The Sled (雪橇) Dog Race was about to begin. Susan's team of dogs was lined up at the starting gate. Susan stood behind them. _________ teams were lined up, too, and the dogs were excited. Susan kept her _________ on the clock. At exactly ten o'clock, she and the other racers yelled, “Mush!” The dogs knew that meant “ _________ !” They ran forward and the race began! Susan had trained months for this race, and she hoped she and her dogs would win. Day after day, Susan's dogs _________ the sled to get ready for the race.

Now, they ran over snowy hills and _________ into deep valleys (山谷). They stopped only to rest and eat. The racers had to go a thousand miles across Alaska. Alaska is one of the _________ places on Earth. The dogs' thick fur coats helped keep them warm. In many places along the route (线路), the snow was _________. Pieces of ice were as sharp (锋利的) as a knife. The ice could cut the dogs' feet. To keep that from happening, Susan had put special boots on their feet.

At first, the dogs seemed to pull the sled very slowly. They were _________ getting used to the race. On the third day, they began to pull more quickly. They worked as a _________ and passed many of the other racers. Once, one of the dogs dropped into a hole and the sled _________. Susan could have given up then, but she didn't. She fixed it and they kept going. When they finally reached the finishing line, they found out that they had come in the first place!

Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise (表扬) him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.

The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain's idea of childhood is magical—a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.

More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.

Twain's writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That's why he is so loved in the US—he wasn't afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.

He also believed strongly in women's right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.

“Tom was a great hero once more—the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.

My name is Wei Hua and I'm a sporting robot of the 23rd century, I'm clever at high flying exercises. I jump from spaceships and as I fall, I turn, dive, circle and dance until I softly land as close as I can to the finishing line. Robot competitions in the 23rd century are truly a popular sport. Fans from all over China watch their hand-held TVs when a competition comes on. Last time I took part in the 78th Olympics and I won the silver medal for my performance.

This year I was very proud to be chosen again. I wanted to meet robots from other countries and explore ideas about our sport. However, my programmer fell ill the week before we were leaving. It was very painful for her and I felt very scared. I didn't feel so confident that I would win.

The day of the competition was rather cold for my legs and my special oil began to freeze. I stopped for a moment (which I shouldn't) before I jumped from the starting place on a little spaceship, then I began my performance. At the correct moment I tried to open my parachute (降落伞) but there was a problem. It only opened a little. I began to fall faster and faster so that I could not turn, dive, circle or dance. My heart stopped beating as I landed heavily on a mountain covered with snow.

This is why I am writing to you from my hospital bed with two broken legs and a weak head. I did not win anything at the Olympics after all. I need the factory to build me new legs and an even bigger head. Then I will be able to compete once more. Let's hope for greater success in the next Olympics!

Martin Lynch, an American businessman, had been going on holiday to a small Mexican fishing village for a number of years. One morning while going for a walk along the beach, he saw his friend Pablo Perez, a local fisherman. Martin watched Pablo unload (卸货)his boat and pack the fish in a box.

Martin noticed Pablo was smiling and looked very happy. He could also see several large fish in the boat. Martin greeted Pablo and asked how long it took to catch the fish. “Just a few hours,” replied Pablo. Martin asked, “Why didn't you stay longer and catch more fish?” “I have enough for my family,” Pablo said. “And what do you do with the rest of your day?” asked Martin. “I take a nap(午睡), play with my children, spend time with my wife, and go into the village to see my friends and play cards, I have a full and busy life.” Martin explained that if Pablo worked longer hours and caught more fish, he could make more money. With the extra money, Pablo could buy more boats and catch more fish. By selling the fish, Pablo could open his own factory and sell direct to supermarkets.

“Then what?” asked Pablo. “Well, you would probably have to move to Mexico City to run the business. Finally, you would be able to sell your business and make millions of dollars,” replied Martin. “How long will that take?” asked Pablo. Martin thought for a while and said it would probably take at least 15 years.

“And then what?” asked Pablo.

“Well, that's the best part,” Martin said. “You will be able to retire(退休), buy a house near the ocean, sleep longer, play with your children, spend more time with your wife, see your friends, and play cards.”

55. 假定你是杨林，你在加拿大的笔友Ben在做一个关于世界各国青少年喜欢的电影的调查，他给你发了一封电子邮件，想了解一下有关情况，请认真阅读下面的邮件，根据信中的内容及你的实际用英语回复，可以有适当的发挥。

2.回复中不得提及真实的人名、校名等相关信息。

Thank you for your email. I'm very happy to answer your questions.

I wish to watch a movie in Canada one day.

Yours,

Yang Lin