Sometimes people cry when they are sad. Other times people cry tears of joy. But your eyes make tears all the time, whether you are crying or not. Do you know the tears help keep your eyes healthy? They keep your eyes from drying out. A special area of the eye drips (滴) all the time. It keeps the eye humid.
If you look in a mirror, you can see tiny holes in the corners of your eyes. Each hole leads to a small tube that runs to your nose. Tears run slowly into this tube drip by drip. Day and night the holes drain (流走) the tears away. If they didn't, you would always look as if you were crying.
If you begin to cry, there are many more tears. The holes can't drain all of them. Then extra tears run out onto your face.
Tears help keep eyes safe. If there is something harmful in the air, the eyes fill with tears. These tears coat your eyes. They keep the harmful air out.
Contact lenses (隐形眼镜) can make the eyes too dry. Some people have to add tears to their eyes.
They buy bottles of eye drops to keep their eyes wet.
Living places The home of the elephant is in the deep forest. It is the largest of all land animals, and is found both in Asia and Africa. One of the main places in Asia where the elephant lives is the island of Ceylon. The huge forests on the island become the home of thousands of elephants. The trees grow thick and tall. They make many parts almost dark, while bright sunlight is above and around them. |
Living habits The elephant likes the deep part and the coolest places of the forest. There he will stand swinging his ears, to drive away the flies; or he will pull down a branch (树枝) from a tree to fan himself. He likes bathing, and to be near a lake or running water. There he takes in the water with his trunk, and spreads it all over his body. |
Food The elephant enjoys the fruits in the forest, and also the leaves of the trees. There is plenty of food for him in the forests, though he is not always happy with what he finds there. |
Way of movement When a group of elephants moves about in the forest, the oldest goes first. The young elephants and their mothers are in the middle, where they are safest. Then all move along with a great noise, the branches of the trees bending and breaking before them. Though the elephant is usually harmless, no one dares to attack (袭击) a group of them moving through the forest. |
How people treat them In Asia the elephant is trained to work. At one time the African elephant also was trained. Soldiers in ancient times often went to fight on the backs of African elephants. But now the elephant that lives in Africa is illegally (非法地) hunted mainly for its valuable ivory. In order to protect them, governments around the world have developed laws to stop this. |
When your dream is to become a footballer and play for Barcelona, nothing should get in your way — even if you have no feet.
An 11-year-old schoolboy Gabriel Muniz, who was born without feet, will fly from his home in Brazil to take part in the Spanish club's summer training camp. Although he is disabled, Muniz is one of the top players at the school and captain of his gym class. He can run, dribble (运球), pass and strike the ball as well as any of his able-bodied teammates. He spends all his spare time on the football pitch.
His best friend Lucas Santos spoke about his abilities on a video for The Sun, “He is skillful, he goes after it, he is fearless and he knows how to organize plays. He also makes good passes.” Mum Sandra was thrilled that her son would achieve his dreams. She said, “He started walking before he was one. We would go after him, expecting him to keep falling, but he never fell.” Muniz's gym teacher added, “He is challenging the social norms (标准). When he arrived there, no one believed in him.” But he showed to everyone that he could play as well as any other boy. So he was invited to go to Spain to show his talent.
The Spanish La Liga soccer club has offered to fly Muniz to Spain in September, where he'll be able to show off his “fancy footwork” and meet his idol, Barça soccer player Lionel Messi.
Muniz wears a prosthetic (假体的) ankle and foot to help him get around in rainy weather. He knows that his disability means he'll never be able to play for a professional football team and so Muniz is hoping that football will one day become a Paralympic (残奥会的) sport.
① played football well and became captain of his school gym class
② could walk without falling when he was very little
③ was asked to fly to Spain for a summer training camp
— Because they money for homeless people.
something, quickly, kept, because, slowly, them, collect, clocks, warm, through, nothing, million |
The British Museum is the biggest one in the world. Inside, you feel smaller than usual. There are about a hundred things in the museum to see: which have been telling the time for six hundred years, Roman money, some of the earliest books in the world, including Shakespeare's own works...
The British Museum was set up nearly 300 years ago by a doctor, Sir Hans
Sloane. The man liked to such things as books, drawings, clothes, money, animals, flowers, and also hoped that his things would be well and so visited by people after his death.
His wish came true, and the museum opened in 1759, six years after Sir Hans Sloane died.
Later, more antiques (古董) arrived at the museum, more books, old and new, came to it, and more people wanted to visit it. The museum had a famous round Reading Room. There wasunusual in the room. Cool air came upmall holes in the tables. Hot air flowing under the floor kept readers' feet. Since its opening, many famous men have written and studied there, like Karl Marx. And the library is growing faster and faster — there are four kilometers of new shelves each year,it attracts increasing number of tourists each year.
It is now open every day of the year, except for two holidays (New Year's Day and Christmas).
Entrance (入场) is free. There are lots of special exhibitions and every day there are different films and talks, some of for children. Small machines tell you about the museum and as you walk around it, you can look and listen at the same time. So if you are one of the British Museum's twovisitors this year, don't try to see it all too. There is a lifetime of looking in the British Museum.
“I've always had a pretty clear idea of what I want to do.” says Mary, a middle school student who wants to become a director some day. You may not be as sure of your career (职业) as Mary. But you can start thinking about and planning for your future career.
The following article helps middle school students plan for careers.
Explore (探索) your interests
Many middle school students don't yet know what they want to do. But in fact, students may change their minds several times, perhaps even after they enter society. And some of tomorrow's careers might not exist (存在) today. Focusing on just one job in middle school isn't necessary. But looking into the kinds of careers you might like can help you succeed.
①
Understanding what you enjoy and what you're good at is the most important step in exploring careers. If you don't know what you want to do, you should ask yourself what you like to learn about. If you really like science, what do you enjoy about it — the lab work or the research? It's important to think about what you like to do, because work will finally be a big part of your life.
Discover possible careers
Once you've thought about the subjects and activities you like best, the next step is to look for careers that put those interests to use. If you love sports, for example, you might consider a career as a P.E. teacher or a soccer coach. If you like English, a career as an English teacher, a translator or a travelling guide might be a good choice.
②
After discovering possible jobs, you'll want to learn more about them. Talking directly to workers on the phone, by email, or through online discussion can help you get information about what they do. Even meeting with them in person is helpful. First-hand information is necessary for you to find out if you'll really like a career.
A.Learn about yourself B.Get experience C.Do your research
① ②
The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. To celebrate the day, people usually climb mountains and enjoy chrysanthemum (菊花), so the festival is also known as the Height Ascending (登高) Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival. In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word “forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.
The festival has a history of over 2000 years. During the Warring States Period, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the imperial palace. From the Han Dynasty, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wines on the day. It was not (A) officially set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the imperial palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The emperor climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.
As September has the clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb the mountain. There will be a happy sense of excitement by climbing the mountain in this season. Also, it is good for health. Since the Western Han Dynasty, it has been the custom of climbing on the Chongyang Festival.
On the day, enjoying chrysanthemum is very popular as the flower means long life. Drinking chrysanthemum is regarded as a way to prevent disasters and bad things. Inserting Zhuyu and sticking chrysanthemum are also traditions to avoid the bad as (B) they have special smells which can repel (驱逐) insects and keep out the cold.
Eating Chongyang cakes is another tradition on the festival. There is no fixed way of the cake but the one with nine layers (层) with two sheep on it is the best. Two sheep means Chongyang. Nine layers show people could do well in everything.
①
②
There have been many traditions and customs on the Chongyang Festival. People show respect for the seniors, ①, ② ③, insert Zhuyu and enjoy chrysanthemum.
