As we all know, Charles Dickens is considered to be a great English writer. He’s very famous not only in Britain, but also in many other _________ in the world. He was born in 1812 and he lived in London. He wrote lots of books, and he also liked _________. He was an actor.

Maybe it’s interesting to hear that and that’s _________ his books were so good. He gave public readings of his stories that were very popular. His stories first appeared in a magazine, in parts. People always wanted _________ part. He wrote a lot, and most of them are popular. There are films and plays of them _________: Oliver Twist became a famous musical play, and Great Expectations was a wonderful _________.

Dickens’ early life was very hard. His family was poor, and his mother sent him out to work in a factory when he was 12. He _________ it, but he used his experiences in his writing. He married Catherine Hogarth and they had a big family. He continued to write _________ he died. When he died in 1870, he was _________ a story. But what a pity! We’ll never know _________ it ended.

American country music is also known as (被视为) country western music. It has a very long history. It comes from the folk songs of immigrants (移民) from Britain.

Country music uses simple music and words to express everyday feelings such as loneliness, love, and sadness. That is to say, country music describes life. It talks about friends and enemies, trucks and roads, farms and crops. People in many parts of the world like country music, because everyone can understand what the music is about.

Country western music became popular first among cowboys (牛仔) in the American west countryside. Cowboys had to take care of cows day and night. When they were alone with the cows, they often sang beautiful and peaceful songs to calm the animals and to overcome their own fear. They were not well-educated and so they sang about their daily life in very simple words. They played guitars, violins and other instruments. In the south of America, many people added instruments from their homes, like bottles and spoons. When cowboys visited their friends and families on holidays, they usually sang and played country western music.

In recent years, many musicians have made country western music a little different from the one in the past. These changes make the songs sound even better. Today singers such as Carth Brooks, Reba McEntirc, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Rabbitt, LeAnn Rimes, Randy Travis and a group called Alahama are singing and playing in different styles. They have brought country western music more and more fans from all over the world.

An Activity for Reading

By CCTV

Doing the activity with your children helps you develop their reading skills while having fun at the same time. If the reader finishes one book and asks for another, you know you are successful!

We wish you spend wonderful hours of reading with children! This summer holiday, we will invite some families to the program “Readers” to read aloud poems or books you like, and share your reading experience.

Activity: Read to me

It’s important to read to your children, and it’s also important to listen to them when they read to you.

What you’ll need: Books at your child’s reading level

What to do:

▲Read good books to your children. Parents who read aloud to their children are developing their interest and skills in reading. Encourage your children to listen, express their ideas, and ask questions.

▲Take turns. You read a paragraph and let your child read the next one. If your child becomes easier with reading aloud, you can ask him or her to read a full page.

▲Listen carefully as your child reads. Listening to your child will encourage them to practice reading. This is another way to enjoy reading together.

▲If your child has trouble reading words, you can help him or her in some ways:

●Ask the child to jump over the word and read the rest, then try to guess the meaning of the missing word.

●Guide your child to use what he or she knows about letter sounds.

●Tell your child that you are proud of his or her hard working.

Learn more: Visit http//www.tv. cctv.com.

Have you ever heard of the storyThe Ant and the Grasshopper(蚱蜢)? One fine winter day some ants were working in the field. They were very busy. Just then a grasshopper passed by. “Good day, kind ants,” said the grasshopper. “I am very hungry. Won’t you lend me a little food? (A)我已吃光(eat up)我的食物了。I will pay you before the next autumn.” “Don’t you have no food of your own? (B)Why did not you gather any food during the summer?You know there was much food in the field last summer. What were you doing then?” asked an old ant. The grasshopper answered, “I (C) ________ (sing) all day and night during the summer. And so I had no time to gather any food. Please lend me some food.” “Well, then,” said the ant, “(D) You only played and did not work during the summer. We never lend you any food.” (E)And the ants went on working.