1 . Do you love food? Whether you’re a foodie or someone who just likes eating, there is so much to choose from. We know that too much of the wrong kind of food can be bad for our health, but for some people having a food allergy means eating certain things can actually be harmful — and now, it seems, this is affecting more and more of us.

An allergy is caused by the immune system fighting substances in the environment, known as allergens, that it should see as harmless. Food allergies can cause life-threatening reactions, which means people have to spend their lives following strict dietary restrictions and worrying about the ingredients of everything they consume. Allergy specialist Dr. Adam Fox says “if you look back over, say, 30 or 40 years...there are much more allergic problems around now than there were. ”

We often hear about people having allergies to dairy products and to peanuts. Last year a 15-year-old girl died after suffering a fatal allergic reaction from eating a baguette containing sesame seeds. This led to a call for better food-labeling laws.

Research has found that this problem is particularly affecting children. More and more of them are having allergic reactions to certain foodstuffs. Writing for the BBC website, Dr. Alexandra Santos from King’s College London says “food allergy now affects about 7% of children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies. ”

So what might be the cause? Dr. Santos says the increase in allergies is not simply the effect of society becoming more aware of them and better at diagnosing them; it seems to be more environmental. She says possible factors are “pollution, dietary changes and less exposure to microbes, which change how our immune systems respond.” She points out that it’s very common for migrants who move to another country to develop asthma (哮喘) and food allergies in their new location.

A lot of work is being done to try and find a cure, but that’s not easy. So for now allergy sufferers. must watch what they eat and they must rely on clear and accurate labeling.

2 . At noon, I would race breathlessly home, a ten-minute walk from my school. My mother was waiting for me with pleasure to have lunch while I shared what happened at school.

I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed (排练) my lines so hard with me. But no matter how easily I acted at home, hardly had I stepped on stage when every word escaped me. Finally, my teacher asked me to change to a narrator’s (解说员) part. Her word. kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

I didn’t tell my mother what had happened that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.

Under the rose vine, we could see yellow dandelions (蒲公英), as if a painter had touched our landscape with shades of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. “I’m going to dig up all these weeds, she said, pulling it up by its roots.” From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden. ”

“But I like dandelions,” I argued. “All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions.”

My mother asked thoughtfully, “Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn’t it?” I nodded, pleased I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. I burst into tears, a mixture of relief and regret swelling up as I told her what had happened.

“But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said, encouraging me as she did. “The narrator’s part is important, too.” Composing myself gradually, I began to accept the narrator’s part. Then came the performance day. I was still nervous, but it was at that very moment that I found a dandelion in my pocket. It was obvious that my mom secretly put the flower there, which magically gave me confidence.

4 . When two ninth-graders discovered smoke storming out of their school bus early Tuesday morning, their bus driver knew just what to do. Thanks to her   _________ reaction, a terrible tragedy was   _________.

When _________ a group of 56 students to their school in Duncan, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Teresa Stroble noticed the heavy _________ rising from the back of her bus. She immediately pulled the bus over, evacuated the students as soon as possible, and _________ the transportation office to call 911. Firefighters arrived at the scene _________ after the fire began and quickly _________ the fire, which CBS News reports was so _________ that people were able to feel its heat inside their cars. Parents of the children on the bus were _________ the fire, but thanks to Stroble, the news they __________ was all good. Not a __________ child had been hurt in spite of the fierce flame. Since then Stroble has been __________ for her brave deeds. “We are so __________ of our bus driver, ” headmaster Scott Turner told CBS News. “She was calm and kept the students calm, too. She made sure they were safe. She __________have everything under control eventually. She is our __________ today. ”

Having __________ the fire scene, the local fire department is still uncertain what __________ the fire, but some say that this 1995 bus has been known to have __________ and electrical problems. However, we were so happy that Stroble was able to __________ on her feet and keep everyone safe and __________ .

Today we experienced enjoyable period of English class as usually. As soon as the bell rang, our teacher began to divide us from several groups to do the writing. After we knew when to do next, we set out to held a discussion immediately. Some students shared their ideas about the main point s while others added the detailed informations. Then we finished it quickly. Comparing to the compositions of the other groups, our is better. Whenever I passed by the Learning Garden on the back wall of our classroom in this week, our composition catch my eyes, reminding me of the excellent team work of our group.

7 . Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.

Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which.”

Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their mind. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”

Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.

8 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (给贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. So we both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened,I saw my shoes flying at me.I jumped to my feet and started yelling (叫喊). She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬行) under her covers (被子), sobbing (哭啼). Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart. Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the meaning of living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

I believe if we pay attention to body language, our ability to communicate will improve.