“How are you?” is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the U.S.A greet each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't need an answer. The person who asks “How are you?” hopes to hear the answer “Fine”, even if the person's friend isn't fine. The reason is that “How are you?” isn't really a question and “Fine” isn't really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying “Hello” or “Hi”.

    Sometimes, people also don't say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks “Do you agree?”, the other person might think, “No, I disagree. I think you're Wrong...” But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say “I'm not sure.” It's a nicer way to say that you don't agree with someone.

    People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person say “I've to go now.” Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse(藉口): “Someone's at the door.” “Something is burning on the stove.” The excuses might be real, or not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn't want to talk any more, but it isn't polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person.

    Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don't say exactly that they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the game of language.

    On a Friday night, a poor young violinist(小提琴家) was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station. The music was so great that people slowed down to listen and put some money into his hat.

    The next day, the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Beside the hat was a piece of paper with some words on it. It said WA George Sang has put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Welcome to claim (索取)it. "Soon people were all attracted by the words and wondered what it could be. After a while a man rushed through the crowd, took the violinist's shoulders and said, "I knew yon would certainly come here. The violinist asked, "Did you lose something? “ Lottery(彩票).” The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Sang's name on it.Sang took it and danced happily.

    Sang was an office worker He bought the lottery and won a prize of $ 500,000. But when he gave $ 50 to the violinist for his wonderful music, the lottery ticket was thrown in, too. The violinist was a college student. That morning, he was going to fly to Vienna for higher education, However,when he found the ticket, he canceled the flight and returned to the entrance.

    Later someone asked the violinist why he didn't take the lottery ticket to pay the tuition fee(学费). He said, "Although I don't have much, but I live happily. If I lose honesty, I won't be happy forever.”

    Singapore's public transport system(公共交通系统)is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city--trains, buses and taxis.

TRAINS

    Trains run from 6: 00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-link card for MYMI5, you can ride the trains and buses all you like.

    If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.

BUSES

    There are several bus services in Singapore and fares start at 80cents. Be sure to always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he cannot give changes.

    If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.

TAXIS

    There are three main taxi companies--city Cab(6552 2222), Comfort(6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be made easily by calling the numbers listed above.

RENTAL CARS

    Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you'll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won't let you see.

    For car rental, call Avis on +656737 1668

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    Hosting an entertainment (娱乐) TV show seems to be a good job. You maybe have the      to talk with pop stars, and you could make yourself famous.      ,it's not easy to become a host. Liu Yan is the host of the popular music program“ Pepsi Music Chart Awards”.The program is on for half an hour every day on more than 30TV channels. Her job is to talk       stars like Jay Chou or Leehom Wang.

    ＂The program takes a lot of work.＂ Liu said. Before she goes on, she reads something about the pop stars on the Internet or in newspapers. Sometimes she asks other hosts. She also learns thestars,new songs or latest dance moves to get       to them.

    On the show, she respects the stars privacy(隐私). She doesn't ask       questions.Instead, she lets the guests talk about things they are comfortable with. She speaks      ,so her guests treat her the same way.

    Liu never gets a holiday. "When I don't work, I have to take dancing or singing lessons, "she said, " I try to learn everything I can from life.＂

    The first chocolate was enjoyed by the people in Central and South America hundreds of years ago. In those days, the cocoa bean(可可豆)       to make a chocolate drink.

    In 1824, Mr. Cadbury opened a small shop in the United Kingdom. He       chocolate drink. In 1831, he opened a factory to make chocolate drink. Mr. Cadbury believed that wine was bad and he wanted to encourage people to drink chocolate instead. A few years later, a man invented a way to, make chocolate bars (块), and so people had the chance to eat chocolate instead of only      it.

    At first only dark chocolate was made. Milk chocolate came later and it was made by adding milk to the chocolate. Mr. Cadbury made their first milk chocolate bar in 1897. Their most famouschocolate, Cadbury Milk Bar, was made in 1905. It      popular for over 100 years．The Cadbury factory still       chocolate in the United Kingdom now and the chocolate is eaten all over the world. Every year, thousands of visitors go to the factory      how chocolate is made．

How to pick a great book to read

    The world is full of great books just waiting to be read. How can you pick one you'll really like.

    Here are some tips:

    What makes you happy?

          Are you really into dinosaurs or dogs or a film star? Are there a few careers you're interested in? You can find books about almost anything you like, and you're more likely to enjoy reading a book if you're already interested in its subject.

Fact and fiction?

    Some books are entirely made up and imagined Those are called fiction books       Non-fiction books tell stories using facts—but that doesn't mean they're boring. Non-fiction books can bring everything to life.From the first trip to the moon to what it's like to explore the deepest oceans. Try both fiction and non-fiction books to see which you like better.

          What was your mother's favorite book when she was your age or your dads? Ask them and give it a read. Then you can talk about what they liked about it and share your thoughts. It's a fun way to get to know your family a little better, and to find a book you'll enjoy!

    Ask an expert.

    Your local library is a great place to find books that you'll love, and you don't have to search them by yourself.

          Your librarian can help you find other books that you're sure to love.Your teacher is another good person to ask.

Organize a book swap.(交换)

    Why not get some friends together and trade favorite books? It's always fun to see what your friends are reading.      You also can look for book swaps in your area.

    There was a man    ①    had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them to go and look at a pear tree far away in turns．

    The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall    ②    they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe    ③    they had seen. The first son said     ④    the tree was ugly. The second son said no-it was covered with green leaves and full of hope. The third son disagreed, he said there were many flowers that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them, he said there was lots of fruit on the tree,full of life and harvest.

    The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, but they had each seen only one season in the tree's life. He told them, "You cannot judge a tree, or a person by only one season and its true nature--the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured (测量)at the end, when all the seasons are up.＂

    If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the harvest of your fall.Don't let the pain of one season kill the joy of all the rest.

要求：1）词数80-100；

2）请先简要介绍表格中的4组图片,再根据生活实际列举1-2个方面,做适当发挥；

3）字迹工整,语言流畅,表达正确,逻辑清晰。

4）提示词： get news and information； keep in touch with； talk with； communicate with； send and receive messages； used to do....

How life changes

    Great changes have taken place in our life for years,