I used to be shy and my first day at the new school made me look stupid in front of the class. The teacher asked me to write my name and address on the blackboard. I knew my name and address, knew how to write them, knew how to spell them, but standing at the blackboard with the eyes of the many girls and boys looking at me made me nervous. I was unable to write a single letter.
"Write your name," the teacher said to me. I lifted the white chalk to the blackboard and, as I was about to write my name, my mind went empty. I could not remember my name, not even the first letter. "Just forget about us and write your name and address," said the teacher. I wanted to write but my hand refused to move. The children began to whisper. "Don't you know your name?" asked the teacher. I looked at her and could not answer. The teacher stood up and walked to my side, smiling at me to give me confidence (自信) .
She put her hand softly on my shoulder and asked, "What's your name?"
"Richard Wright," I whispered. I spelled my name very quickly.
"Now, can you write?"
"Yes, madam."
Again, I turned to the blackboard. I wrote my name and address down quickly and correctly.
"Good boy. You may go to your seat," said the teacher.
Today I can still remember my teacher's words and encouragement. They meant a lot to me.
Pollution
Hundreds of years ago，life was much harder than it is today. People didn't have modern machines. There was no modern medicine，either.
Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It's bad to all living things in the world.
Cars，planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called haze (雾霾).
Many countries are making rules to fight against pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away，and they mustn't blow dirty smoke into the air.
We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and not throw it on the ground. We can go to work by bus or with our friends in the same car. If there are fewer people driving，there will be less pollution.
Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight against pollution.
Table manners are how to behave when you eat a meal. They include how to handle knives, forks and spoons and how to eat in polite manners. To behave well abroad, you are to know some table manners.
Eating manners
Japan: It is "perfectly" okay to slurp when you eat noodles. Unlike making big noises, slurping slightly is not rude. Japanese also say it tastes better if you slurp.
Russia: Your wrists should be placed on the edge of the table while eating, a fork in the left hand, and a knife in the right hand. It is not good manners to rest them on your lap. Keep your elbows of the table. Leave some food on your plate to show that the host has given you enough to eat.
France: Never discuss money or religion over dinner. What is different from the manners in Russia is that finishing everything on your plate is considered good manners.
Mexico: Whenever you catch the eye of someone who's eating, even a stranger, its good manners to say "provecho" which means enjoy. In Mexico, dining is more than a meal. It's a social occasion-lunches are seldom quick and suppers can last for hours. Where you sit matters in the country. Before you get seated, look for place cards, or wait until the host seats you. And you must say"enjoy your meal"before you leave the table.
Drinking manners
America: If you empty a bottle into someone's glass, it obliges that person to buy the next bottle. It's polite to put the last drops into your own glass.
Australia: In a pub it's usual to buy a round of drinks for everyone in your group. When it's your turn, say "It's my round. "When it's their round, they will buy it for you. Don't leave before you' ve bought a round.
Japan: Don't fill your own glass of alcohol. Instead, you should pour for others and wait for them to do it for you.
There are some easy things you can do to protect the environment and the earth. Choose ideas from the list or come up with a few of your own.
·Plant flowers, grass or trees.
·Whenever you visit a park or beach, take away what you bring there-keep rubbish in a bag until you can put it in a dustbin.
·Turn off the lights, TV sets when you leave the room. This saves a lot of electricity.
·Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. You can save some water by not letting it run. Also, use a glass cup instead of a paper cup because this saves paper.
·Keep the doors and windows closed in winter to keep cold air in.
·Give your old books and magazines to a library instead of throwing them away.
·Give your old clothes to poor children you know instead of throwing them away.
·Use both sides of paper.
·Stop pouring dirty water into the rivers or lakes nearby.
·Encourage all your friends to do the same things you do to help protect the earth.
You don't have to wait until Earth Day to do these things. Make every day Earth Day.
If everyone makes a contribution to protecting the environment, the world will become much more beautiful.
A graduation ceremony is a custom which takes place when students graduate from school.
During the ceremony, it is common for the best students to give speeches. So will the principal and other officials. It shows that the student has successfully completed a course or has passed an examination. They also take photos with one another and talk to one another about their future. It is also sad, because the time when they studied with friends has come to an end. It means change, and leaving unforgettable faces and places behind.
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A. The graduation ceremony is exciting and it marks the end of a period in a student's school life. B. During the ceremony, students like to take photos with each other. C. Each graduate will receive a document called a diploma（毕业证书）. D. Usually the ceremony is held in a big hall or in the open air. E. However, change always brings about new possibilities. F. They talk about their future. G. After the ceremony, students often chat with their teachers, friends and relatives who come to congratulate them. |
My time in junior high school has been enjoyable. My favorite1is Miss Mullins who taught me algebra (代数) in the seventh and eighth grades. Miss Mullins is a very caring person, 2she gets along well with all her students. She always smiles to us when we meet her at school.
Miss Mullins is a person you can go to with a3and she will try her best to help you find the answer. If you need help after school, Miss Mullins always seems to be there4. She hardly acts as if she is in a5to get away from her class. In her class every student feels6enough to ask any question.
Miss Mullins7makes anyone feel embarrassed. I remember8my homework, but I had not done all of the steps to each of the questions. I thought for sure she was going to get9with me for the missing part, but she told me what a great job I had done by finding the answer differently. I remember feeling so proud of myself at that moment. I will10Miss Mullins the most after junior high school. And I will never forget such a great teacher.
It's hard to believe that three years has passed. We'll graduate school next week. Then I'm leaving our (care) teachers and classmates and going back to America. It's time to say goodbye to them. I am especially thankful my Chinese teacher Mr. Wang.
I knew little about Chinese when I got here three years ago. But Mr. Wang was kind and gave me some good (method) of learning Chinese. I (overcome) many difficulties with his help. I put in more effort and tried my best to meet the standard of (he). So when I was in Grade 8, my Chinese exam scores (double).
I have to go my separate way now. I know there will be many harder difficulties a of me along the way of learning Chinese. But Mr. Wang has added strong (wing) to me. I'm sure I can continue to make progress i learning Chinese.
Students who get tired of looking at the four walls of a classroom might like to take the nature course being (提供) by Carvel College again this summer. Groups of about a dozen students each will be led by an experienced guide. They will go on a ten-day camping trip to the mountains to study the plants and animals that (生长) and live there.
Students carry their own (东西), which include sleeping bags, warm clothing, food and water, and other useful tools. And what do the students do (全部的) day? Well, as soon as the sun (出来) up, they will eat breakfast and start climbing up the mountain to the next campground, which is five to ten miles away. As the students take notes, the guide will point out different plants and animals alongside the trail. The climb is (通常) over by afternoon, so the group spends the rest of the day (休息) or swimming in a mountain lake. Before dinner each night, they all come together and discuss the day's (活动).
At the end of the course, the students write reports by using the (信息) they have collected. But they don't mind at all. What they do mind is leaving the beauty of the wilderness and the good friends they've made to return to their (正常的) in the city.
