1 . Sayings are used every day. You may ask an unhappy friend why she’s “feeling blue”. If you’ve done only a small part of a big job, you might call it “a drop(滴)in the bucket(桶).”   These sayings don’t mean exactly what the words say. But it’s easy to tell why we use them. Blue is a cool, quiet color. So it’s a good word for “sad”. A bucket holds too many drops of water to count. So just one drop is very little.

Other sayings are more difficult to understand. When you are about to go to bed, you are going to “hit the hay(干草)”. This saying does not make much sense unless you know where it came from. It was first used in the 1930s. At that time, many Americans were out of work. Some went from place to place, looking for jobs. At night they were very tired. They often made a bed of hay in a field or barn(谷仓). As soon as their heads “hit the hay”, they fell asleep.

Here is another saying. When you are sick, you might say you are “under the weather”. But why? This saying is more than 200 years old. It began in the days when many people went from place to place by boat. When storm winds rocked the boat, people often felt sick. The boat was sailing(航行)“under the weather”.

Young kids may find old sayings like these hard to understand, and old people may also have difficulty understanding new sayings. That’s why a granny might not know what you mean by saying “give me five”. She might think you’re “off your rocker” which means “out of your mind”.

2 . Many people today like exercise. Some like to run, and some like to walk. Others dance or play balls. They do different kinds of exercise. Why do people like exercising? It’s good for their health. And exercise helps make them tired, so they sleep better at night.

You may like to run. If you do, take care of your feet. Make sure you have the right shoes. Some people like to run on roads, but they must watch out for cars.

Walking is a good exercise. You may take a long walk in the park. It’s more fun if you don’t go alone. Go with a friend. The two of you may have a great time.

Some people like to swim. But others don’t like to go into the water. If you like this kind of exercise, make sure that someone is watching you. You must always take care when you are in the water. Jumping a rope (跳绳) or riding a bike is also good exercise. There are many other exercises. Find out what you like. You may need help at first. Some people often do exercise, and they can help you. Do exercise every day, and you will know what it makes you feel.

3 . Running is becoming popular these days. Many of us run for health. Doctors say many health problems come from these bad habits: eating and drinking too much, smoking, and not taking enough exercise. Doctors tell us, “Eat and drink less, don’t smoke, and exercise more.”

Running is a good form of exercise because it helps build a strong heart. It also helps most people lose weight. One 68-year-old woman runs three times a week. “I love to eat,” she says. She runs to lose weight.

Running is good for health in other ways, too. Many runners say running keeps colds and other small health problems away. “Running is my doctor,” says one man.

Running can also help people to relax. So today men and women of all ages enjoy running.

5 . There are all kinds of animals on our planet. Some are sweet, and some are not; some are small, some are tall. Here are four pictures of some of the funniest, friendliest faces. But remember — although they look nice, it doesn’t mean they are always friendly.

	Not all dogs are so cute, but most of them are pretty friendly. When you come near an unfamiliar (不熟悉的) dog, remember to hold out your hand (伤害), so he can smell you and see that you will do no harm.
	Cows love to eat grass, and they eat quite a lot! You needn’t be afraid of this quiet farm animal. But don’t run at a cow in a field or touch one, unless an adult (成年人) tells you it’s okay.
	Horses are big, beautiful animals, but they can be surprised easily. A horse might jump up if she hears a loud noise (踢) her legs if you come near too suddenly. All horses, like humans, are different.
	Chimpanzees make funny faces and put on a real show at the zoo, but believe it or not, they can be very dangerous. And they are strong — too much stronger than humans — so you should never make a chimpanzee mad (发疯)!

7 . We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know about the history of the Internet?

Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system (系统) had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way the computer network system would keep on working all the time.   

At first, the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers become cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software (软件) that made “surfing” the Internet more convenient. Today it is easy to get online and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.

The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.

What will the weather be like? Some people say they can know what the weather will be like from birds. When they see birds fly high out to the sea, they know it is a nice day. Because birds don’t like to fly out if it rains. When the weather is bad, the birds will come back to the beach. A big wind may come with a heavy rain. Birds do not like to fly in a big wind. They may sit in a tree when rain is coming. Other animals can also tell the weather. It is a cloudy day. The rain is coming. Chickens are not quiet, and they are running here and there. Frogs are making a big noise in the pool. If it is a nice day, the frogs will come out of the water.

10 . Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows：Once we have learned something, additional learning trials（尝试）increase the length of time we will remember it.

In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

The multiplication tables（乘法口诀表）are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

The law of overlearning explains why cramming（突击学习）for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one’s future development.