My 12-year-old daughter is smart, but she had never read a full book for pleasure. She read books for school, but getting her to do it was like1 . On her own, she only read a few comic books. None of these helped her develop the habit of deep reading—with both eyes on the page and 2 else going on.
I felt like I had failed as a 3 . As a book lover, I had no trouble explaining the importance of reading, but failed to 4 the joy of it to my own child. I told her novels help her understand how people think. She 5 that social media could teach her the same thing. I said reading helps us understand ourselves. She replied, "No, thanks. I' ll just live. " I suggested filling her room with her favourite books, but she said, "Mama, welcome to your 6 ——it's not mine. "
I couldn't win our debates（辩论）. Most of her arguments against reading didn't seem 7 to me. Finally, I decided to give up my lectures and offered her $100 to finish reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a month. She was really surprised and then said yes 8 .
During an eight-day beach holiday, she finished the book before the seventh day. When we got home, she asked for another Roald Dahl book and finished it in two weeks——without asking for more 9 .
Will this lead to her picking up more good books and a lifelong love of reading? I don't know. But I' ve opened a door to the printed page——a10 , personal place that I hope will serve her for a lifetime. That $100 feels like the best money I' ve ever spent.
My name is Teapot, and I'm sitting on a lovely shelf in my mum's living room. She put me here but has never used me to pour tea. She says I'm different because I'm a Jellycat teapot.
A month ago, I was sitting in Jellycat Cafe with my best friends——Teacup, Bear and Latte. Every day, we saw lots of people line up in our cafe. Most of them were adults and they looked like they were on top of the world when they picked up their own Jellycat.
One day, my mum came in and told the cashier that she wanted a teapot. The cashier brought me out from under the counter. "This teapot has a very nice shine, " she said. "But this sweetie is fragile, so don' t let him hit hard things by accident, or he' ll get hurt. " Then I was carefully wrapped up in paper, just like all my friends here. Soon, Bear was also taken by a young lady. "He had secretly taken a bite of his cake, " the cashier told the customer. She then"put some more cream" on Bear's cake.
After we got home, a friend of my mum's told her that she had spent 1, 000 yuan at our cafe. She thought it was worth every penny because we were so cute, and our cafe's service was unique. But I think there's a deeper reason:Every day, when my mum comes home late at night, she looks very tired. But every time she holds me in her arms, a smile lights up her face. Maybe this is the emotional support people talk about at the cafe.
A family of eight beavers（河狸）in the Czech Republic surprised the world by building a dam（堤坝）in just two days. The government had planned to build it in 2018 but never started. Their work saved taxpayers（纳税人）around $1. 2m illion.
But if you know anything about beavers, you may not find the news surprising. Beavers are known as top builders of nature. They use their strong teeth to cut down branches and build dams. They also use grass, rocks and mud to strengthen them. The animals seem to be born with the ability to build. Even young beavers help with the work. But why do they build dams?
Beavers do this to stay safe. With fat bodies and short legs, beavers walk slowly. On land, they' re very easy to become meals of predators like bears and wolves. But in the water, beavers are nearly unbeatable. They are great swimmers and can hold their breath for 10 to 15 minutes. By building a dam, they create a deep pond, and that pond is their safety zone.
Beaver ponds aren't just warm, comfortable and safe homes for these animals themselves. Beaver dams benefit the environment, too. The food and water in these wetlands can support a large number of animals and plants. In rainy seasons, the dams store water to stop floods. In dry seasons, the stored water helps keep rivers alive. Scientists found that these wetlands also help fight climate change by taking in carbon dioxide.
All this doesn't mean beavers are perfect neighbours. Their dams sometimes flood roads and farms. And their tree-chewing habits can bring trouble to homeowners. But instead of driving them away, humans are now finding ways to live peacefully with these smart builders.
Pu'er, a city in Yunnan, is famous for its tea, but did you know it's also known as the coffee capital of China? Coffee trees grow best in places with a warm, wet climate. Pu' er has long been a top coffee bean producer. The first coffee tree was planted by a Frenchman in 1892, and in 1988, Nestle brought modern coffee farming to the city. Today, coffee is a major industry（产业）there, and Pu' er is home to some of the best coffee beans in the country.
But Pu' er is not just about growing coffee beans. It's also a place for coffee lovers to experience a complete coffee-making process. Hands-on activities cover everything from picking and roasting beans to brewing and tasting coffee. To achieve this, the city has built more than 20 high-end coffee manors（庄园）。
At the Elephant Coffee Manor, for example, you can enjoy a cup of coffee while watching Asian elephants walk freely. Such a scene is not seen very often. "I love sitting here, " says Huang Daxiang, a coffee lover. "It seems like another planet. "
Visitors can also try their hand at picking coffee fruit, making coffee soap and more at other manors. It is said that coffee soap has much stronger cleaning power than ordinary soap. These activities add something special to your trip.
At the same time, Pu' er also hosts coffee-themed events, such as coffee brewing competitions. These events bring baristas（咖啡师）and coffee lovers together. "At the events, I have tasted different coffee flavours and met people from all over the world, " says another coffee lover. "That's what being a big coffee city is all about. "
As this year's harvest season begins, it's likely that Pu' er will draw huge crowds of people.
A. It takes time to learn to use AI wisely. B. AI can really help us become excellent language learners. C. Have you ever dreamed of using AI to help with your schoolwork? D. Asking AI for all the answers in your homework isn't a smart choice. E. They can also create" smart" study plans and exercises for each student. F. Many parents are not happy with the service after their kids tried these study rooms. |
AI has been in the news for years. Many people now use it at work and in daily life. ___
Well, you can do it now! There are" AI-powered study rooms". Their ads say their" AI apps" can work out each student's weaknesses. ___ Sounds fantastic, right? But wait a minute before asking your parents to sign you up.
___ They say the" AI apps" are not as good as they promised. The apps only show students' mistakes and make them do the same exercises again and again. Also, most lessons are just pre-recorded videos. So, is there any real AI here?
Don't be sad, though. Your dream of learning with AI can still come true. You don't need to go to an" AIpowered study room". AI chatbots from companies like DeepSeek are free to use anytime, anywhere. The key is to use them in a smart way. ___ Instead, try making sentences with your newly learned words and let AI correct your mistakes. Unable to solve an equation like 3x-7(x-1)=3-2(x+3)? Ask AI to show you how to solve it step by step.
___ But it's a better way to use your time than going to an" AI-powered study room"! So give AI a try——but remember, it's only a tool to help you think, not to think for you.
A. Beach Cleanup Volunteer (Dameisha)
You will help collect plastic waste and clean the beach. Gloves and bags are provided by us. You should be strong enough to carry full trash bags and work well with others.
B. English Tutoring for Kids(Longgang Community Centre)
You will teach basic English to children aged 6-10 through fun games and songs. You must speak English fluently and have patience when working with kids. Teaching experience is helpful but not required.
C. Tech Helper for Seniors (Futian Library)
You will teach elderly people how to use smartphones and some apps like WeChat. You need to have good technology skills and be able to explain things clearly. Be friendly and patient!
D. Book Fair Guide (Shenzhen Library)
Your job will be to welcome visitors and answer visitors' questions about the book fair. You must be able to speak both Chinese and English, and know about different types of books.
E. Urban Farming Volunteer (Nanshan Organic Farm)
You will help plant vegetables and teach children about eco-friendly farming. You should like outdoor work and enjoy teaching children. It's necessary to wear a pair of rain boots to work on the farm.
F. Children's Hospital Companion (Shenzhen Children's Hospital)
You will play games and read stories with sick children. Bring smiles to young patients! You must be kind, gentle, and good with kids. This position requires kindness and experience working with children.
Have you seen the two dogs in Image A before? One is a strong dog with human-like muscles and ___ other is a crying, weak dog. They are often used ___(show) how big the gap is between two things. The words in the image are an example. This type of image is called"memes". They spread so ___(wide) online that you can easily find them everywhere.
British biologist Richard Dawkins ___(one) used the word"meme" in his 1976 book. He described memes as"ideas that spread from brain to brain". Today, a meme can be an image, a video or a piece of text that gets copied and spread by internet ___ (use).
Last year, scientists from Norway and Italy worked together on a study to find out ___ makes a great meme. The scientists randomly（随机地）created many ___(difference) memes and then asked 1, 150 people to rate（给······评分）them.
The study shows that humour and amusement play a big role in ___(make) memes popular. Also, good memes are easy to understand and recreate. People can easily add small changes to these memes before sharing them. ___ this way, the memes keep changing and spreading. Some can even ___(love) and used for years. Which ones have you helped spread?
要点：1. 推荐演讲主题，并说明理由。 （1. 传统故事2. ……）;
2. 演讲技巧（语言、姿态、心态）；
3. 表达祝愿。
要求：1. 要点齐全，可适当发挥；
2. 条理清楚，语句通顺，意义连贯，书写规范；
3. 不得出现真实姓名和校名；
4. 80词左右，开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
How's everything going?I heard you' re feeling nervous about choosing a topic for your speech.
Best regards,
Li Hua