浙江省杭州市余杭区、临平区、富阳区等多区2022-2023学...

A man named Jack came home from work and found his three children outside. They were still in their pajamas(睡衣), playing in the mud. Toys were lying all over the garden. The front door to the house was wide open.

Walking in the door, he found an even bigger mess. In the living room, the TV was turned up loud. There were toys and clothes all over the places.

In the kitchen, there was a broken glass under the table and dishes filled the sink( 水 槽 ). Breakfast food was still on the dining table. The door of the fridge was open. In the bathroom, the bathtub was full of water. Soap and toilet paper were on the floor. Toothpaste(牙膏)was all over the mirror and walls.

He quickly went upstairs, looking for his wife. He was worried that she was sick or that something bad happened.

As he ran into the bedroom, he found his wife in bed. Still in her pajamas, she was reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day went. He looked at her and asked, "What happened here today?" She smiled again and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what on earth I do all day...?"

"Yes," he replied. She answered,

"Well, I didn't do it only today."

The Amazon rainforest in South America, at seven million k ㎡, is the largest rainforest in the world. The forest is important for people all over the world, because it produces a lot of oxygen, and also helps to cool the weather. But large areas of the rainforest are being cut down for wood—55% of the forest could be gone by 2030! The World Wildlife Federation is helping to stop some areas of the rainforest from being cut down.

At 68,000 k ㎡, the Aral Sea was one of the largest lakes in the world before the 1960s. Then rivers were diverted (改道) and it has been getting smaller ever since. By 2007, it was only 10% of its original size and had been divided into three separate lakes. There are repeatedly dust storms and the villages sit on the edge of a huge desert with large ships stranded (搁浅) in its sand.

In China, about 3,600 k ㎡ of grassland near the Gobi turns into desert every year. There are often storms that blow dust all the way to Beijing. The storms are getting worse each year and have a strong influence on farmers. The goal of the Green Wall Project, started in 1978, is to increase forests in northern China from 5% to 15% in order to stop the desert from growing. The project faces many challenges. However, people must never give up on it.

China now has more than 30, 000 kilometers of high speed track, and this is expected to increase to 38,000 kilometers by 2025. Fully two thirds of the world's high speed rail(by length) is in China. Here, we track the exciting technological developments in high speed rail and consider their cultural influence.

While the main advantage of the high speed rail lines is convenience for people to get from one city to another as quickly as possible, some of these high speed lines have become popular tourist attractions(景点). A good example of this is the Hefei-Fuzhou high speed line. Technically speaking, this was one of the most challenging high speed rail routes ever built; nearly 90% of the track was laid either on bridges or in tunnels(隧道). However, the amazing views are worth it, as the train goes through some of China's most beautiful mountainous areas, including the Huangshan and the Wuyi Mountain Ranges.

As China has gained skills and knowledge in high speed rail, it is trying to export (出口) its technology to other countries. Its first project on the international market was the line connecting

Istanbul with Turkey's capital, Ankara, 530 kilometers away. This was followed by projects among other countries. Perhaps its most challenging project is a Trans Asian network connecting China with Europe. Although it is difficult, China will make every effort to take on this plan. It is hoped to be completed by 2030 as a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (中国“一带一路”倡议).

Thanks to high speed rail, the travel time between main cities in China has already been reduced to only a few hours. So this convenience should improve the development within and out of China. No doubt, it will also bring the people of the country closer together, and in time bring about deep social changes.

How to Make Your Dad Happy

Everybody wants a healthy relationship with their dad. When your dad is happy with you, you'll get the best treatment from him and most likely be happy too. By focusing on the way you interact(相互交流) with your dad and the things you do in life, you can achieve a happy family relationship.

It can be difficult to spend time with your dad, especially during school days as your schedule is busy and your dad is at work. Making that extra effort to spend time with him and share your opinions and thoughts will strengthen the bond between you. Try to have at least one meal with him in a day. This can be a great time to talk and discuss the events of the day.

Consider asking your dad for advice on school work or friendships or matters of finance if you have or are seeking a job. This will show him his opinion matters. Even if your dad doesn't have experience with a certain situation, he can still give you advice on how to deal with it or where you can best learn how to deal with it.

Messy rooms are a common complaint (抱怨) among parents. Even if you don't share your room and it's your space, show your dad that you can shoulder the responsibility of taking care of what's yours by keeping it neat and tidy.

Show your father you want to succeed in life by performing well at school. Try to complete all your assignments on time and to the best of your ability. If there's something you don't understand, ask your teachers to explain again, provide further resources for learning or ask a friend to explain it to you.

Show your dad that you're a good judge of character. Befriend(友善对待) people who you see do well in school. Look for those that have a good reputation (名声) with others and their teachers and who perform highly in class and whom you think have good character and stay out of trouble. You might learn from them and being friends with them might help keep you out of trouble too.

Long long time ago, a man called Tom got a book. It was about the1 of a special pebble (鹅卵石) that could turn anything into real gold. The special pebble was2among other ones on the beach. Because they 3 the same, the special pebble was almost impossible to be found. If people 4 the special pebble, it would feel warm. However, other pebbles were5.

After learning the secret, Tom was excited. He6 becoming rich. So he sold all that he had, 7 garden forks, went to the beach and started picking up pebbles. On the first day, he picked up pebbles and then he threw them into the sea if there were not 8. Again and again, the special pebble didn't 9. But he didn't give up and then he continued.

Several years later, 10 he picked up one pebble which was warm. But because he had such a strong 11 of throwing one pebble after another without 12, he threw this special one into the sea as usual. He lost the 13 to be rich. What a pity!

14, good chances do come in our life at any time. Try to hold them as soon as possible instead of 15 them.

Nowadays, we can find salt in most kitchens. But in the past, salt was a rare and valuable mineral (矿物). Back in the sixth century, salt was even worth as much gold! During the Stone Age, people (eat) a lot of red meat. Because red meat is (natural) rich in salt, people didn't need to find salt elsewhere. However, as farming became popular and people ate more wheat and rice, they had less salt in their diets. So, people had to search for other ways (get) salt.

Around 6000 B. C., the Chinese began collecting salt from lakes to flavor(调味) their food. This is the (old) recorded history of salt production. But there were other (method) of collecting salt, too. People in Central Asia mined rock salt underground around 4500 B. C. Around 3000 B. C., the Egyptians began to collect salt from seawater. By 800 B. C., the Chinese were producing salt by boiling seawater. It took less time than waiting for the seawater to evaporate (蒸发). Because these methods took a long time, salt was very (value). In fact, it was even used as money. In China, people paid taxes (税) with salt. In Rome, soldiers (pay) part of their wages in salt. Salt is now very cheap to buy. But it remains important part of the human diet, and it is something we can't live .