Yours,

Li Hua

4 . In the old-fashioned town of Willowbrook, two friends named Emma and Liam shared an intimate bond. They were inseparable and spent every moment together, laughing, exploring, and creating unforgettable memories.

One cold winter morning, as the first snowflakes gently fell from the sky, Emma woke up with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. She tried to brave it and get ready for school, but her body felt weak and achy. Unwillingly, she called Liam to let him know she couldn’t make it to school that day.

Liam was concerned when he heard the tiredness in Emma’s voice. “Don’t worry, Em. I’ll take care of everything at school for you,” he assured her. Feeling grateful for Liam’s understanding, Emma forced a smile and replied, “Thank you, Liam. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.”

After school, Liam hurried to Emma’s house, carrying a meal he had prepared for her. He knocked on the door, and Emma’s mother welcomed him with a warm smile. “Oh, Liam, you’re such a thoughtful friend,” she said.

“I brought some soup and tea for Emma. I hope it will make her feel better,” Liam replied, some concern in his eyes. Entering Emma’s room, Liam found her curled up under a blanket, looking pale but relieved to see him. “Hey, I brought some comfort food to cheer you up,” he said, setting the food on her bedside table.

Emma’s eyes lit up, and she smiled weakly. “You didn’t have to, but thank you. This means the world to me,” she whispered. Sitting by her side, Liam kept her company, chatting softly and making her laugh despite her illness. The warmth of their friendship enveloped the room, bringing a feeling of comfort to Emma’s tired soul.

As Emma regained her strength, she realized just how lucky she was to have a friend like Liam. His unwavering presence and kindness had made her recovery easier and brighter. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day, and from that moment on, they knew they would be there for each other through thick and thin.

My Dream Career

Good morning, everyone!

Thank you for listening.

Ireland’s beautiful countryside has always influenced its people and traditions. The country     1     (have) a long history of producing many great writers and poets, for its beautiful countryside gives people inspiration. The peaceful landscape of the island and its many green     2     (county) catches the eye with its rolling green hills     3     (dot) with sheep and cattle. Down by the sea, one can also hear the roar of the ocean waves     4    cries of the seabirds.

On a quiet morning in the mountains, you can feel the sun on your skin and breathe in the sweet scent of fresh flowers while birds greet the new day    5     their morning song. With all this beauty,     6    is not surprising that Ireland has developed strong traditions     7     include music, dancing, and dining. If you're lucky, you might be able to enjoy some    8     (tradition) music and dancing there. And if you introduce yourself to     9    friendly local person, you are very likely     10     (experience) local culture and customs first-hand.

7 . Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives. For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite. Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of Earth to show how clouds are moving. Satellites are also used to connect our phone calls.

Computer connections of the World Wide Web and the Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to us by satellite. Airplane pilots sometimes also use a satellite to help them find their exact location.

We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another. They are usually 35,880 kilometers above the equator (赤道). Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place. This is because it is moving around the world at 11,000 kilometers an hour — exactly the same speed that the Earth rotates (转动). A satellite must move around the Earth with its antennae (天线) facing the Earth. Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit (轨道), so there are some rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position. This usually happens about every five or six days.

Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit Earth. A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years. Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired. Often, very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit Earth for a very long time. This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other.

8 . My interest in body language began with a professor of mine at university. He mentioned “Pinocchio” to me one cold morning after saying that I always rubbed my nose when giving excuses for being late to his courses. Actually, when someone tells a lie, the person’s blood rushes to the nose and the extra blood makes it itchy (发痒的). This little example of non-verbal communication inspired me to become a body language expert. Now, I earn my living by training people in non-verbal communication. Knowing when someone is lying and knowing how to persuade people are two of the most important skills you’ll ever learn.

I have spent a lot of time studying the ways the human body gives and they provide more reliable information than the words we speak. The words say one thing but the body may say something completely different. We know that crossed arms can be seen as either defensive or aggressive (攻击性的), but what about facial expressions, postures and gestures? All of these say a lot and can only be understood if you know how to make sense of the signs.

Business companies always need my services and I try to improve their confidence by teaching them about body language. I give advice about handshakes, which should always be firm and steady, and I teach the importance of personal space. They may seem like small matters, but these codes of behaviour can be the key to making or breaking a business deal.

My working life gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I feel that I’m providing a public service, but it is a service that has had its downside. Whenever I meet someone new and I tell them what I do for a living, they immediately put their guard up and they’re no longer relaxed. They quite literally freeze in the attempt to hide all the signals that they think I’m reading. It makes life difficult at times, but I consider it a small price to pay for a job I enjoy so much.

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them     1    (form) bad habits. These bad habits, if     2     (leave) unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. To change bad habits which we rely     3    is never easy, even with many     4     (attempt). The good news is that we can change bad habits if we know     5    habits work. To facilitate     6     positive change in bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by     7     (combine) the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. We can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. Many of us try to change bad habits quickly, and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change     8     (be) not suddenly, but over a period of time. A person must     9     (repeated) take many small steps to reach the goal of change. Young people will make     10    their minds to build a happy and healthy life !