山东省泰安市岱岳区（五四制）2019-2020学年八年级下学...

    I travel a lot and I 1different "styles" of giving directions every time I ask "How can I get to the post office?"

    In Japan, people use landmarks(（地面标志性建筑物）in their directions because most streets don't have names. For example, the Japanese will 2to travelers, "Go straight ahead and turn left at the hotel. The post office is across from the bus stop. "

    In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are no towns or buildings in many places. 3 landmarks, people will tell you directions distance(距离). In Kansas, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go 4mile. "

     People in Los Angeles, California, have no 5 of distance. They measure (测量) distance in 6, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it's about five minutes from here. "

    It's 7that a person doesn't know the answer sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, "Sorry, I don't know." But in Yucatan(尤卡坦半岛), Mexico, no one answers "I don't know. "People in Yucatan believe that "I don't know" is 8. They usually give an answer, often a(n) 9one. A tourist can get very, very 10 in Yucatan!

    As a child, I was really afraid of the dark and of getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some uncomfortable moments.

    Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded in my own room at night that scared me so much. There was never complete darkness, but always a streetlight or passing car lights, which made clothes on the back of a chair take on the shape of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains(窗帘)seem to move when there was no wind. A very low sound in the floor would seem a hundred times louder than in the day. My imagination would run wild, and my heart would beat fast. I would lie very still (静止不动的)so that the "enemy" would not discover me.

    Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost, especially on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home.

    That was no problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the street, I was afraid that I would get in the wrong one and go to some other strange places. On school or family trips to a park or a museum. I wouldn't let the leaders out of my sight.

    Perhaps one of the worst fears of all I had as a child was that others do not like or accept me. Being popular was so important to me then, and the fear of not being liked was a serious one.

    One of the processes of growing up is being able to realize and overcome our fears. Understanding the things that scared us as children helps us achieve greater success later in life.

    The winter holiday is usually a good time to sleep in. But Gao Yuqi, a 14-year-old boy from Anhui, got up at 7:00 am to run at least 2 kilometers every day during the holiday. In fact, this exercise was part of this homework.

    Gao was not alone. Many schools across the country required(要求)students to exercise during the winter holiday. Part of the reason is that physical education test scores are now worth more on the senior high school entrance examination(中考). And the score is now worth up to 60 points.

    Because of this, Gao's school now asks students to run when the weather is nice, and exercise indoors if it is bad. , Students have to post(公布）exercise photos in their classes' QO groups. At the Golden Apple Jincheng No. 1 Middle School in Chengdu, students have daily exercise plans. For example, they have to skip rope(跳绳)for two minutes and do three sets of sit -ups(仰卧起坐) each day. Their parents sign off(签名）on their plans when they finish exercising.

    This has been a big challenge for many students, but has also helped to make exercise a bigger part of their lives. Many students like Gao used to hate running, but now they are able to run for over half an hour every day. They fell in love with exercise during the holiday.

    When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, "Well, it's so-and-so's mistake. "or "I know I'm late, but it's not my fault; the car broke down. It is probably not your mistake, but once you form the habit of blaming(指责)somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy(补致)the situation. This is the winner's key to Success.

    Winners are great at solving problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly （按部就班地）. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague(同事)causes you problems on the job for being short of responsibility (责任) or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather an just blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't depend on the person. You should accept that the person is not dependable and find creative ways to work successfully. This is what being a winner is all about -creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens.

    Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and chances to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on "whose mistake it is. "Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.

    It's good and necessary for a family to learn how to prepare for a fire, and here are some suggestions.

    Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off. The alarm makes a loud sound. The sound tells everyone to leave the house at once.

    Make escape plans. If there is a fire, everyone follows the plan to get out. Part of the plan is to check all the windows to make sure they can be opened easily.

    Buy fire extinguishers（火火器）in the house. Everyone in the family should know how to use them. We do fire practice because we teach children about fire safety. Everyone in the family should know the following fire rules:

    ★Don't open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.

    ★Stay close to the floor! The best air is near the floor because smoke rises.

    ★What will you do if your hair or clothes star to burn? First, stop! Don't run! The fire burns faster because of more air. Drop! Fall to the floor. Then roll! Turning over and over will make the fire go out. Put a blanket around you to keep air away from the fire that may still be on you.

There are many possible causes for fires. A wise family is ready all the time, if there is fire.

Full Moon, Full Feelings

    Chinese people have been the Mid-autumn Festival and enjoying mooncakes for centuries. Mooncakes are in the shape of a full moon on the Mid-autumn night. They carry people's to the families they love and miss.

    There are many folk stories about this festival. However, most people think that the story of Chang'e is the most . Chang'e was Hou Yi's beautiful wife. After Hou Yi down the nine suns, a goddess gave him magic to thank him. Whoever drank this could live forever, and Hou Yi planned to drink it with Chang'e. However, a bad man, Pang Meng, tried to steal the medicine when Hou Yi was not home. Chang'e refused to give it to him andit all. She became very light and flew up to the moon. Hou Yi was sad that he called out her name to the moon every night. One night, he found that the moon was so bright and round that he could see his wife there. He laid out her favorite fruits and desserts in the garden. How he wished that Chang'e could come back!

    After this, people started the tradition of the moon and sharing mooncakes with their families.

    Job interviews can be very different from country to country. An interviewer's "body language" and questions, and the form of an interview are not the__________around the world.

    If you're at a job interview in Japan, don't look directly into the eyes of the interviewer. It is considered impolite. But if you're at an interview in the U. S., you should make eye contact(交流)with the interviewer. If you don't, the interviewer may think you are not sure ________ your ability.

    In the U. S. and some other countries, interviewers aren't supposed to ask questions about family and personal information. In most countries, ________ personal questions are very common during job interviews.

    In Germany, your interview might begin with a very short conversation followed by a formal(正式的)interview. In Mexico and many other countries, the whole interview might not be formal.

参考词汇:德国人 Germans;社交隔离 be socially isolated;自愿隔离 be voluntarily isolated /voluntarily isolate oneself. 自我隔离 self-isolation;社区志愿者 community volunteers