This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn more English．Many students said they learned  1  using English．Some students had more specific __2  ．Lillian Li，for example，said the best way to learn new words was by reading English magazines．She said that memorizing the words of pop songs also  3  a little．When we asked about studying grammar，she said，“I  4  study grammar．It’s too boring．”

Wei Ming had a very different idea．He had been learning English for six years and really loved it．He  5  studying grammar was a great way to learn a  6  ．He also thought that watching English movies wasn’t a bad way became he could watch the actor  7  the words．Sometimes，however，he found watching movies frustrating became the people spoke too quickly．

Liu Chang said that joining the English club at school was the best way to improve her English．Students got lots of practice and they also had fun．She added that having conversations with friends was not helpful at all．“We get  8  about something and then end up speaking in Chinese，”she said．

（    ）1．A．by                  B．with             C．in                          D．from

（    ）2．A．way               B．plans            C．subjects                 D．suggestions

（    ）3．A．learned           B．helped           C．tried                             D．worded

（    ）4．A．sometimes        B．usually          C．never                     D．always

（    ）5．A．asks               B．thinks           C．asked                     D．thought

（    ）6．A．language          B．English         C．lesson                    D．word

（    ）7．A．to say             B．saying           C．say                        D．said

（    ）8．A．interested         B．interesting       C．excited                   D．exciting

The old Olympic Games began around the year 776 BC in Greece．Many of the sports  1 the same as they are now．But then women were not  2  to take part in the games．  

The first Olympic Games in modem times happened in 1896．They were  3  in Greece，where the games were born．Both the Summer and Winter Olympics are held every four year．The Winter Olympics are usually held two years  4  the Summer Olympics．

The 24th Summer Olympics were held in 1988 in Los Angeles（洛杉磯）．The competitors from the People’s Republic of China  5  the games for the first time．The Chinese competitors 6  many medals since then．But most of the medals were won by women．We hope men will 7 their best to win more medals．

（    ）1．A．looked            B．had                      C．did                        D．were

（    ）2．A．allowed          B．hoped                  C．prepared                D．agreed

（    ）3．A．held               B．began                  C．begin                     D．hold

（    ）4．A．in front of         B．later                     C．before                    D．earlier

（    ）5．A．took part in       B．went to                C．played with            D．joined

（    ）6．A．have won         B．are winning            C．had won                 D．won

（    ）7．A．work              B．train                    C．compete                 D．do

One of the best things we can do in our lives is this：

Begin again

Begin to see yourself as you were

When you were the happiest and strongest

You’d ever been

Begin to remember what worked for you

（and what worked against you）

And try to make things work again

Remember how natural it was when you were a child——

To live a lifetime each day

Begin to forget about the troubles you have carried with you for years：

The problems that don’t matter any more

The tears that cried themselves away

And the worries that we are going to wash away

On the shore of tomorrow’s new beginnings

Tomorrow tells us it will be here every new day of our lives

And if we are wise

We will turn away from the problem of the past

And give the future——and ourselves——a chance

（This poem is just for our lovely and great-hearted students

who are busy preparing for the entrance exams for high schools．）

（    ）1．Which is the best title of this poem?

A．Begin again                                               B．Remember

C．Forget                                                      D．The problem of the past

（    ）2．According to the poem，what should we remember?

A．The sadness          B．The ugly              C．The truth                      D．The beauty

（    ）3．What is the attitude of the poet to face our life?

A．Forgettable            B．Active                  C．Hopeless                D．Exciting

There have been many important developments in medicine．The following are two developments that have been very important in saving lives．

Imagine having an operation and being wide awake．This won’t happen，thanks to something called anesthetic．Anesthetics are given to people during operations so that they fall asleep．Anesthetics cause the muscles to relax and the body to become numb（lose all feeling）so that no pain is felt．This helps the doctors to operate more easily．Anesthetics may be taken in different ways：

●Breathing in a gas

●An injection straight into the bloodstream

●Swallowing a tablet

A local anesthetic numbs only the area where the doctor needs to work．A general anesthetic is when a Patient is put into sleep while the doctor operates Anesthetics were first given in 1844．

Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the world today Luckily，something can be done about it．Someone who has an unhealthy heart can have a heart transport operation．A heart transplant is when the damaged heart of a patient is taken out and a healthy heart is put in．It is said，though，that the healthy heart has to come from someone who has died Doctor Barard from South Africa was the first person to do a heart transplant operation in 1967．Many successful transplants have been done since then．

It is wonderful what doctors are able to do for us．

（    ）1．With the help of______，patients aren’t able to feel painful during the operations．

A．injections             B．pills                     C．gas                        D．anesthetics

（    ）2．Anesthetics have been used for about______．

A．200                     B．184                     C．165                       D．41

（    ）3．Which does a doctor use to do a heart transplant operation to save lives，a damaged heart or a healthy heart?

A．A damaged heart     B．A healthy heart    C．Both                      D．Neither

Most American students have said goodbye to fancy（高檔的）fruits these days．In school canteens across the country，cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place．

“People are afraid to spend now，”said Linda Morrow，who owns a shoe and handbag store．“They don’t know what the future will bring．”During the financial（金融的）crisis（危機），several of the country’s biggest banks have been sold or closed．This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things．

Samira Marino，a restaurant owner in Miami，has found everyone is ordering water instead of juice and more people are sharing meals．In more than two-dozen interviews with The Associated Press（出版社）across the country last month．Americans talked about their concerns，from worries about small businesses to doubts（懷疑）about simply making ends meet（維持生計）．

The crisis began last year．Experts（專家） think it was because US banks lend money too easily．Last year a lot of people and companies，who borrowed money，have found themselves unable to pay it back．As a result，the banks had no money to pay back the people who put their money in the banks．Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders（國界），the whole world was in trouble．This month the US government agreed on a$700 billion plan to try to save the financial market．But no one is sure whether it will help or not．President Obama has warned it will take some time．Last week top finance officials from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble．

（    ）1．Why are people in the US afraid to spend?

A．Because they think it’s unnecessary．

B．Because they don’t have the habit of spending money．

C．Because they worry about their future．

D．Because they don’t have enough money．

（    ）2．The underlined word“concerns”probably means______．

A．worries                B．conditions            C．hobbies                  D．experiences

（    ）3．The fourth paragraph mainly______．

A．tells what it is like in a crisis

B．explains why there is a crisis

C．warns people of the danger of the crisis

D．asks people not to borrow money from banks

（    ）4．People feel______．about the US plan to save the market．

A．satisfied               B．doubtful（懷疑的）       C．hopeless                 D．angry

（    ）5．The best title for the story is______．

A．Ways to make ends meet

B．The money problem facing the world

C．Healthy fancy fruits

D．The art of borrowing money

News 1：

TWO conjoined（結合的）twin sisters were separated（分離）at a hospital in Hebei on Saturday．The two 40-day-old Chinese girls had been joined at the chest and abdomen（腹部）．Doctors still worry about the younger one，who has heart disease．They say she will have another operation after she fully gets well．

News 2：

FIRE broke out on the second floor of the busy four-story Zhongbai Shopping Centre in Jilin city，Jilin，Sunday．As from Wednesday，more than 50 people were killed and over 70 were injured Officials said that the fire started in one of the shopping center’s storehouse．

News 3：

THE Chinese Embassy（大使館）in Iraq’s capital Baghdad reopened on Monday．The embassy had been closed since the US-Iraq war began in March，2003．The last Chinese officer left Baghdad just three days before the war broke out．

News 4：

HOW old can an insect be? 400 million years! Last Wednesday，scientists found the world’s oldest insect fossil（化石）in Britain．The fossil shows that the body of the insect was as big as a grain of rice and had wings In the past，people thought the earliest insect was 380 million years old．

（    ）1．Which of the following is fight to match the titles with the correct news story．

A．New 3 China’s back in Iraq．

B．New 4 Shopping center fire

C．New 1 That’s an old bug（昆蟲）

D．New 2 It was a success

（    ）2．The operation on the two Chinese girls was______．

A．pleasant               B．successful            C．strange                  D．private

（    ）3．The Chinese Embassy in Baghdad reopened______．

A．when the US-Iraq war began

B．before the US-Iraq war ended

C．three days before the war broke out

D．on a Monday

（    ）4．The fire in the shopping center started______．

A．on the fourth floor                                   B．in a storehouse

C．on the third floor                                        D．outside the center

Chusok is probably the most popular festival in Korea．It comes on August 15 by the lunar calendar．It is also known as the Korean Thanksgiving Day or Mid-Autumn Festival．

The celebration starts on the night before Chusok and ends on the day after the holiday．Many Korean people take three days off from work to get together with their families and friends．In the festival，people also make special foods，such as a cake which is made office．beans．sesame seeds and chestnuts．On the day，the family visit their ancestors’ graves（祖先的墓地），offer them rice and fruits，bow and clean the area for coming winter．In the evening，women and children wear favorite hankok（traditional Korean clothing）and dance under the bright moon in a large circle．They play games and sing songs．

In a word，special foods，games and dances，remembering ancestors and wearing traditional clothes are all parts of Chusok celebrations．

1．When does Chusok come?

2．What ale the other names of Chusok?

3．How long is the holiday of Chusok?

IMPROVE ON SLFEP

Good health needs good sleep．Going to bed before you’re tired．Not eating or reading in bed．You must go to bed at the same time before mid-night and get up at the same time．Your body likes routine（常規(guī)） for a good night’s sleep．

STAY FREE OF FLU

Studies show that a cold or H1N1 Flu virus（感冒病毒）can live on our hands for long．So wash all parts of your hands often with soap and water．For more ways to prevent the spread of flu，please call Health Line at 800-848-1313．

ORAL HEALTH

Brush your teeth twice daily and visit the dentist at least once a year．The mouth is a mirror of disease．The oral examination is not only for the health of teeth，but the whole body．For more of it，please visit www．mydr．com．au．

FIT FOR LIFE

Studies have shown that many diseases have something to do with less or no physical activity．In order to keep healthy，you should try to take physical activity for 30 minutes a day，5 days or more a week．

For more information，please call Health Line at 800-438-2000．

1．What telephone number can we call when we want to learn more about the flu?

2．According to the passage，which suggestion is the most necessary for us to keep healthy?

3．How often should we go to see a dentist?

Mary，13，went to see a doctor．She had a bad cough．So the doctor gave her some cough medicine．The following are the words on the bottle of medicine．

1．How many teaspoonfuls should Mary take in 24 hours?

2．Can all the children take the medicine freely?

3．What is the best place to store this medicine in Mary’s house?

4．What should Mary’s family do with the cough medicine after the tenth month of 2006?

What do you usually do after school? Haying football? Watching TV? Let’s see how kids in foreign countries spend their free time?

●  Mess around（消遣娛樂） with Dress-up

Do your parents have any old clothes? See if you can get an old box and start collecting hats，shoes and clothes now! Then，when your friends come over after school，you can play dress-up．See if you can make yourself into a doctor，or a cowboy，or even a spaceman! If you are really clever，you could even put on a show for your family! Let your imagination run wild!

●Start a Club

Want to learn new things after school? Want to make new friends who aren’t in your class? You can get both of them in clubs．In other countries’ schools，there are usually all kinds of clubs for kids to join．There is a French club，a student government，a theatre，a choir（合唱隊）and a photography club．

Take a photography club as an example．One may learn all the skills about taking photos．For example，you will learn how to choose a camera，how to use the light and how to develop pictures．

One can also make a lot of friends in clubs．It's always good to enjoy your free time with friends，isn’t it?

1．For foreign kids，what do they collect clothes for?

2．What do kids mainly want to do when they start a club?

3．What can kids learn in a photography club?