Miss Bradley: Debbie? The people at Sunny Bank—you know, the home for old people—want someone to give a talk. Could you do it?
Debbie: Me? Stand up and talk? I can't do that.
Miss B: Debbie, it's not a big deal.
Jess: Why not, Debbie? I mean, the old people aren't going to laugh or be nasty.
Debbie: No, I know. But…oh, I don't know. I'm just not brave enough, that's all. I can't do it, and that's that.
Jess: Here she comes. Go on, Pete.
Pete: OK. Well, look—it's yellow Debbie. The school chicken.
Debbie: I beg your pardon?
Pete: I hear you won't give a talk at Sunny Bank. Ooh, all those scary old people! It's a bit pathetic, eh, Debbie?
Debbie: Chicken? Pathetic? No one calls me that!
Debbie: Miss Bradley? I've changed my mind. I want to do the talk after all.
Miss B: Good for you, Debbie. How about Friday, around 5 o'clock?
Jess: It worked! Well done, Pete.
Pete: Thanks. But I don't think I can ever talk to Debbie again!
Margaret Ann Bulkley was born around 1789, in Ireland. She had big dreams. "I want to be a doctor!" But two hundred years ago a girl couldn't become a doctor. Her uncle, James Barry, was a great painter. And his friend General Miranda had a library with more than 6,000 books. Margaret loved reading there. Her intelligence impressed him. Years later, her uncle James Barry died, leaving her some money. It was enough to study to be a doctor.
"But a girl can't become a doctor," said Margaret sadly.
"Yes, you can!" said General Miranda. "All you have to do is to disguise as a boy." Margaret really wanted to be a doctor. So she cut off her long hair, practiced speaking in a deep voice, and put on boy's clothes. She also named herself James Barry.
From then on, Margaret Ann Bulkley disappeared. She became James Barry and entered Edinburgh University. He took 13 subjects and worked all through the summer when the other students went on holiday.
Barry graduated in 1812 and decided to join the British Army. In his life, Dr. James Barry travelled all over the world, helping to save many lives. Before retirement, Barry had risen to the second-highest medical officer in the British Army. Barry improved the conditions for not only wounded soldiers but also the local people, and performed the first recorded successful caesarean section（剖宫产）in Africa. The secret Dr. James Barry kept for over fifty years was only known after his death in 1865.
What do three hearts, eight arms and one huge brain add up to? An octopus, a creature that can do amazing things. Octopuses are very clever. As they don't have teeth or sharp claws to defend themselves, they have ever learnt a few tricks to get out of dangerous situations. Do you know how they do that?
They often hide themselves in the sand on the bottom of the ocean floor. Some octopuses like to stay in more shallow water where there are rocks. Because octopuses have very soft bodies, they can hide themselves into small spaces between the rocks to get rid of enemies.
The octopus is like a chameleon because it can change the color of its skin to match the sand. This color change happens in less than a minute.
Another way an octopus can protect itself is by shooting ink. It can shoot ink into the water. The ink forms a cloud to blind its enemies. It's like a magician doing a disappearing act.
If an octopus is being attacked, it can make itself look like a sea snake. It will bury itself in the sand except two arms. It will change the color of those arms to match a sea snake.
But what if there's no time to escape? It can break off one of its arms. The arm will then change colors and move around the water. As the enemy starts chasing after the arm, the octopus can swim away quickly. Don't worry, though. The octopus' arm will grow back soon.
Are you suffering from insomnia（失眠）now? It's true that many people are deeply bothered by insomnia. Sleep expert Michael Grandner offers top three tips.
Make a plan and stick to it.
Melatonin（褪黑素）is produced by the body to control when you get sleepy and when you wake up. As night falls, the levels of melatonin rise, becoming a signal to the body that it's time for bed. And the levels naturally fall as daylight comes near, getting you ready to greet the day.
So if your bedtime and wake-up time change from day to day, your body doesn't know how to react. So it's important to have a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends.
In fact, this tip is so powerful that it can even beat sleep medicine. "Whenever you've been awake for 20 or 30 minutes, either the beginning or the middle of the night, get up. Maybe you just need five minutes to get sleepy, or maybe an hour, but don't spend that time in bed," says Grandner.
Change your attitude about sleep.
Many people see sleeping as the final thing they have to do in a busy day, worth delaying to catch up on housework, schoolwork or others. "See your sleep as the amount of time you need in order to set yourself up for a productive tomorrow. It may sound like a small change, but it's an important one," Grandner adds.
A. Don't lie in bed awake.
B. Take some medicine if you need.
C. That thought needs to be changed.
D. In fact, we can train our brain to fall asleep.
E. The release（释放）of melatonin needs to be at regular times.
The environment is everything around us in the natural world. It is the earth, the air, rivers, lakes, forests and seas. These are 1 human beings depend on for a living.
All natural waste is 2 . Animal waste and dead bodies are broken down by small creatures, like those worms in the soil. This is their 3 . The carbon dioxide that people and animals breathe（呼吸）out is used by plants to breathe and help them 4 . Plants give out oxygen which people and animals need to breathe in. Plants 5 water through their roots. They pass it out through their leaves 6 moisture（水分）. This moisture, together with water vapour coming from rivers and seas, rises and turns into water droplets and forms clouds. Larger water droplets then fall down in the form of 7 . In this way, the water goes 8 to the earth, rivers and seas to be used again.
However, humans have made a lot of changes to the earth. The technology and industry have made life 9 , but they also produce a lot of new waste. Nature finds this new waste hard or 10 to recycle. Man shall deal with this problem before it is too late.
"No, I won't tell you anything about those geese（鹅）," repeated Breckinridge. "Well, let's （make）a bet," said Holmes. "I bet you five pounds the geese came from a farm outside London." "Ha, you are wrong," said Breckinridge. "Actually the geese came from London."
"I don't believe you," said Holmes.
"All right," said Breckinridge. "Wait, I （show）you in a moment."
He took out two large books and opened one of （they）. "This book contains a list of the people who sell me geese. The （name）in red ink are people who live in London. Read out the （three）one on the list."
Holmes took the book and read, "Mrs Oakshott, 117 Brixton Road. This name （write）in red ink. So that means Mrs Oakshott lives in London."
"Yes," said Breckinridge. "Now look in the other book. It records the dates I bought the geese."
Holmes read, "December 22nd, bought from Mrs Oakshott, 24 geese at 7 shillings each. Sold to Mr Windigate of the Alpha Inn."
"See? I was right," said Breckinridge. "So I （win）the bet. Now give me my money." （Silent）Holmes took out a gold coin and threw it down in front of Breckinridge. Then we left.
A few yards away, we stopped （laugh）loudly. "You are very clever! Holmes," I said. "Breckinridge refused to tell us the （true）. So you made a bet with him…"
"Yes, Watson," said Holmes. "Though I lost the bet, I found out what I wanted."
For fans of traditional culture, the film I Am What I Am（雄狮少年）, which was first shown in the cinema on December 17, 2021, can be a good choice. The 104-minute film has connected the lion dance culture with a teenager's pursuit（追求）of his dream.
Set in Guangdong Province, the film is about the growth of a left-behind teenager named A Juan. He met a girl who had the exact same name. Encouraged by her, A Juan made up his mind to form a lion dance team with his two close friends A Mao and A Gou. After being trained by a master, the three took part in a lion dance competition in Guangzhou. Although later A Juan had to work to support his family, he still bravely followed his dream—becoming the best lion dancer.
"It opens a new world for China's animated（动画）film," said an animator. Unlike most Chinese animated films today, which have to do with myths（神话）or fairy tales, I Am What I Am sets eyes on reality. This is not very common in the animation field in China. "I've always wanted to make an animated film about our real life. And I remembered the lion dance performances at festivals. They were so beautiful, colourful and folk. That inspired me to make a film about lion dance," said the director.
The film has got high marks on different websites. Although it's not perfect, many people are deeply moved. It shows not only the beauty of Chinese culture but also the spirit of the nation, according to CCTV news.
注意：1. 不要出现考生本人信息；
2. 70词左右。
Teens Around the World |
Subject: Gifts |
Hey, guys! Have you ever received gifts on some special days? Which of them do you like best? Can you remember who gave it to you? When did you get it? What's it like and why do you like it? Please share the story of the gift with us. Becky, England |
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Li Hua, China
