Last night, my mum and I arrived in Shanghai. It is one of the largest cities in China. In summer it is very hot here. The temperature can get up to 40℃ or even 1 In winter, however, the weather is cold—near 0℃.
Today we 2 the Jade Buddha Temple（玉佛寺）， one of Shanghai's most famous temples. 3 we left the temple we went to the street market. There I found many thugs made of jade Jade is very 4 in China. A lot of people like it. I bought a beautful jade necklace (项链). It had a 5 carved (雕刻) on it. I got it because I was born in 1998, the Year of the Tiger. The tiger is one of the 12 6 that go with the Chinese calendar (历法). Both my mum and I laughed when we 7 she was born in the Year of the Pig！ At the market, I 8 bought a red silk skirt. It was made in a silk factory right here in Shanghai. China is famous 9 its silk. The Chinese have quite a long history of making silk clothes.
The clock says it's already 11:00. Time for bed. I must 10 now. Tomorrow we're going on a trip down the Yangtze River. I can't wait!
Here are summer activities (活动) in museums.
The Postal Museum Date：1 6th July t0 22nd July Age：11—13 Would you like to join US this summer holiday? You can learn about the history of stamps(邮票)and design(设计)a stamp yourself．You can also enjoy many beautiful pictures in our museum。 Tel:965-0403 |
The Air and Space Museum Date 24th July 30th July Age：8—11 If you like activities about air and space，please come here．It's a good place to make and fly your paper plane，,watch an IMAX movie and climb into a real plane． Tel：654.0937 |
The Science Museum Date：7th August t0 1 3th August Age：9—12 You can experience video arts，play computer games about future cities，and ask robots questions here．It will be wonderful! Have fun! Tel：357-3039 |
The Building Museum Date：1 5th August t0 22nd August Age：13—15 Want to enjoy design challenges(挑战)? Come and join US．You can go on trips to some famous buildings，learn to design your room，and build small houses． Tel：272.056 1 |
These five young people share a house. Here is what they say about each other.
Pete
I moved in the house three years ago. The person I get on best with is Ned. We have a lot in common. We're the same age and we have the same hobbies. We play basketball together every Wednesday and Friday afternoon.
Ned
I moved in the house the same year as Pete. It's a great house. Pete and I are really good friends. He is friendly. We knew each other three years ago, but it feels like we know each other all our lives. The girls, Alicia and Grace, are beautiful.
Grace
I love the house and I love the people in it. I moved here about one year ago. Maybe because we're the only two girls in the house, I'm close to Alicia. We both like playing the piano. Ned and Pete are like kids, and I like talking with them.
Alicia
I moved in the house four years ago. I get on well with everyone. Grace and I are good friends. Pete and Ned are really nice but they're like schoolboys. I think Leo is the greatest. He's handsome (英俊的) and hard-working.
Leo
I moved in the house two years ago. It's a nice house in a safe neighbourhood (街区). I' m really happy here. Alicia is my favourite—she's like our sister.
I was 12 when I came to Maywood School three years ago. Like most schools in the US, classes here began at 8:00 am. However, the head teacher, Mr Bergman, found there was a problem — so many students were either missing (错过) the first class or arriving late. My classmates and I often found it hard to keep our eyes open in the mornings, so lessons were no fun for us. Our marks weren't good either.
In the end, Mr Bergman asked the school doctor for advice. The doctor said that because children's bodies are growing so quickly, they need more sleep than adults (成人). But their body clocks make it hard for them to go to bed before 11:00 pm, so the best time for them to get up is around 8:00 am.
Mr Bergman decided to do an experiment (实验). He changed the start time for classes to 9:00 am. The school still opened at 8:00 am and teachers used the extra (额外的) hour to prepare lessons.
I didn't think the new timetable (时间表) would make much difference, but I was wrong. I felt much better! Everyone's grades improved. Also, more students had time for a hot breakfast together in the dining hall. We all felt healthier and happier.
After three months, Mr Bergman asked teachers, students and parents if they wanted to keep the new timetable. Everyone did.
A: Hi, Li Feng! Your parents aren't at home. ?
B: No, they are not on holiday. They're looking after my cousin Li Ming.
A: ?
B: He lives in Jiuzhaigou.
A: Wow, it's a good place to take a holiday.
B: But now you can't go there on holiday.
A: Why not? ?
B: There was a terrible earthquake there in August. Didn't you know it?
A: No, I didn't. ?
B: Yes, he was hurt badly in the earthquake.
A: I hope he will get better soon.
Layla and her family were driving to the town park. It was a hot day. She wanted to swim in the lake. As they got out of the car, Layla saw (she) friends.
"Let's go into the water!" she called. All the kids jumped in (happy).
Layla always has fun at the park. In spring, Layla's dad often takes her fishing in (冠词) lake. They usually go early in the morning. The lake water is still (平静的). It is different (介词) the river, which has water that runs by
In summer, (family) have picnics near the lake. The kids play and swim in the lake.
In the morning of autumn, the lake has fog (雾) over it. Layla's dad once (tell) her something about fog: Hot summer days warm the water, and then cool autumn air (move) over the lake's warm water. The water vapor(水蒸汽) in the air gets cool. It (become) small drops of water (水珠). We can see those drops of water hang in the air as fog.
Layla loves winter at the park too. The cold (temperature) turn the water into ice. Many people go skating on the ice.
The lake looks different at different times of the year, (连词) it is always a good place to have fun!
Skyscrapers are very tall buildings in a city. Looking up at them might make you dizzy (眩晕的). Looking down from them might make you dizzy too. A skyscraper is a wonder (奇观), whether you are looking up or down.
How can the buildings be so tall? Something that happened during the 1880s made it possible. There were two important things at that time First, a man named William Jenney got the idea of using a steel frame to hold up the walls and floors (钢架支撑墙壁和地面) of a building. Jenney's idea made it possible to build taller buildings, so he is called the "Father of the American skyscraper". Second, the lifts improved They got much faster and safer. That helped people go up and down the tall buildings more easily.
Back in the 1880s, Jenney's first tall building was 10 stories (楼层) high. But today, some buildings have 100 stories or more. In 2004, Taipei 101, at 101 stories high, became the tallest building in the world. But soon the Burj Khalifa in Dubai overtook (超过) it in 2010. The 828-metre building has 163 stories.
现在全世界有许多非常高的建筑物。For example，Shanghai Tower in China，One World Trade Centre in the US，Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia etc All of them are really wonderful，aren't they?
What are skyscrapers?
Who is the “Father of the American skyscraper”?
What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refer to(指的是)?
