【推荐1】Do you see elephants with your own eyes? Do you know about elephants? Elephants are very big and strong.     1     They are usually gray. They have long trunks(象鼻) and tusks(象牙).     2     They have poor eyesight(视力), but very good hearing. Elephants are very friendly to each other and to their neighbors.     3     They never live alone. Young elephants do not leave the group until they are about 12 years old.

    4     Elephants eat roots(树根), grass and fruit. An adult elephant can eat up to I36 kilos of food every day. These hungry animals do not sleep much, and they often travel very long to look for food.

    5     The number of elephants is becoming smaller and smaller because they have less and less land to live on. Also, people kill them for their tusks.

【推荐2】For thousands of years, people have lived with dogs. Ancient paintings on the walls of caves(岩洞)show people living with dogs. More than one third of the homes in the United States, Canada, and Australia have dogs. Almost one fourth of the homes in England have dogs. In each country, these dogs come in all shapes and sizes.

The largest dog in the world was Zorba, a huge mastiff(大驯犬)that died in 1990. When Zorba was seven years old in 1989, he was 94 centimeters tall. In other words, Zorba was more than half as tall as an adult man. At his largest, Zorba weighed more than 156 kilograms.

While the smallest dog ever was a Yorkshire Terrier dog named Sylvia from England. This dog was only 6 centimeters tall and just under 9 centimeters from nose to tail. The dog weighed half as much as your English book, and even a young child could easily pick it up with one hand. It died in 1945 when it was only two years old.

Some dogs are unusual, not for their size, but for their brain. One unbelievable dog is Endal, the “family member” of a man named Allen Parton, who has used a wheelchair(轮椅)since a car accident in 1991.

In 2001, Parton was hit by a car while crossing a road with Endal, and thrown out of his chair. Endal quickly moved Parton into the safe position, covered him with a coat, and pushed his mobile phone close enough for him to reach. Then, once he saw that Parton was all right, Endal ran back and forth between a nearby hotel and Parton, barking until people came out to help.

Endal won a prize for his courage and cleverness, and he has been the subject of a number of TV documentaries.

【推荐3】For thousands of years, people have lived with dogs. Ancient paintings on the walls of caves show people living with dogs. Almost a third of the homes in the United States and England have dogs, and these dogs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

The largest dog in the world was a dog named Zorba. When Zorba, a mastiff, was seven years old in 1989, he was 94 centimeters（37 inches）tall. In other words, Zorba was more than half as tall as an adult man. At his largest, Zorba weighed more than a heavy weight boxer at 156 kilograms（343 pounds）.

In comparison, the smallest dog was a Yorkshire terrier from England. This dog was only the size of a matchbox, measuring 7.1 centimeters（2.8 inches）tall and 9.5 centimeters（3.75 inches）from nose to tail. It weighed about half as much as a common book, and even a young child could easily pick it up with one hand. It passed away in 1945 when it was only two years old.

Some dogs are wonderful, not for their sizes, but for their brains. One incredible（＝unbelievable）dog is Endal, the companion of a man named Allen Parton who has used a wheelchair since a car accident in 1991.

In 2001, Parton was hit by a car while crossing a road with Endal, and thrown out of his chair. Endal quickly moved Parton into the recovery place, covered him with a blanket（毯子）and pushed his mobile phone close enough for him to reach. Then, once he saw that Parton was all right, Endal ran back and forth to a nearby hotel, barking until people came out to help.

Endal was rewarded for his bravery by being awarded a medal, and he has been the subject of a number of TV documentaries.

【推荐1】In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the film-maker Walt Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work in Disney’s cartoon films for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said, “Stop! That’s our duck!”

The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the film, The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight-minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audience（观众）liked him because he was lazy and greedy, and because he lost his temper very easily. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t a goody-goody, like Mickey.

In the 1930s, the 1940s, and the 1950s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared — there were no more new cartoons.

Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice.

【推荐2】Alexis Rocha is a 13-year-old boy from California, US. He weighs 147 pounds (67 kg). But six months ago, he weighed more than 202 pounds (91 kg). How did he lose all that weight in only half a year.

“One day, I was surprised to find that I weighed about 200 pounds,” Rocha says, “I thought I had to do something about it.”

Rocha is from a boxing (拳击) family – his father and his two elder brothers are professional boxers. So he decided to start boxing. He began with simple exercises, like sit-ups and push-ups (俯卧撑). Then Rocha started jogging (慢跑). “No kid likes running,” he says. “I don’t want to do it, either, but I have no choice but to keep on.”

Months later, Rocha joined a boxing club in his city. He is always the first kid at the club to begin exercising, and the last to leave with sweat (汗水) on his face. Every day he boxes for about three hours.

“Rocha works very hard,” says his coach, Hector Lopez. “It’s surprising to see him lose the pounds quickly. I’ve never seen anything like this in my 20 years of coaching.”

Rocha is very happy with his weight now. There is a family photo in his room from 18 months ago. “Each time I look at the photo, I laugh at myself. I was so big back then,” Rocha says. “I look 100 times thinner and 1,000 times stronger now.”

【推荐3】Do you ever feel like your thoughts are going around in circles? One minute, you’re thinking about your homework. The next minute, you’re thinking about your plans for the weekend.

Is it possible for us to slow our thoughts down or even stop them completely? It depends on your definition of “thinking”, according to Michael Halassa, a researcher at MIT, US. We basically go through each day in one of two states-we either realize that we’re thinking or we don’t. Our brains won’t stop thinking completely until we die.

“The brain never actually stop ‘thinking’ in a broader sense. Most thoughts are actually in the background without us noticing them and there’s not really a way to turn these things off,” Halassa said. Human brains can unconsciously(无意识地) process about 11 million pieces of information per second, according to Forbes.

You can compare this to how a computer works. Even when you aren’t using your computer while it’s turned on, it is still running operations “in the background”. Your computer, much like your brain, is constantly “thinking”, even if you’re not actively using it.

Some researchers have referred to this phenomenon(现象) as “thought-chatter”. It describes the random(胡乱的) thoughts that pop in and out of our mind at different times during the day, according to Steve Taylor, a psychology lecturer.

Some thought-chatter can be enjoyable, such as daydreaming. Albert Einstein came up with his famous theory of relativity while daydreaming at work. But too much thought-chatter can make us feel too anxious or worried, Taylor said. Meditation(冥想) can help us clean up some of this thought-chatter.

【推荐1】My name is Linda White. I am twelve. I am from America. I am in Class Four, Grade Seven. My dad is my English teacher and he is a good teacher. But my English isn’t good. Amy is my good friend. She is fourteen. She is from Canada. We are in No.1 Junior High School. She is in Class One,Grade Nine. Her English is very good. Miss White is her English teacher.

【推荐3】Can music help you learn science? Sure, it can. Here is a fun and scientific music activity you can do with your friends. Just fill water glasses with different amounts of water to make music! Although the activity is simple, it’s a great way to exercise your science skills and musical abilities, when you measure (估量) the water, even some math lessons can be taught during the process.

What you’ll need:

●5 or more drinking glasses with the same size, style and shape.

●Water

●Wooden stick such as a pencil

Instructions:

1. Line the glasses up next to each other from left to right and fill them with different amounts of water. The first should have just a little water while the last should almost full, the ones in between should have slightly more than the first.

2. Hit the glass with the least amount of water and observe the sound, then hit the glass with the most water, which makes the higher sound?

3. Hit the other glasses and see what noise they make, see if you can get a tune going by hitting the glasses in a certain order.

__________:

Each of the glasses will have a different tone (音调) when they are hit, the glass with the most water will have the lowest tone while the glass with the least water will have the highest. Small vibrations (震动) are made when you hit the glass, this creates sound waves which travel through the water. The glass with the most water makes the lowest sounds because the sound waves travel slowest through all that water. The glass with the least amount of water makes the highest sounds because sound waves travel fastest. With practice, perhaps you’ll be able to whip out a Mozart sonata (奏鸣曲) by this easy—made music instrument yourself.

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐1】Most friendships die a nature death: people move, change jobs, or start different stages of life. Other friendships, however, end unexpectedly. When a friendship is over and you don’t understand why, it can be especially painful. Sometimes a friend ends your relationship without telling you why.

The loss of friendship might be worth reflecting on. Knowing when a friendship is over and why it ends may help you build stronger friendships in the future.

•See if you can find a problem.

When a friendship is over, examine your relationship. Perhaps you remember your friend complaining that you’re always late. Maybe you seldom return your friend’s phone calls. When a friend ends your relationship, try to find out the reasons why the friendship is over,

•Write a letter to your friend.

Express your feelings about the friendship. Do you miss seeing them? Do you have any regrets? Would you act differently if you were still friends? Make it an honest communication.

•Express your feeling of being hurt or anger.

Write or talk about how you feel in a letter. When a friendship is over, it’s important to communicate exactly how hurt you feel and why. Write until you have nothing left to say. When a friend ends your relationship, you do have the right to express yourself.

•Communicate that you are open to pick up the friendship.

When a friendship is over and you want to reconnect some day, send Christmas, or birthday cards. Say hi and send greetings through mutual（共有的）friends . When a friendship is over, don’t give up until you’re ready.

•Decide to make your present friendships better.

An adviser once told me that simply talking about your relationship strengthens your relationship. Talk to your present friends. Are they happy with your friendship? If a friend ends your relationship, learn something from it.

【推荐2】The Chang'e-5 probe ( 探 测 器 ) successfully landed on the Moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Tuesday.

Its lander (着陆器) made a landing at around 11:00 p.m. (Beijing Time). The landing site is located in the Ocean of Storms. It is a region in the northern hemisphere ( 半 球 ) of the near side of the Moon. This site is chosen as it has flat terrain ( 地 形 ), appropriate temperature and other suitable conditions. This area has never been visited by human beings. It will be a huge jump forward for our space exploration.

The spacecraft has gained samples from beneath the Moon's surface. The lander first dug a 2-meter-deep hole, digging out soil, and sealed it up (密封). Next, it will use its robotic arms to collect more samples for backup. These valuable soil samples are expected to provide large quantities of important information about the Moon and solar system.

The Chang'e-5 probe includes a lander, ascender (上升器), orbiter (轨道器), and return vehicle   (返回器). The sealed packages will be stored in the ascender then carried to the returner and orbiter. At a proper time, the returner will then separate from the orbiter and carry the samples back to Earth. It will finally land in north China's Inner Mongolia(内蒙古).

We can’t remember clearly since when we started to take our mobiles to a dinner table. This happens a lot, especially when we eat out. Once a dish comes, instead of lifting our chopsticks, we take out our mobiles and click. Later, we post the photos onto Weibo or Wechat, waiting to be “liked”. Then we check our mobiles from time to time during the meal, to see whether we get “liked” or not. We just cannot leave our mobiles for only a meal.

Does that sound familiar to you? Do you do that often? If not, how do you feel when others do that when having dinner with you?

A recent study suggests that what we are used to doing is not so good. Spending time taking photos of food makes the food less pleasant. To test this, some researchers did an experiment. Some people were asked to take photos before they could enjoy food. As a result, it showed that the more photos they took, _______________. So, why not stop taking photos and just enjoy the food in front of you?

Besides the scientific result, there are also some other bad influences of taking photos of food before meals. After posting the photos onto the Internet, one will not be able to control himself and check his mobile many times. “Does everyone like my photos? I hope a lot of people like them!” It seems that your mobile secretly calls your name all the time, even when you are with real people.

So, next time you go out to have dinner with your family or friends, how about not taking photos of food? Let the food be delicious as it is and share your life with people around you. Trust me, it will be a wonderful time.