Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we are often able to know where most words come from.

Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburger. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like those which the men from Hamburger ate. Then he put each between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “ hamburgers”. Today “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.

Whether this story is true or not, it is certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. The reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.

Australia is a big country, but it is easy to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon (地平线) are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. You can explore the big country in different ways.

Air

Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia’s landscapes (陆地风光) and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.

Drive

Australia has a big network of well-kept roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no trouble finding car rental companies at major airports, central city and suburbs.

Bus

Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and cheap. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable (可调) seats and videos. Services are good for everyone, frequent.

Rail

Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.

Ferry (轮渡)

The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sea-link ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.

Besides all of above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia — impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.

A girl with blue eyes is a blue-eyed girl. A man with long legs is a long-legged man. A woman with white hair is a white-haired woman. Children who have good looks are good-looking children. What do you do when you want to buy clothes? You go to a shop. If you can find clothes that are the right size for you, and if they are ready to wear, you will probably buy them. They are called ready-made clothes. If you can not find clothes that are the right size, you will go to a tailor’s shop. A tailor is a man who makes clothes. He will measure you carefully and will then make clothes for you. Such clothes are called tailor-made clothes.

What do we call a man who is dressed badly? We call him a badly-dressed man. A woman who is dressed well is called a well-dressed woman.

What do you wear when it rains heavily? You wear a coat that will keep the rain out. Such a coat is called a raincoat. It is made of waterproof cloth-cloth that does not let water pass through. We have a lot of rain in England. If you come to England, bring a raincoat and an umbrella. You will find them useful.

If the floor, walls and ceiling of a room are made so that sound cannot pass through the wall, we say that the room is sound-proof. There are sound-proof rooms in all broadcasting stations.

Pele was born to a very poor family on October 23, 1940. His real name is Edison Arantes do Nascimento. Pele is just a nickname.

Pele first learned the game soccer from his father. As a youngster Pele played soccer for a local club. By the time he was 16, he was playing professionally for the Santos Football Club. The club won nine national championships while he played for it.

Pele also played for Brazil’s national team in four World Cups. At his first World Cup in 1958, when he was just 17, Pele scored an amazing six goals. In the final game against Sweden, he scored two goals and Brazil won its first-ever World Cup. Pele also helped Brazil win World Cups in 1962 and 1970.

Pele had an outstanding(突出) natural ability as a soccer player. He had great speed and balance and was able to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and with his head. Many European teams offered huge amounts of money to get Pele to play for their countries but Brazil declared him an official national treasure so he would stay in the country.

In 1974, Pele retired from the Santos Club, but the next year, he came out of retirement and signed a reported $ 7-million 3-year contact(合同) to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. Pele said he did not this for the money. He said that he wanted to make soccer a truly popular sport in the United States. Millions of North Americans gained a new respect for the game after watching Pele play.

After entering high school, you must wonder how to study well. Here are some good skills for you.

If you want to do well at school, going to class is the first step in studying well. If you miss classes, you will miss what the teacher thinks is important; as a result, you’ll miss what is the most likely to end up on the test.     16    

Try not to write down everything.     17     Write down unfamiliar terms (术语). After class, review your notes as soon as possible. You can fill in details that you missed and review the material while it is still fresh on your mind.

If you are struggling in class, talk to your teacher. He or she may be able to give you more help before or after class. Most teachers have little sympathy (同情) for students who just become worried about failing during the last few weeks of the grading period.

In order to learn more in class, it is helpful to take part in class discussions. Asking questions and having eye contact with your teachers and classmates can increase your focus during the class discussion.     19     This helps you make your point clear in class.

    20     Make sure that everyone is familiar with the material because you do not want to spend time re-teaching material to people who do not understand it. Be careful! Sometimes group sessions (上课时间) can become chatting sessions.