Did you ever notice your shadow at different times of the day? Shadows change as the day goes on.
In the morning the sun makes long shadows. In the middle of the day, the sun seems to be right over your head and your shadow is very, very small. As the sun goes down in the afternoon, shadows grow very long again. But the long afternoon shadows fall in a different direction from the long morning shadows.
Long, long ago people told time by the shadows. Put a piece of paper in the sunlight. Stand a pencil in a spool in the middle of the paper. The shadow of the pencil will fall on the paper and move as the day goes on. Use a watch and every hour marks the place where the shadow falls. Now your paper is a sundial（通过太阳辨别时间的日规）and you can tell every sunny day. Just look at your paper sundial and see where the shadow falls.
Are you carrying too much on your back at your back at school? I'm sure lots of children of your age will say “Yes”. Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United States also have heavy school bags.
Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them.
“It's hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it's so heavy,” said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps（带子）to carry them, but many other students choose rolling（有滚轮的）bags.
But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight.
Scout Batch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10%. But it is also important that older children don't stay with over 15%, because their bodies are still growing.
“Children are losing their balance and falling down with their school bags,” he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all!
Sometimes known as “The Big Apple” or “the City That Never Sleeps”, New York is both the most populous city in the USA and a leading center of business, commerce, finance and media. The city is often referred to as “New York City”, in order to distinguish it from the state it is in. The city is part of a large metropolitan（大都市的）area, and the combined city population exceeds 18.7 million.
New York City is made up of five boroughs（行政区）and hence another nickname of the city is “The Five Boroughs”. The five boroughs are: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
There are many famous buildings and sights in New York, especially in Manhattan. These include the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building and the United Nations Building. When you visit New York, make sure you see Central Park, Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy and of course the Statue of Liberty. Additionally, there are many wonderful museums in New York, some truly excellent shops, some of the world's best theaters in the Broadway area, and the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and SoHo which are well-known for the artists who reside there.
Getting around New York City is simple—the city's subway network is one of the most comprehensive in the world, connecting all parts of Manhattan in rapid time.
However, the best way to see New York is undoubtedly on foot. Central Park is an ideal place to start a walking tour of New York City—843 acres of shining ponds and lush greenery attract locals and tourists. And apart from offering breathtaking scenery, it is a centre for recreation. Visitors can listen to music groups, watch performers, walk along the trails and even take a romantic ride in a horse carriage.
The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
⒈How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding: A full 3% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day
Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes at least twice a day.
⒉How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.
Step: We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs（病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most importantly, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
⒊How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step: Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge（海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Everyone knows that fish is good for health.But it seems that many people don't cook fish at home. Americans eat only about fifteen pounds of fish per person per year, but we eat twice as much fish in restaurants as at home. Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn't difficult. This text is about how to buy and cook fish in an easy way.
Fresh fish should smell sweet: you should feel that you're standing at the ocean's edge. Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn't fresh.When you have bought a fish and arrive home, you'd better store the fish in the refrigerator if you don't cook it immediately, but fresh fish should be stored in your fridge for only a day or two. Frozen fish isn't as tasty as the fresh one.
There are many common methods used to cook fish. First, lean it and season it with your choice of spices. Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes if it weighs about one pound. (A larger one will take more time). Then, it's ready to serve.
A. Do not buy it.
B. This is how you can do it.
C. The easiest is to steam it.
D. The fish will go bad within hours.
E. It just requires a little knowledge.
F. When buying fish, you should first smell it.
G. The fats in fish are thought to help prevent heart disease.
I teach biology at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I cheerfully asked my 1 how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so 2. He had his wisdom teeth removed. Then he went on to ask me why I always seemed to be so 3.
His question4 me of something I'd read somewhere before: “Every morning when you get up, you have a 5 about how you want to deal with life that day,” I said. “I choose to be cheerful.”
“Let me give you an example,” I continued, 6all sixty students in the class. “In 7 to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at a 8 in Henderson, 17 miles down the 9 from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. I exited the highway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car10. I tried to start it again, but the 11 wouldn't work. 12 I turned my flashers on, took my books, and 13 down the road to the college.
“As soon as I got there, I called and14 for a tow truck to meet me at my car after 15. The secretary there asked me what had happened. “This is my 16day,” I replied, smiling.
She was17. “What do you mean?”
“My car could have broken down anywhere along the highway. It didn't.” I replied.
“18, it broke down in the perfect place: off the highway, 19walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient 20.”
I ended my story. In spite of the early hour, no one in my class seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them.
A visit to Sydney had long been my dream. So I was (excite) when offered the opportunity to go. I arrived Sydney around 9:00 a.m. After (check) in a lovely apartment, I headed to the seaside and couldn't resist (enjoy) the beauty of Sydney. Sydney is famous for its many beautiful (beach). Among them, Manly, is located on the north part of Sydney, is (probable) the biggest one. If you go there, you can not only see the Manly Ferry from the Circular Quay also enjoy very beautiful scenery of the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge along the way. If you like surfing, Bondi Beach is a perfect place to go, although it is actually(small) than Manly. Apart from the beaches, you can take a visit to the Royal Botanic Garden to admire the view of the harbor or visit the Art Galley to appreciate the works. You will find your interesting tourist attractions here. Definitely, Sydney is so (fascinate) that it is worth going.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1．每处错误及其修改仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My parents and I stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel for a week when we visit Suzhou last month. It is in the downtown area, and it is easy go to anywhere from the hotel by public transport.
We lived in a comfortably double-room with a big bath. What I liked best were the free high-speed Internet connection in the room. I checked my email messages every day. I also shared for my friends many photos taking in Suzhou. The food was wonderful with reasonable prices, and we enjoyed several local dish.
It is so a great hotel that I will recommend it to any friend of mine, that is going to Suzhou.
⑴表示欢迎；
⑵准备事项（如学习简单的汉语，交通工具的选择，饮食的适应等方面）；
⑶你的祝愿。
注意： 1）词数100左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）开头语已为你写好。
Dear Ton,
I'm glad to know that you are coming to China.
Yours,
Li Hua
