1 . If you ask me what my favorite sport is, my answer is swimming. I started learning how to swim when I was five years old. I have been swimming ever since.

There are many reasons why I love swimming, but I’ll just share a few with you. Maybe I can even encourage you to go for a swim.

The first reason I love swimming is that I feel totally relaxed whenever I leave the pool. I love the feeling of floating on the water and feeling almost weightless.

On the other hand, it can also be a competitive sport which raises your heartbeat. It’s amazing pushing yourself to the challenge of beating someone else to the finish line. It’s great fun racing across the pool as fast as you can!

Another reason that I love swimming is that it has more styles than other sports such as running and walking. It doesn’t feel like you’re doing the same thing over and over again.

In summer, swimming can be a nice, refreshing （恢复精力的） break! There’s nothing better than jumping into the water on a hot summer’s day. You can choose to swim in a swimming pool or in the sea.

And finally, it’s a life skill which everyone should have. Not only is it good for your health, but you never know when you’ll need your ability to swim.

2 . Both language and music play a huge role in our culture. Here are some of their similarities.

(1) Both language and music have a writing system.

In English we record language using letters. Similarly, we use notes to record music. Just as you are reading letters and find meaning in them, musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music. So just as you read English, you can read music. By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. I can read the ideas or hear the works of someone who lived hundreds of years ago, which is really exciting.

(2) ________

You can guess where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, styles of music are different around the world, giving us the chance to understand many different cultures. This also means that there is something for everyone! Even if you don’t like British pop music, you may love the energy of Latin American salsa music.

(3) Both share feelings.

How do you know that I am angry? Of course you can see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words. Similarly, music can show you exactly how the composer （作曲者） was or is feeling. When I’m happy, I want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate my happiness; and I listen to slow and quiet music when I’m feeling down. I think we have all used music to express our feelings, often combining（结合） it with language in the form of song lyrics.

In 1882, a baby girl caught such a serious fever that she nearly died. The fever cut her off from the outside world, depriving（剥夺）her of sight and sound. That poor girl was Helen Keller.

Luckily Helen was not a girl who gave up easily. Soon she began to explore the world by using her other senses. She touched and smelled everything she came across. She also learnt to recognize people by feeling their faces or their clothes.

Just before her seventh birthday, the family hired a private tutor-Anne Sullivan. With the help of Anne, Helen soon learnt to read and write in Braille（盲文）. She also learnt to read people’s lips by pressing her finger-tips against them and feeling the movement and vibrations（振动）. She also learnt to speak, a major achievement for people who could not hear at all.

Helen proved to be a remarkable scholar, graduating with honors from Radcliff College in 1904. While she was still at college, she wrote The Story of My Life.

She toured the country, giving lecture after lecture. Many books were written about her and several plays and films were made about her life. Finally she became so famous that she was invited abroad and received many honors from foreign universities. In 1932 she became a vice-president of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the United Kingdom.

You see people in movies celebrating a white Christmas in England or the United States. But Christmas in Australia is different.

The holiday, celebrated on Dec 25, comes at the hottest time of the year in Australia. The temperature is usually about 30°C in most cities and can even be over 40°C. There is certainly no white Christmas in Australia.

Because it is so hot, the tradition is to have a lunch outside and to swim in the pool or beach. Most people have a one-week holiday during this time, so they will travel to meet their family for Christmas lunch. Christmas lunch is usually a big meal of ham, turkey, salad and fresh seafood. (3) Family members all cook something different to bring to the big meal. I always enjoy Christmas lunch because there are lots of good cooks in the family. One year my aunt even made a delicious gingerbread house (姜饼屋) that we ate for dessert.

Children get presents from “Santa Claus” and are always excited to play with them. (4) It is a fun time to play or swim in the pool with the other members of your family.

The sport of cricket (板球) is very popular in Australia and another tradition is to play a game of cricket in your backyard. I always enjoyed playing with my uncle and cousins when I was growing up.

So Australia might not have a white Christmas. But it is still a very exciting and fun time of the year.

5 . Dogs are very sociable(合群的) animals. When owners go out and leave their dogs alone, the dogs get worried and upset. Dogs should be trained to be their own while still young instead of when they are older and set in their ways. When owners are not around, they should provide some toys for their dogs to play with. Leaving the radio or television turned on might also provide relaxing background noise.

Howling(嚎叫) is a form of communication. Dogs do it to tell one another where they are. Some dogs howl when they are lonely, while others do it when greeting strangers whom they are seeing for the first time. Some even howl to music and do this because it is fun.

When it comes to training dogs, giving rewards(奖赏) is a far better way than using punishment. Food makes an excellent reward, and if they do not respond(反应) to this, owners should try touching. Dogs like being touched by owners very much. Words of praise work well too, but not as well as food or touch. It helps if owners spend more time with their dogs.

Shi Peng won the top prize in a college, students’ start-up (创业) competition for setting up a website to help children find playmates (玩伴).   

Shi was brought up by his grandparents in a village in Hubei Province.     1     Later, the 22-year-old student at a university in Wuhan decided to set up a special website for children. He hoped that his website could help children meet new friends of the same age and feel less lonely.

    2     According to his research one about 6,000 children in cities like Guangzhou, Wuhan and Suzhou, most of them don’t have brothers or sisters and they are in need of playmates. “From my own experience, I think it’s a great idea to have such a website on which children can find playmates," Shi said.

The website is set up mainly for pre-school children in kindergarten (幼儿园) and their parents. All the users of the website must use their real names.     3     Through the website, parents who are busy during the day can get in touch with other parents who are free and willing to find some playmates for their children.

I am very interested in all kinds of dramas, especially those by William Shakespeare. But it is impossible to watch stage（舞台）drama every week. So my small goal is to watch at least one movie online from Shakespeare’s works. It will not only improve my English, but also help me have my own taste in drama.

For me, the small goal is to run 3,000 meters every day. It isn’t an easy thing, especially to do it every day. But I will not shy away from the challenge. I have the confidence（自信）to make it. I believe I can hold on and achieve my goal.

My goal is to master a skill like cooking. It is not very difficult, but it takes a lot of time. So I’ll make myself learn how to cook during holidays. The aim will help me make good use of time and be more independent.

I want to finish reading two English novels this year. Reading plays an important role in our life. It will not only improve my English reading and writing skills, but also develop my knowledge in many fields. It is not a big goal. But to achieve this goal, I need patience and persistence（坚持）.

My present small goal is to pass the piano grade exams. When I was in primary school, I began to learn to play the piano. I not only took a great interest in music, but also relaxed myself. I want to play the piano better. I think I can make it by the end of this term.

Many students want to improve their memories and learn better. Today we will introduce some no-cost things you can do.

Exercise

Before you study, doing exercise may help you better remember what you will learn. Recently, researchers have found that people who did 15 minutes of training remembered more words. Scientists say the best time to exercise is right before you study. It can make you more active.

Pre-study test

The students who take a test before studying remember more information than those who don't. For example, if you are using an English textbook, you might first look at some important words at the end of the unit. You could ask yourself what they mean or how they are used. While you might not know the answer, you will probably have a goal to learn so that you can remember the answer when studying!

Sleep

A study show that sleep helps you to learn in two ways. An expert explains that "a person with enough sleep can concentrate best." He also says, "Sleep itself plays an important role in making the memory stronger which is necessary for learning new information.”

Wakeful rest

When you finish studying, you often go straight another activity. Perhaps you play a video game or watch TV. But researchers suggest that resting after you study may help you remember what you've studied. In a study, even older adults who rested for 10 minutes after learning new words remember more words better.