There are 520 boys and 500 girls in our school. The school made a survey (调查) about our favourite sports. Here are the results (结果).

After seeing the results, the PE teacher advises us to join different sports clubs. He also encourages (鼓励) us to try some new sports. It may bring us some surprises.

Millions of people have seen Disney films and TV programs. They have made friends with all the Disney heroes: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, and Peter Pan. Many people have visited Disney Parks. Probably no other company has pleased so many children. It is not surprising that it has been called a dream factory.

In 1923, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California to join his brother Roy. He wanted to be a film producer or director. But he failed to find a job. So he decided to make animated films (动画电影). In these films, drawings are made to move in a lifelike (逼真的) way. We call them cartoons. Disney wanted to bring his pictures to life.

Disney opened his first company in the back of an office. To begin with, he had to work hard for a living for several years, but he believed that cartoon films would be popular.

Mickey Mouse was drawn with a group of circles. The public first saw Mickey Mouse in a film called Steamboat Willie. Walt Disney himself provided (提供) the voice for Mickey Mouse. The film was produced in 1928, and it made a huge success. Mickey Mouse appeared in hundreds of cartoons during the years that followed. He became known all over the world.

Nowadays, many astronomers (天文学家) are looking for new planets and new places for humans to live in the future. But where do astronomers start exploring (探索)?

First of all, astronomers look for a star. That’s because our own Earth moves around a star—the Sun. More importantly, it is neither too far from nor too near to the Sun for heat and light. So when astronomers have found the star, they look at the planets around it. In recent years, astronomers have found nearly 400 new planets with stars. Many of these planets are either too near to the star or too far away.

However, if the planet is in a good place, astronomers look for three key things: water, air and rock (岩石). Water is the most important because all life needs water. Humans can drink it and they can also grow plants with water. And plants produce air for humans to breathe (呼吸) and food to eat. Rock on a planet is also important. That’s because there is often water under the rock.

After many years of exploring, astronomers have found a planet like the Earth. It’s Gliese 581 g and it’s near a star. The astronomers think it has water and rock and the temperature is between -31℃ and -12℃. That’s cold, but not colder than Antarctica or the Arctic Circle. A year on Gliese 581 g is only 37 Earth days, not 365 Earth days. But astronomers do not think these are big differences and some of them think Gliese 581 g will be a new Earth.

How was your sleep last night? Sleep is important for health. How can we have healthy sleep?     12    

Wake up naturally

Waking up to a ringing alarm (闹钟) is never fun. Studies show that when you get shocked by the alarm, your breathing will go up, your heart will have more beats and your blood pressure will rise.

    13     “You’ll feel worse if you go back to sleep a few more minutes. It’s important to follow your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (循环).”

So what should we do?     14     Or leave a crack (缝隙) in the curtains (窗帘)—the rising sun will wake you up.

Sleep early and get up early

Some young people may go to bed late and get up late, such as sleeping from 2 am to 10 am.They think as long as they have eight hours of sleep, everything will be fine.

    15     They use light and temperature to do so. If we wake up too late, our bodies might feel stuck between sleep and being awake. That’s why sometimes we feel even more tired after oversleeping.

Bill and John from the UK have lived in China for five years. They have visited many places here. For     32    , they have seen the Great Wall and they have visited the     33     palaces of the kings and the     34     of China. May Day is coming. They are going to Nanjing and they are     35     down the days.

When Sarah was a teenager, she used to fight over almost everything with her family. But five years ago, while she     36     (study) abroad in England, she heard a song full of feelings about returning home on the radio. It made Sarah     37     (think) about her family and friends back in the US. She came to realize how much she actually missed all of     38     (they). Ever since then, she     39     (be) a fan of American country music.

Country is a     40     (tradition) kind of music from the southern states of America. Nashville, Tennessee is the home of country music. Country music brings us back to the “good old days” when people     41     (be) kind to each other and trusted one another. It reminds us that the best things in life are free—laughter, friends, family, and the beauty of nature and the countryside.

Sarah hasn’t been to Nashville yet, but it is her dream     42     (go) there one day. She has already read a lot about the place and     43     (do) some research on it. She knows that there is a Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville. There are also always a lot of great country music concerts with famous     44     (music) and singers, like Garth Brooks. Sarah has already listened to most of his songs. “Garth is one of the     45     (success) singers in American history. He’s sold more than 120 million records. I hope to see him sing live one day!”

Thanks for your message. Yes, I’m having a great time on my student exchange program in France. I was a bit nervous before I arrived here, but there was no reason to be. My host family is really nice. They go out of their way to make me feel at home. The grandmother has a teenage granddaughter about my age. She’s really kind and she always talks to me in French to help me practice. You wouldn’t believe how quickly my French has improved because of that.

My biggest challenge is learning how to behave at the dinner table. As you can imagine, things are very different from the way they are at home. For example, you shouldn’t put your bread on your plate. You should put it on the table! I thought that was pretty strange at first, but now I’m used to it. Another example is that you shouldn’t eat anything with your hands except bread, not even fruit. Another thing is it’s impolite to say that you’re full. If you don’t want any more food, you should just say, “That was delicious.” Also, you shouldn’t put your elbows (肘部) on the table. I have to say that I find it difficult to remember everything, but I’m gradually getting used to it. I don’t find French customs (习俗) so strange any more.

I’ll write again soon and tell you more about my life in France. Hope you’re having a good school year.

Yours,

Wang Kun