Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain，his pen name.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's care，he managed to survive. As a boy，he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father's death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then，he worked as a printer，a riverboat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period，he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a fulltime writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune. Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments (投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away. At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21,1910.
A man in Brisbane, Australia, survived a house fire early Wednesday morning because his pet parrot, named Eric, sounded the alarm.
Anton was asleep when his home caught fire just after 2:00 a.m., according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Anton didn't hear the smoke detector(探测器). Instead, he heard Eric calling his name repeatedly, ABC reported. "I heard a bang and Eric — my parrot— he started to yell so I woke up and I smelled a bit of smoke," Anton told ABC. "I grabbed Eric, opened the door and looked to the back of the house and saw some flames," he added. "And so I grabbed my bag and bolted downstairs." Officials told ABC that Anton's home did have a smoke detector, but it didn't go off before Eric started calling "Anton! Anton!" Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Inspector Cam Thomas told ABC that the firemen were able to contain the fire before it spread to other properties(财产).
According to ABC, there may be a crime(犯罪)and policemen are looking into what caused the fire. In the meantime, Anton is glad that he and Eric survived. "I'm in shock but I'm fine," he told ABC. "Everything's all right so long as I have myself and the bird."
a. Anton saw some flames.
b. Anton heard Eric calling his name.
c. Anton bolted downstairs.
d. Anton's house caught fire at midnight.
e. Anton woke up and smelled the smoke.
Being physically fit at age 18 is linked to a higher IQ, a new study finds. The researchers also show that fitness predicts greater educational and professional achievements later in life. Earlier studies have found links between physical fitness and intelligence(智力)in animals, children and older adults. But the relationship in young adults hasn't been clear.
In the new study, researchers used data(数据)to examine over 1.2 million young men born in Sweden between 1950 and 1976. All the men had their physical fitness and intelligence assessed(评估) at age 18. The researchers compared this information to details of later achievements in academic(学术), social and economic aspects from other national databases and made some findings.
Fitness in the 18-year-olds was strongly linked to scores on intelligence tests. "Being fit means that you have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen, '' says Dr. Michael Nilsson of the University of Gothenburg. "This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness." The researchers also found that fit teens were more likely to get a university degree later in life. Fitness at age 18 was also linked to landing better jobs, with higher pay or management responsibilities.
The findings point to the importance of encouraging physical fitness in teens. "If so, physical education is a subject that has an important place in schools," says Dr. Maria Aberg of the University of Gothernburg.
How to Preserve Your Culture
Look at any object in your house, meal you eat, or gesture you use, and you'll find evidence of culture. Cultural traditions are everywhere and have shaped who you are. .
Share your culture's art
Each culture's art has its own unique characteristics. . You'll be overjoyed to share your culture with people from other places, such as your hobbies, jobs, crafts, and what you do for fun. This includes traditional art work you would find in a museum.
Your country, village or religious group almost certainly celebrate major holidays or cultural festivals. Travel to join in these events to get a better understanding of your culture. You can also organize your own event if possible.
Cook family recipes(菜谱)
. Smell and taste have powerful connections to memory. As you make bread or try to guess the right amount of spices, you might remember meals from your childhood or holidays. Reading recipes can teach you a lot. Even if some of them are unfamiliar, others have most likely become your comfort food or a source of family pride.
Spend time with other members of the community
The best way to preserve your culture is to keep it alive.. You can also gather for ordinary meals, events, or just conversation. Many aspects of culture are difficult to learn in books and museums, including etiquette, body language, and humor.
A. Attend or organize major events
B. It's important to copy it from others
C. You can gather for holidays as a group
D Find an expert willing to explain it to you
E. Here are some tips on how to keep them strong
F. Try to learn recipes from your grandmother's cookbook
G. For example, it has its own clothing, music, storytelling traditions, and many more
After I had pictured it over and over again in my mind, the big day 1 arrived: my first day at senior high! I woke up early and rushed to my new 2. The campus was still 3when I arrived, so I decided to 4 a bit. I was looking at the photos on the noticeboard when I 5 a voice behind me. "New here?"6 , I saw a white-haired man. "Yes," I replied. We chatted for a while 7I left for the classroom. When my English teacher stepped into the classroom, I was 8to see the same man I had met earlier.
"Good morning, everyone. Before we start, please 9yourself to the class. I'll go first," said the teacher. I tried to turn on my brain 10the engine just wouldn't start. I was organizing my words in my head when the girl next to me gave me a nudge (用肘轻推) "It's your 11 !''
With butterflies in my stomach, I 12deeply. "Hi, I'm Meng Hao." Everyone started 13. I looked at them in 14. "Nice to know we 15the same name," said my new teacher. Although I was embarrassed, his words made me a lot more 16. When we had all introduced ourselves, Mr. Meng said, "Well done, everyone! I know this isn't 17 for many of you. 18like this at senior high might sometimes put you under pressure. But it all depends on 19 you do. Keep calm and be prepared."
People say, "Well begun, half done." I guess this was a good 20 to my new school life.
There are several reasons why school uniforms are good idea. First of all, uniforms help the school look smart. The students feel that they belong to a particular group. If every student in the school wears the uniform, nobody (have) to worry about fashion. Everybody wears same style of clothes. Uniforms can be useful in unexpected ways. A school in Ireland has introduced an interesting new uniform. On the edge of the jacket, there is a piece of cloth gives off light in the dark. children are walking or cycling to school on dark mornings, car drivers can (easy) see them.
But can uniforms help improve school standards? The key this question is not clear. One study in America found that students' grades (improve) a little after the school introduced uniforms. But some students didn't want to wear the uniform, (think) it's ugly. Other American studies showed no (connect) between uniforms and school performance.
School uniforms are (tradition) in Britain, but some schools are starting to get rid of them. Some very good schools don't have a uniform policy. However, uniforms are still popular. Pupils at about 90 percent of British secondary schools wear uniforms.
假设你是李华, 你的朋友Tony去了美国上高中, 他写信告诉你他很不习惯美国的校园生活, 感到很孤独。请你根据要求用英语写一封信给他提建议：
1）学好英语, 多交一些朋友, 从而增加和别人交流的机会；
2）学会独立学习, 有困难向老师求助；
3）积极参加各种活动, 使自己的生活更加丰富有趣；
4）其他建议。
注意：1）词数80左右；2）信的开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数；3）可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
Dear Tony,
Yours, Li Hua
One Saturday afternoon, I was watching TV in the living room with my grandpa when a blinding flash of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening sound, and the pictures on TV disappeared with that sound. Before I realized what had happened, a gray-white shadow rushed in through the open window and flew over my head. Bang! It hit the wall and slid off to the floor. Shaking with fear, I approached it cautiously and saw that it was a pigeon(鸽子). It looked at me in fear, trying to open its wings and struggling its feet, but apparently powerless.
So I called my grandpa and immediately set out to give it a helping hand. Taking it in my hands, I felt a few drops of warmth on my hands. It was blood! I gently spread its wings and there were a few red feathers inside. "Don't worry. We'll get it out alive," Grandpa said to me. Then he got the first-aid kit. With some cotton, we dried the blood, cleaned the wound and then put it under a hairdryer to dry. All went smoothly, for the pigeon had no strength left to resist. There happened to be an empty birdcage at home, so I put it in gently and added a little water and some grains.
For the next few days, the moment I got home from school, I would run to feed the pigeon. And Grandpa helped a lot, tidying up the cage daily. Little by little, its strength returned. One evening, I fed it with the biscuit I was eating. It enjoyed it! One week later, its wound almost healed（痊愈）; its feathers grew and it became brave. Whenever I sat at the table eating biscuits, it looked up at me, cooing(咕咕地叫) constantly. To my joy, I could also reach into the cage to touch it. When I gently fingered its head, it playfully pecked(啄) at me. Finally it completely recovered. But every time I was with it, it seemed restless in the cage. To make it happy and pretty, I tied an orange string（线） around its leg.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph1: One day, however, when I returned home, Grandpa met me at the door, looking embarrassed.
Paragraph2: Sure enough, I saw a pigeon flying into the house the next afternoon!
