In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I'd hitch a ride (搭便车).

    I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn't give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心) me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.

Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I'd been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.

    After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven't changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”

    I couldn't remember where I'd met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.

    Recently, people in US education have gotten extremely worried because a new report has shown that American students have a math problem.

    The 2015 Program for International Student Assessment(评估)(PISA) shows math scores in the US getting lower and no improvement in science or reading. PISA tests 15-year-olds from different countries and regions in their math, science and reading skills. About 540, 000 students from 72 countries and regions took part in the assessment in 2015.

    US scores in reading and science were about the same as three years ago, leaving Americans near the middle of the bigger group. But the situation in math is much more worrying. The US average score was 470, below the OECD(经合组织)test average of 490, meaning the US was No. 40 among the 72 countries and areas. It was 12 points lower than in 2012 and 18 points lower than in 2009. So, what is going on with American students' math skills?

    One reason may be that the US does not teach math in enough depth. "Students are often good at answering the first part of a problem in the United States, "said Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at OECD. "But as soon as students have to go deeper and answer the more complicated part of a problem, they have difficulties. "In comparison, many high-performing countries and regions in math teach a lot less but focus in much greater depth,  especially when you look at East Asia, Japan and Singapore, according to Schleicher.

    Another reason may be the fact that many people in the US are unwilling to travel to foreign countries to learn better teaching practices. "One of our biggest challenges in the US is that the teachers are not going out and seeing what high-performing countries do differently, "said Wendy Kopp, who started Teach for America, in a news program.

    Mike Miles hadn't had a stable job in years. He bounced around from one position to another, never sure when his last day would be. Sometimes, he lost a position with less than a day's notice. This wasn't due to a poor work ethic—from arriving early to staying late, Miles says he did everything he could to build a good relationship with employers. But because Miles had a criminal record, he was always cut loose when it came time to let staff go.

    It wasn't until October 2015, nearly a decade after his release from prison, that a cousin told Miles about Lancaster Food Company, a local business that focuses on hiring people released from prison. Hoping this would clear up what felt like a thick cloud of uncertainty over his future, Miles submitted an application. He got an interview, and he then began a new job.

    Miles' scenario is rare in Lancaster, where the poverty rate holds steady at 30%. This figure riled Charlie Crystle,  Lancaster's co-founder and CEO. Crystle was raised in Lancaster but left in 1986 to purse a college degree and later, a career in technology. He co-founded four tech companies, one of which sold for millions of dollars back in 2000.

    Crystle is skeptical that many of Lancaster's low-income residents can get started the way he did. He believes food production is a key way to meet former offenders who may lack a college degree. Lancaster produces products like bread. Nowadays the company is rapidly expanding; however, at just 16 full-time employees, including administration and owners, it doesn't lower the city's poverty rate.

    Crystle says he wants to inspire other companies to rethink their current practices and start conversations around minimum wage and employment opportunities for everyone, including ex-offenders. Dan Jurman, who chairs the city's Commission to Combat Poverty, believes that Crystle's business is a great way to make this happen. "None of us can handle these issues alone, " he said.

—Oh yes，enough and to spare.

—______ for a taxi. The underground can save money.

—No，I think they ________.

—________，but usually once a week.

1）网络信息的特点；2)如何分辨信息的真假；3)如何处理不同的信息。

注意：1)词数100左右（开头已为你写好，不计入总词数）；2)可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

    The Internet can be seen as a great source of information.

注意：1.文章包括上述内容，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；2.词数100左右；3．信的开头和结尾已为你写好，但不计入总词数。

Dear Miss Rose,

    I am writing to you

    I'm looking forward to hearing from you.……

    Yours sincerely,

    Li Hua

    The pickle jar (腌菜罐子) as far back as I can remember sat on the floor in my parents' bedroom. 1 he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and drop his 2 into the jar. When the jar was 3 , he would take the coins to the bank and say 4 to the cashier, "These are for my son's college fund (资金). He'll 5 work at the mill (磨坊) all his life like me. "

    The years passed, and I 6college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed. My dad was a man of 7words, and never taught me the 8of determination, perseverance (毅力) and faith. The pickle jar had taught me more than 9could have done.

    When I married, I told my wife Susan about the 10. In my mind, it showed how much my dad had 11me. Dad continued to drop his coins into the jar, no matter how 12things got at home.

    The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Susan 13our baby into my parents' bedroom to feed her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was strange tears in her14. She handed Jessica to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room.

    "Look, "she said 15, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor. To my16, there, as if it had never been 17, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already 18 with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into 19 and pulled out a handful of coins. With the strong emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes 20, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.

    There is       old Spanish Proverb which states, “Tomorrow is often the       (busy) day of the week”. How many        (time) have we put off our dreams until tomorrow? I'd say, too many. Our dreams should not, and cannot wait. We have to go for them now! Here are the reasons.

Tomorrow is not promised. Nobody likes to talk about      (dead), but the reality—everyone is going to die at one point, but none of        (we) know the day, or the hour. Therefore, today is all we have. Don't go to your grave        unfinished dreams. Make the       (decide) to go after every dream, big or small right now.

    You'll be much happier if you go for it. Imagine how much happier you'll be       you're living the life you always dreamed about. The only thing that is stopping you      (be) yourself. Take control of your own happiness. Don't keep your dreams        (wait). Go after them right now!

    Long before Barack Obama became president of the United States, he wrote a book      (call) Dream from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, which has since become      bestseller. It is an      (appeal) book that includes what he went through during      (he) childhood. Obama has little contact with his father      roots were in Kenya because he left home when Obama was very young. His mother got married      a student from Indonesia shortly after the family moved to Jakarta. A few years later, Obama came back with his grandparents to Hawaii, where he      (attend) a private high school.       (study) at Columbia in New York City, he then entered Harvard Law School. This autobiography also touches      (heavy) on Obama's exposure to racism. Readers will find his reflections of childhood       (experience) which involved racial discrimination to be especially moving.

    How to Say Goodbye

    Knowing how and when to say goodbye is often difficult, even in informal situations. But learning to say goodbye appropriately is a skill that will help you keep your relationships and let people know you care.       Read on to learn how to recognize opportunities when you leave.

    When you're at any kind of party or gathering, or even a one-on-one conversation, it can be difficult to get away. Learning to recognize good opportunities to leave will make a short-term goodbye much easier.

Watch body language.

    People don't like telling you that they'd like you to leave.       If the host of a party starts cleaning up, or withdraws (退出) from the conversation, gather your friends or belongings and make your exit. If someone starts checking their watch, or seems otherwise restless, it's also time to leave.

    Make plans to see each other again.

    Even saying, “See you at school tomorrow,” or “Can't wait to see you again at Christmas” keeps the goodbye light and focused forward.      

Tell the truth.

    Many people expect to come up with a “good excuse” when they're ready to leave.      If you want to leave, just say, “I'm going to go now, see you later.”

A. You don't need to.

B. Set up a coffee date.

C. Recognize when to leave.

D. So try and watch for signals.

E. It makes the goodbye easier.

F. It's also easier than it seems sometimes.

G. If you haven't already made plans, use it as an opportunity to make them.

    It is said that farmers or peasants, especially those in developing countries, are often criticized for cutting down forests. But a new study suggests that many farmers recognize the value of keeping trees.

    Researchers using satellite images found at least ten percent trees cover on more than one billion hectares of farmland.       Earlier estimates were much lower but incomplete. The authors of the new study say it may still underestimate the true extent worldwide.

    The study found the most trees cover in South America.       North Africa and West Asia have the least.

    The study found that climate conditions alone could not explain the amount of trees cover in different areas.      There are areas with few trees but also few people, and areas with many trees and many people. The findings suggest that things like land rights, markets or government policies can influence tree planting and protection.

    Dennis Garrity heads the World Agroforestry Center.      The problem, he says, is that policy makers and planners have been slow to recognize this and to support such efforts.

    The satellite images may not show what the farmers are using the trees for, but trees provide nuts, fruit, wood and other products.      Even under drought (干旱) conditions, trees can often provide food and a way to earn money until the next growing season.

    Some trees act as natural fertilizers. They take nitrogen (氮气) out of the air and put it in the soil. Scientists at the Center say the use of fertilizer trees can reduce the need for chemical nitrogen by up to three-fourths. Trees also capture carbon dioxide, a gas linked to climate change.

A. Nor could the size of nearby populations, meaning people and trees can live together.

B. He says farmers are acting on their own to protect and plant trees.

C. Almost all of it is covered by trees.

D. They also help prevent soil loss and protect water supplies.

E. He devotes most of his time to making people realize its importance.

F. That is nearly half of the farmland in the world.

G. Next comes Africa south of the Sahara, followed by Southeast Asia.