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The magic of Mars
2004-08-13
The magic of Mars 火星圆月近相望，朗朗夜空共争辉。走向火星人类的"红色"梦想
Look up at the sky!
与火星亲密接触
DID you know that Mars and the earth were the closest in 60,000 years? Now is the best time to see the wonderful sight. To help you learn more about Mars and the solar system (太阳系), we are about to take an interesting tour on this page.
WILL you spend time watching the sky on the Mid-Autumn Festival? If so, make sure you look at Mars as well as the moon on this special day.
The earth is catching up with Mars in August and September. And on August 27, Mars was the closest to the earth in 60,000 years. It was only 55.76 million kilometres away from the earth on that day. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Looking through telescopes (望远镜), sky watchers have reported that they saw Mars's south polar cap (极冠). It is made of frozen water and dry ice. It reflects (反射) sunlight well. "I can see the polar ice clearly using my 8-inch telescope," says Ron Wayman from the USA.
Life is different on Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is the planet most like the earth, but it is much colder because it is further from the sun.
Mars is often called "the red planet" because its rocks are a dark red colour. There are huge windstorms (暴风) and tornadoes (龙卷风) on Mars. They can make hills of dust that are five miles high. Hard to imagine, isn't it?
A day on Mars is 24 hours and 37 minutes the earth time, very close to ours! But the Martian year, on the other hand, is 687 days, nearly twice as long as the earth's!
Could there be life on Mars?
火星上究竟有没有生命？多少年来，人类为揭开谜团一直进行着不懈的探索
YOU probably know a lot about the city you live in. You may even know some interesting facts about our earth. But how much do you know about Mars, the planet where many think there may be life?
For many years, people have studied Mars. They have sent instruments (仪器) and robots to the red planet. Some of them succeeded, but most failed.
The first spacecraft (航天器), Mariner 4 from America, got a close look at Mars on November 28, 1964. Mariner 4 showed Mars had a red surface with many big holes. There were also signs that there had been water on Mars.
Of course, scientists wouldn't miss the opportunity to send spacecraft to the red planet when it is so close to us.
NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (美国国家宇航局), sent two robots to Mars in June and July. In January 2004, they will travel to Mars at some 12,000 miles per hour. The two robots will then begin a 3-month stay to look for evidence (证据) of water and life from Mars.
One day, humans will travel to Mars to have a even closer look at the earth's red neighbour. Maybe it could be you!
Nine stars circle the sun
地球"兄弟"知多少？让我们走近太阳系瞧一瞧
DO you ever look at the sky and wonder what is up there? Do you know about other members of the solar system except for the earth?
The word "solar" means "about the sun". The solar system is the sun and everything that moves around it. It includes:
?the sun,
?the nine planets that move around the sun ? Mercury (水星), Venus (金星), Earth, Mars, Jupiter (木星), Saturn (土星), Uranus (天王星), Neptune (海王星) and Pluto (冥王星),
?the moons (卫星) that circle some of the planets,
?other objects, including big chunks (大块)of rock called asteroids (小行星), and balls of ice and dust called comets (彗星).
The planets in the solar system are millions of kilometres away from one another, and they are very different. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and Pluto is the furthest away. Jupiter is the largest planet. It is so big that all the other planets could be put inside it.
The sun, the planets and their moons all spin (旋转)like tops (陀螺). The planets also travel around the sun in huge circles. -
Don't judge a book by its cover
2004-08-12
Don't judge a book by its cover Mallory Davidson
轮椅上积极乐观的他让我懂得内在美才是重要的
Lots of people judge (评价) others by the way they dress and look. Few people take the time to look at what's inside.
I was such a person, too, until I really got to know my brother Bret. Bret was born seven weeks early and was only three pounds (1.4 kg).
He was very small and his arm was only as long as my mum's thumb. He was born with cerebral palsy (脑性麻痹).
His illness means he has to use a wheelchair (轮椅). But he does not mind since he is happy, clever and brave.
He has a very good memory. He knows almost everything about every sport. He loves telling stories.
He's much a teenager just like me, but some don't see him that way because they don't take the time to get to know him. To many people, Bret is a "incapable (残废的) boy."
People look at him when we go out. They look at his wheelchair, his thin arms and legs.
They don't know that those small arms are in fact very strong. He always beats me in an arm wrestle (掰腕子)!
Bret is very brave.
Last year, while cheering me on (为我加油) at one of my volleyball games, Bret said, "I wanna do something. I wanna be on a team and win."
Now, he is part of a hockey (曲棍球) team for kids in wheelchairs. His team came third in a US state competition. He was so happy and he had a big smile for days.
To me, Bret is never a problem. He has taught me to judge a person on what a person is like inside.
So, don't be quick to judge a person who looks different to you. Remember, there is much more to a person than what they look like. -
完形填空题的解题方法及技巧
2004-08-12
一、了解大意，先易后难。解题时，首先要跳过空白外，通读全文，遇到对某个部分意思不甚明白的地方，仍要快速读下去，全力以赴捕捉能获得的所有信息，快速了解短文大意。有的短文是科技小品或其它内容的说明文，往往开头第一句提示全文的基本内容，而且大多没有空，这对我们理解全文起着关键作用。有的短文是幽默故事，往往末尾一句“道破天机”，因此不可忽略。如果第一遍读后抓不住中心内容，可读第二遍。做题要先易后难，先拣浅湿的题做，如有的小题是考查语法或惯用法的，不用通过上下文，只看本句，根据已学的知识，就可以找到正确答案。我们可把这样的小题作为突破口，弄通与此句有关的上下文的意思，等到大部分的题目做完了，全文的意思已基本掌握，剩下的少量难题也就容易解决了。 -
Which teachers do you like the most?
2004-08-11
Which teachers do you like the most? 新一代初中生喜爱什么样的老师？快来看一看
Strict or fun? Clever or kind? Old or young? There are many types of teachers, so what kind do you like best? Let's see what these students from all over the country say about their favourite teachers.
Zhao Dan (Shenyang No 33 Middle School)
"My favourite teachers are learned (博学的) teachers. It is a problem if they don't know their subject well. They should make their lessons as easy and interesting as possible. And in class, we want new information besides what is in the textbook."
Wang Jianing (Beijing Dongzhimen Middle School)
"I love humorous (幽默的)teachers. If a teacher is humorous, she is usually kind to students. My Chinese teacher Mrs Han is such a teacher. To have her class is to have fun. Even bad students are eager to learn and do their homework in time."
Wang Peng (Jinan No 1 Railway Middle School)
"We boys and girls often have questions and secrets. We really want to share our lives with teachers and make friends with them. So, I like younger teachers the best because they understand us!"
Lu Hongfei (Suzhou Xinhai School)
"I love teachers that are on time for class. If a teacher finishes his or her lesson the moment the school bell rings, I like him or her the best. Between classes, there is only a 10-minute break, and we are in a hurry for many things: preparing for the next class or asking questions.
But most often, I have no time to go to the toilet, and if I am unlucky, I have to wait for another 45 minutes!"
Zhou Shanshan (Northwestern Polytechnical University Affiliated Middle School)
"My headteacher in elementary school (小学) is my favourite teacher. She was strict but always full of emotion (感情). Once she recited a poem she wrote in class and I will never forget that moment. Teachers like her can influence (影响) your whole life!" -
法兰西青少年喜爱本民族文化
2004-08-10
French kids have so many interests 法兰西青少年喜爱本民族文化
Many French teachers and parents complain (抱怨) that their kids are less bright than they were. They say young people visit museums less often and spend too much time on the Internet. They only read comics and listen to music, and like American culture more than their own.
But is this true? A recent survey shows that many French kids spend their time as other kids always have.
Most French teens love music, with 86 per cent putting it as their top hobby (爱好), above the cinema, sport and television.
French kids read a lot and like many different things, from Japanese cartoons to American novels (小说).
Many French people worry that their children watch too many American films and listen to too much American music like Britney Spears.
But the results of this survey prove that French young people like their own culture.
As Silvia Berlin, a student from Paris, says: "I love watching American TV, but I watch more French programmes. I love being French!" -
Campus talk
2004-08-09
Campus talk
Let's play sports after class
同学们，你们放学后经常进行什么体育活动？是不是三五成群一起去打篮球?
你一定还记得上次本来是一场势均力敌的比赛（It was a close game），我们却在关键时候功亏一篑输掉了。但是同学们别灰心，加把劲!（Come on, don't be a sore loser.）这次可一定要击败对手啊。 （We're going to kick your butts this time.)自此希望我们能经常保持不败（I hope our winning streak never ends.)。
许多学生喜欢在lunch time做一些体育运动。而美国的部分学生还会在放学后参加各式各样的teams，这些teams常去各地参加联赛。
今天我想去参加足球队的比赛了，同学你呢？（I'm going to join the football team. What about you?）
另外,还有些学生会组织一个三五个人或三五十人的club（兴趣小组）。他们可以在校园里的教室活动，很自由。不过小组里有没有辅导老师，就要看这个小组的活动是否popular，小组成员人数够不够多，还有就是校方是否付钱（payment）给老师了。
哈哈！如果你既不参加team，又不参加club的话，那就只好"go back home"啦。 -
Keep warm from rain
2004-08-08
Keep warm from rain 在雨天，和爷爷一起撑着伞，让我感到无比温暖和幸福
IT has rained for a long time this summer, hasn't it? It feels like it always rains when I'm on holiday but it is always a sunny day when I have to go to school.
Whenever it rains, I think of my grandpa. Grandpa has been dead for six years. I will always remember the happy times I spent with him.
My grandpa often took me to the market when I was little. One day we had finished our shopping and were about to go home. Then it began to pour (倾泻) with rain. We could do nothing but look at the grey sky because we had no umbrella. As the rain was not stopping, grandpa went to buy an umbrella which cost him 45 yuan. This was very expensive for the time.
Grandpa carried me and held the umbrella with the other hand. Neither of us talked and I could only hear the noise of the rain. A few minutes later, I looked down and I noticed grandpa's trousers were wet through and his shoes were ruined (损坏). After seeing this, I looked at myself and found that I was dry and warm. It was very cold outside, but it didn't matter because my grandpa's arm was so warm and safe.
After that day, my life changed. When it was raining, we two would go out with the umbrella and he would tell me about his past and what he thought about life. I will never forget those days.
When I was seven, my dear grandpa left me for good (永远). After my grandpa's funeral (葬礼), it was pouring with rain. Nobody spoke. I looked at the familiar raindrops through the car window and saw an old man with a little girl in the rain. They were smiling and seemed to be very happy. Suddenly, I felt some drops fall on my face. I looked up and it was my granny's tears.
Grandpa, did you know that I couldn't live in rainy days if I wasn't under your umbrella?
I wish my grandpa would come back to me and hold me in his arms again. I would like to spend all my life in the rain as long as my grandpa can be with me under the umbrella even just one more time.
My Crazy English
I'm crazy about English, are you?
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