Let me tell you about the best day of my life! I got up early and ran to the kitchen in my pyjamas（睡衣）.It was my thirteenth birthday and I was really 1. In fact, I wasn't sleeping all night because I kept 2 all the presents I would get.
I walked into the kitchen with a big smile on my face, 3 nobody looked up. Mum and Dad were reading their newspapers while my two older brothers were eating breakfast. 4 said a word! “They have forgotten about my birthday!” I said to myself. I turned around and walked out of the 5. Suddenly, I heard a noise, so I went back to 6 what it was. I couldn't believe my eyes! There were lots of 7 on the kitchen table. “Surprise!” I heard 8 me. When I turned around, I saw Mum, Dad and my brothers! Mum was holding a huge 9 with candles and they were singing “Happy birthday” to me. We shared the cake and opened all the presents.
They didn't 10 my birthday after all. It really was the best day of my life!
Philip is the bravest boy I know. His friends and family are all very 1 him.
Ten-year-old Philip was born with an 2 which means that he is always breaking his bones（骨头）. Although he has such a serious illness, Philip 3 playing sports. In January last year he 4 wheelchair racing. He came second in his first 5 , and since then Philip has won every other race!
In order to look for a new challenge（挑战）， Philip 6 to take part in the London Wheelchair Marathon（马拉松）. 7 , five days before the race Philip got sick. He didn't want to 8 He finally made up his mind to take part. Philip was given medicine by his doctor and guess what? He not only 9 it, but he also finished in first place!
Philip is very 10 and never gives up. That's why he has been chosen to be the Bravest Child of the Month.
Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at age 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China on 1275.
While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor（皇帝）of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote, “Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital. Daidu, are so straight and so wide.” Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with “black stones... which burn like wood.” These stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then.
After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice in 1292. After he returned home, Marco completed a book about his trip, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China.
Robots seem to be getting cleverer and cleverer. Here are four examples.
Budgee
·He was created by Five Elements Roboties. ·With two wheels and a little basket, he can carry things for you while you're at the shops. | Paro
·He was made by Takanori Shibata. ·He is used on patients in hospitals. ·He can learn a name and even show feelings such as surprise, happiness and sadness. |
Rover
·He was created by a team at Sydney University. ·He is used to make cows move together from a field to a diary（牛奶场）. | Simon
·He was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology. ·He can clean up offices. ·In tests, he could tell whether someone was paying attention to him or not. |
The olive（橄榄）tree probably first grew in southern Asia. And then it spread to Mediterranean（地中海的）countries about 6,000 years ago. Since then, it has been important in Mediterranean people's lives.
The olive tree grows in rocky places and it doesn't need much water. Its fruit can be made into olive oil. People have used olive oil to cook dishes for centuries. But they haven't only used it for cooking. Some ancient cultures believed that it was useful as medicine. In modern times, people still use olive oil both for its taste and its health advantages.
Olive oil has also been an important product in the business and culture of Mediterranean countries. In ancient Greece, for example, anyone who cut down an olive tree was heavily punished. Winners at the Olympic Games wore wreaths（花环）. They were made of olive branches（树枝）. Sometimes winners were also given a prize of olive oil. People from Greece built ships so that they could use olive oil for trade. But it was the Romans who grew the olive tree in the rest of southern Europe and northern Africa.
Today, olive oil is still a very valuable product, and many different kinds of olive oil are sold in countries all over the world.
While many young people were enjoying the summer vacation, Zach Bonner was working his hardest. Zach started walking from Valrico, Florida, his hometown, on Christmas, 2009. He reached Los Angeles nine months later in September, 2010. He covered a total of 2,478 miles and raised $120,000 for kids in need. Along the way, Zach attended school online. His mother, brother and sister took turns to walk or drive together with him.
Although he is very young, Zach has a long history of helping others. When a terrible storm hit town in 2004, Zach, when six, pulled a wagon（小推车）through his community and collected food for people in need.
He has raised $400,000 for his Little Red Wagon Foundation since then. It gives money to projects which help homeless children. In 2007, Zach began walking to support a children's charity（慈善组织）in Tampa, Florida. He finished his journey 23 days later, 280 miles away in Tallahassee. Then in the summer of 2009, he trekked about 670 miles from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., in just two months.
“As long as there are homeless kids, I will never stop walking for them.”Zach says.
Lisa: Hey, Jane. .
Jane: Really?
Lisa: Yeah, it's a dancing party.
Jane: .
Lisa: Do you want to go with me?
Jane: Can I? I don't really know Susan.
Lisa: . She said I could invite a friend.
Jane: OK, then, I'd love to go. .
Lisa: On Saturday night.
Jane: Wow, that's the day after tomorrow! I need to get a new dress.
Lisa: . There's a clothes shop near here. Let's go there after work.
Jane: Sounds good!
A. Me, too.
B. I hope not.
C. No problem.
D. What a shame!
E. Sounds like fun.
F. When exactly is it?
G. My friend Susan is having a party this weekend.
Rock climbing is a popular hobby that many people enjoy doing. You can do it indoors on special walls or outdoors on real mountains. There are many advantages of rock climbing—it is fun and it also helps people forget worries.
The most important equipment（装备）to have is good shoes. They need to be half a size smaller than your usual size. The next thing you need is a harness（保护带）. This allows you to move freely, but will hold you up if you fall. It's important to know how to use your equipment. If you are a beginner, it's best to have lessons. A climber with experience can help you a lot in the beginning.
Rock climbing is very exciting for people of different ages. Climbers, however, must be careful not to pollute the environment. Sometimes rock climbers leave rubbish on the mountains where they climb. They should take it with them and throw it away. This will allow future climbers to enjoy a clean environment.
要点如下：1）大胆自信；
2）放慢语速；
3）借助图画或肢体语言等表达方式。
注意：1）词数80-100；
2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）信中不能出现与本人相关的信息；
4）开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：自信的 confident 肢体语言 body language
Dear Jack,
How is everything going? I am very glad to learn that you are coming to China this summer.
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
