mother plagued (受折磨) by these events, she lost the4to take care of others, "This was the only choice. No one else could5my grandma, Sally explained. Her grandmother has also had a6life. The old woman's three sons have all died, and Sally couldn't leave her alone where7could look after her. A room with two beds, a desk and a table is their new home. The room8her several hundred yuan every month. In order to make money, Sally works in a supermarket after class and spends the money9the family. "I was brought up by my grandma, and now it's my10to take care of her," said Sally. When she was young, her grandmother "magically" prepared every meal11for her every day, even though she could not12a clock.
In the eyes of Sally's teacher, the girl is a(an)13student. "Though taking care of her grandmother takes her lots of14, Sally has tried to stay on top of all her courses. She is even preparing for an English singing contest," Her teacher said. Sally even15help from others. "It's kind of like only getting without giving, she explained. At present, the girl is able to support the home with her weak shoulder.
Chinese has been added to the graduation exam list by Sophie School, an Italian high school and 29 students will take the test this year. This high school is mainly about language in northeastern Italy. It has become the first school in the country to list Chinese as a graduation exam subject. The Chinese course has been taught at this Italian school for 5 years, and 145 of its 910 students have chosen to study Chinese. Maria, director of the school, said Chinese will become a global (全球的) language in the future and they set up the course because many students had asked for it. "There were only a few schools in Italy which provided Chinese courses then, but now, Chinese courses have become an important part of our teaching plan," she said.
Robert is a student in this school. He is going to take the Chinese test this year. He said that Speaking Chinese is not so difficult, it was difficult for them to understand the same word in different sentences and read Chinese poets, but writing Chinese characters (汉字) is the most difficult part of learning the language. "Although learning Chinese is difficult for Italian students, when considering looking for better jobs abroad, China must be my top choice," he said.
A poor farmer had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apples he grew.
One day, his friend gave the farmer a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it. The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home, he did not know where lo plant it.
He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the fruit. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come al night and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.
Finally he planted the tree in his woods (树林) where no one could see it. But without sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.
Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place. "What's the difference?” the farmer said angrily. "If I had planted the tree near the road, strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree in one of my fields, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit.”
"Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now you not only have robbed (抢夺) everyone of the fruit, but also you have destroyed (摧毁) a good apple tree!"
Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others.
A few bad nights is enough to make a person look "especially" more ugly, their sleep experiments show.
The researchers asked 25 university students to join in their sleep experiment. They were asked to get a good night's sleep for two nights.
A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hours every night for two nights in a row.
The researchers took make-up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep.
Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge (评价) them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: "How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?"
The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score was low.
The strangers also said they wouldn't want to socialize with the tired students. The researchers say this is natural for people. An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away. In other words, people don't want to hang around with people who might be ill.
Dr. Brewer, an expert at the University of Liverpool said "Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious (无意识的), hut we all do it, and we are able to judge on even something small like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us."
When you speak, write a letter, or make a telephone, your words carry a message. People communicate with words. A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears (眼泪) in your eyes tell others that you are sad. the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions, You shake your head and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes".
For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of other signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? An artist can use his drawings to tell about the beautiful mountains, the blue seas and many other thing. A writer writes books to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. They can help us lo know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.
A. People can communicate in many other ways.
B. But do you know people also communicate without words?
C. If you make noise in class.
D. When you put up your hands in class.
E. Magazines, TV, radio and films all help us communicate with others.
F. Other things can also carry messages.
Each different part of China has its own special forms of traditional art. These usually try to show the thingsare important in life, such as love, beauty and family. The most common things, from paper to clay to bamboo, are turned into objects of beauty.
According to Chinese history, sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out (ask)for help when in trouble. Today, sky lanterns are used at festivals and other celebrations. They(make) of bamboo and covered with paper. When the lanterns are lit, they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of (happy) and good wishes.
Paper cutting(be)around for over 1500 years. Paper cutting sounds very easyit can be difficult to do. The paper, usually red, is folded before it is cut with scissors. The Most common pictures are flowers, animals, and things about Chinese history. During the Spring Festival, they are put on windows, doors and wallssymbols of wishes for good luck and a happy new year.
Chinese clay art is famous because the clay pieces are so small but they look very real. The pieces are usually cute children or lively characters from a Chinese fairy tale or historical story. The pieces are(careful)shaped by hand from a very special kind of clay and then allowed to air-dry. After(dry) they are fired at a very high heat. They are then polished and painted. It takes several weeks(complete)everything. These small pieces of clay art show the love that all Chinese people have for life and beauty.
要点提示：1）黄冈位于长江之边,大别山之南；
2）黄冈历史悠久,名人辈出；
3）黄冈风景迷人,乡村秀美;
4）人人参与,从小事做起,黄冈人正在努力地保护黄冈的自然环境;
5）邀请Tom来中国,欣赏黄冈更美好的绿水青山、蓝天白云。
写作要求：1）词数90左右(短文的开头已经给出,不计入总词数);
2）根据要点提示,可以适当发挥;
3）短文中不得出现真实的姓名及校名。
参考词汇:lie(位于); Dabie mountains; plant; clean up; clear river and green mountains
Dear Tom,
Thanks for your last letter. You asked me about my hometown, now let me tell you.
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Ming
