Scientists have always wanted to know more about the other worlds in space. Years ago they knew a lot about the moon. They knew how big it was and how far it was     31     the earth. But they wanted to know more about it. They thought and thought. At last they found the only way to know more was to send men to the moon.

The moon is about 384,000 kilometers     32     from the earth. A plane can not fly to the moon because the air reaches only 240 kilometers high above the earth. Then there is no air. But there’s something that can fly even     33     there is no air. That is a rocket. Rockets can fly out     34     space. Rockets with men in them have already reached the moon. Some rockets     35     men in them have flown to other parts much farther than the moon in the universe. One day rockets may be able to go to any place.

One of the amazing things about the World Wide Web is that anyone can create a ________ page. If people find your page interesting, they will come to ________ it. If lots of people like your page, then you have created something of value. The whole idea of a TV station is to create a place that attracts lots of people. Then the station’s owner can charge companies for ________ on TV. A web page is like a smart TV station. If yours becomes very popular, then you can ________ ads on it. That is one form of “value”. There are other forms as well, especially for teenagers. A popular page allows ________ to speak to and educate others, gives you a chance to meet people, and opens doors of chances that you might not ________.

If you want to create your own page, you have two ________. You can create a page that says “Hi, My name is Suzy and here is a picture of Binky, my cat. My favorite bands are…” That is fine, but it is not very interesting to others except your close. The other choice you have is to create a site that other people find ________. Pick something you enjoy or know a lot about and create the best page on the net about it. For ________, if you like football, create the best page on the net about it.

The people from all over the world will come to visit your page because you are ________ something for value.

Thomas Edison lost his first job. For the next five years he went around the country from job to job. At last Edison went to New York. He had little money. He could not buy enough food to eat. He had no place to sleep.

For many days Edison looked for work. He was hungry. At last he found work fixing machines. He could repair the old machines. He could also make new ones. The head man liked Edison’s new machines. He was going to give Edison $40,000 for them. Edison would now have money to do what he wanted.

Thomas Edison was then 23. He used the money to build a shop in New Jersey. He had many people working for him. But he worked harder than any of them. He rested very little. Soon he was making more than 40 new things at one time.

In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell made a telephone. But it could carry voices only a short way. Edison wanted to make a better telephone. He soon made one. It could carry voices a long way.

Learning about the environment is very important. There are many good books that will help you learn. To get started, ask your teacher or a librarian for some suggestions. You can also look at some good websites with information about the environment and climate change. Climate change may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to make a difference.

Driving a car or using electricity is not wrong. We just have to be smart about it. Some people use less energy by carpooling. For example, four people can ride together in one car instead of driving four cars to work. Whenever we use electricity, we put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off lights, the television and the computer when they aren’t needed, you can help a lot.

Don’t buy products that use too much energy. Some products, like certain cars, are made specially to save energy. These don’t pollute as much, either. Products like computers, TVs, and VCRs with the ENERGY STAR label (标签) R are made to save energy. Buying products with these labels will help protect the environment.

Buy recyclable products instead of (代替) non-recyclable ones. Recyclable products are usually made out of things that have already been used. It usually takes less energy to make recyclable products than to make new ones. So when you go shopping, look for the recycle mark on the package—three arrows that make a circle. The less energy we use, the better.

The Internet, mobile phones and Ipads are part of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning humans.

We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.

Global Positioning System (GPS) (全球定位系统)

It’s a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact (精确地) information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of three parts: satellites, control equipments (设备) on land and receivers.

Space Technology

Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless (无限的) advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.

Underwater Robot

Hercules is a kind of Underwater Robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago.

The world is changing so quickly that it’s hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It’s important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modern technology, or we will fall behind the time.

In the future, machines will be improved and do more and more work for man. Few people have to work for long hours.     58     How will he use this leisure in the world of tomorrow?

Certainly he will still need holidays.

In the future, the computer will help people to find the right place. The computer will ask them questions which they will answer by pressing a button.     59    , then the computer will tell them where to find the place they want for holiday.     60     It will also help people to use their leisure time well. There will be more programmes on how to make and how to do things.

In the future, people will certainly have to do less work.     61     This means that the rest of the time will be mostly leisure time.

Some scientists say that man of the future will be able to get enough pleasure and enjoyment on his own without going anywhere. According to other scientists,     62     The cap will make him see, feel and hear all kinds of enjoyable things.

Many people always say that listening to spoken English is too hard for them. But if you don’t understand what people are saying, how can you talk with them? It may be difficult, but learning by listening is necessary.

As we know, different people have different pronunciations of the same word. Standard pronunciation is important for English speaking as well as for listening. In China, people from one area may not understand what people from another area are saying because of the different Chinese dialects (方言). Standard Chinese pronunciation can help people from different places understand each other easily.

It is the same as English. If your pronunciation is not standard, it is hard for other people to understand you.

If you want to learn how to listen to English, the following ways are helpful.

Get some good books with tapes. Do the exercises, from the simple to the difficult, step by step.

You can also watch English-language films and TV programs, listen to English-language radio.

Try to listen every day, even if only a few minutes. At first you may understand few words. Don’t give up. Just listen.

Remember to read and speak English every day. It will help you to listen better, spend an hour reading English every day. Finally you will notice that you are making progress.

Talk to English-speaking foreigners as often as possible. Foreigners will speak slowly with you, use simple words, and use body language to help you understand them. Don’t be afraid to talk to them. They won’t mind if you have trouble because they may have more trouble making themselves understood in Chinese.

In 1926, a Frenchman     73     (name) Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good     74     (art). So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the     75     (one) photo. The next important date in the history of photography was in 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman,     76     (take) a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture you could see everything clearly, even the     77     (small) thing. This kind of photo     78     (call) a Daguerreotype (银版照相). Soon other people began to use Daguerre’s way.     79     (travel) brought back wonderful photos from all around the world. People took pictures of famous buildings, cities and mountains. In about 1840, photography     80     (develop). Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. That was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not stop them, for example, some in the US worked so hard. Mathew Brady was a famous     81     (America) photographer. He took many pictures of great people. The pictures were unusual because they were very lifelike. Photography also became one kind of art     82     the end of the 19th century. Some photos were not just copies of the real world. They showed feelings, like other kinds of art.

The Changes in My Hometown