Reading for pleasure is the easiest way to become a better reader in English. Some students say they don't want to read for pleasure. They want to spend their time in doing some exercises on listening, grammar and new words. They say that pleasure reading is too easy and it is not helpful.

    Many experts(专家)say pleasure reading is very important for learning English. Dr Stephen Krashen, a famous expert on learning language, says that pleasure reading helps students learn many important things about English. Students can learn more grammar and words. They can also use excellent sentences when they do some writing. Dr Krashen says pleasure reading helps each student in a different way, because each student has his own learning skills or levels. Pleasure reading makes it possible for each student to learn what he or she needs. Reading for pleasure is not the same as studying. When you read for pleasure, you can choose your favourite books, and don't have to remember everything. You don't have any pressure because there are no tests about it.

    In general, reading for pleasure can help：

    make students read faster in English；

    find examples of good writing in English；

    learn new words and grammar；

    know about the English native speakers' reading habits.

Being polite is an important social skill. It can help you make friends, succeed professionally and show respect.

Greet people politely. . When first meeting or greeting someone, give him a warm smile. It shows that you are in good spirits and are happy to see him. Also, shake hands to show respect.

Make small talks. Instead of jumping right into business, you can make small talks first. Listen carefully and pay attention to what they are saying to-you. Show them you're interested by asking questions.

Congratulate other people on their successes. If you meet a friend in the store who has recently graduated, gotten married, or gotten a new job, congratulate him.

Recognize（意识到）uncomfortable topics. You might hurt other people's feelings if you talk about them. Try to keep your conversation in the pleasant areas.

Make eye contact（接触）. When in conversation with someone, look them in the eye when you're speaking. However, don't stare at people. Break eye contact sometimes to avoid staring.

    One day last November, Liz Douglas went shopping. She spent hours at the supermarket. After she paid for all the things she bought, she went back to her car and put the shopping bags on the back seat (后座) of the car. Then she started to drive home.

    Ten minutes later, it began to rain heavily. Soon, Liz found it hard to see the road clearly. There was a lot of water on the road, so she drove slowly. Although Liz was an experienced driver, she felt afraid.

    突然，Liz看见她前面的一棵树并试图停车。But it was too late. Liz closed her eyes. She hoped that the airbags (气囊) in the car would work when the car hit the tree. Unluckily, they didn't.

    However, Liz was lucky. When the car hit the tree, a bag of bread flew out of one of the shopping bags. The car turned over, and the bread landed between Liz' s head and the roof(顶部) of the car. It stopped her head from hitting the roof of the car.

    About half an hour later, firefighters (消防队员) helped Liz get out of the car. They sent her to the hospital, but she went home soon because she didn't get hurt badly. Her head was free and she only had a few cuts. Liz's son went to get the things Liz bought from the car and gave the bag of bread to her. She was going to keep it as a souvenir (纪念品) because it brought her good luck.

— ___________. It's relaxing.

A: There are many animals in Star Zoo. Do you know?

B: Oh?

A: Giraffes, elephants, pandas, snakes and monkeys.

B: Shall we go to the zoo?

A: Sure.

B: I want to see pandas first

A: Me, too.

B: Because they are kind of interesting.

A: I like elephants.

B:

A: Because they are cute.

—No, they aren't.

    I have a best friend. His name is James. He is from the USA. We look totally(完全) different！I have blonde hair and he has red hair. I wear glasses，but he doesn't. I am short and he is very tall. We both love to sing and dance. But I'm very outgoing and he is very quiet.

    Sam Green

    I don't really have a best friend but one of my good friends is Kristi. She is from America. I sometimes call her Kwiti. She is funny and kind. And she really cares about(关心) everyone and almost everything. She became one of my good friends at the age of five.

    Mary Smith

    My best friend's name is Edna. She is from Australia. She likes to talk a lot and hardly keeps quiet. Edna has curly brown hair and brown eyes. She always makes me laugh. Also，she sometimes helps me with my homework.

    Lisa Brown

    I have a best friend from India. Her name is Sinsha. I call her Kuttu. She is short. She has a round face and black eyes. She has long black hair. You can hardly get sad or angry if you're with her. She often makes me happy.

    Donna

    Mr. White is 80 years old. Every morning he takes a walk in the park, and he comes back home at 12:30 for lunch. But today, a car stopped in front of (在……前面) his house at 12:00 and two police officers (警官) took Mr. White home. They said that Mr. White was lost. Mr. White's daughter thanked the police officers. After they left (离开), she asked Mr. White, “Dad, you go to the park every day. Why were you lost today?” The old man laughed like a child and said, “I was not lost, but I didn't want to walk home.”

   ①It's hard to turn down a tasty banana. They taste good and you don't have to wash them before eating them. However, British scientists say that the fruit may disappear by 2050.

   ②One reason for this is climate (气候) change. Scientists at the University of Exeter collected data (数据) from 27 countries and regions that produce 86 percent of the world's bananas. They found that climate change has improved growing conditions in 21 of these countries. In the past 60 years, the average yield (平均产量) has reached 1. 37 tons of bananas per hectare (公顷) .

   ③However, if temperatures keep rising, this advantage will disappear. Ten of the countries, including India, the world5s biggest producer of bananas, will produce fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out.

    ④Shouldn't bananas grow more easily if it*s hotter outside? In fact, the perfect temperature range for growing bananas is between 24 and 32 "C. If temperatures get too high, they will stop growing.

    ⑤Diseases are another danger to bananas. Unlike other crops, the bananas we grow come from shoot cuttings (茎段) rather than seeds (系中子) . This means that all banana plants have the same genotype. In other words, if a disease is able to kill one plant, it could kill them all.

   ⑥One serious disease is called Panama. Caused by fungus (真菌) in the soil, it spreads easily. It has spread across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. If one banana plantation suffers from the disease, it will take 30 years until it is able to grow bananas again. Scientists have yet to find a cure for this disease.

— Yes, I did. I was so excited when the Spanish（西班牙的）team played ______ the Portuguese（葡萄牙的）team.