Do you speak English? Do you speak e-mail English? Maybe you don’t. E-mail English is a new kind of English that many people use to save time. A lot of e-mail English words come from a computer program called QQ, which means I seek(尋找)you. Ian Lancashire, a Canadian teacher, likes QQ, “People can use QQ to talk with each other using computer. But, you have to be able to type quickly or the other person will be bored. So e-mail English can give some help.”
A message in e-mail English mostly uses two kinds of new words. The first kind is made up of the first letters of the words. These are called acronyms. The second kind is homophones，letter combination(合并), symbols that sound like other words.
Acronyms in an e-mail save space and time. It takes a long time to write by the way. BTW is much faster. Other acronyms are F2F which stands for face to face, CSL for can’t stop laughing and DBEYR for don’t believe everything you read! Some of the acronyms look like strange words, such as SWAK. But this one means sealed(封口) with a kiss.
Homophones often use letters and numbers that sound like words or parts of words. For example, 8 sound like—eat in great, to save time, people write gr8. Another example is CU for see you or sometimes CU l8r (see you later)
The number 2 is used for to or too and the number 4 is used instead of for.
Another part of e-mail is emotive symbols(表情符號) which make faces when you look at them sideways. The most common emotive, is the happy face :). A comma (逗號) is often used to help add other parts of the face and show different expressions.
E-mail English is fun. An e-mail message with lots of e-mail English starts to look like secret code(密碼). Your best friend will probably understand it, but your parents and teachers may not. In fact, many teachers don’t like e-mail English. It’s not just because they can’t comprehend what it means. It’s because students start to use e-mail English in their everyday writing. E-mail English is great for writing quickly. But most teachers say that e-mail English should only be used in e-mails to one’s friends.
【小題1】What does the writer talk about in the first paragraph?

More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that’s why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!
Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out  of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don’t even have to ride all the way.
Folding (折疊) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.
Health Benefits of Bicycling:
It helps to prevent heart diseases.   
Bicycling helps to control your weight.
A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.
Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).
Exercise  like  bicycling  has  been  shown  to  make  people  feel  better,  more  relaxed  and self-confident.
Bicycling is healthier than driving.
【小題1】When you are riding your bicycle around your neighbourhood, you may _________.

You must have seen ads on TV about hair care products （護發(fā)用品）. The models have shining hair like jewels （珠寶）. But now to make hair shine is no longer the task of hair care products, because hair can be made into real jewels. Believe it or not, a company called LifeGem in the US turns hair into jewels.
The company is in the business of taking hair from dead people and making it into diamonds （鉆石）. The diamonds are for the families to remember the dead people.
Now the company plans to make three diamonds using Beethoven's hair to show their latest technology （技術(shù)）. The work will take about 7 months and in the end, Beethoven's long hair will become 3 shining diamonds between 0.5 to 1 carat （克拉）in size.
Since the great musician died in 1827, you may wonder how they got Beethoven's hair. Actually, the hair was given by John Rezniloff, who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest and most valuable collection of celebrities' （名人） hair. His collection also includes hair of Napoleon, Albert Einstein,  Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. In total,  the collection is worth over 5 million dollars.
Though it sounds unbelievable （難以置信）, to have such diamonds made with hair may be a good way to show respect （尊敬） and love to those who died.
【小題1】What does the company of LifeGem do?

I’m Tony. My best friends are Frank and Cindy. We often do many things together. Frank lives next to my home and we are in the same class. He is thirteen years old and tall and of medium build. He has curly hair and blue eyes. He’s good-looking and very clever. He’s good at math and often helps me with my homework. He likes wearing black pants and yellow T-shirts.
Cindy doesn’t go to my school. She’s eleven years old. She is thin and of medium height. She has curly blonde hair and her eyes are brown. She is good-looking, too, but a little bit shy. She is good at playing the guitar. Her favorite subject at school is music. She often teaches Frank and me to play the guitar after class.
The three of us have great fun together, and we help each other and sometimes play video games at my house.
【小題1】What things do the three children do together? They ___________.

Before you go to another country it is a great help if you know the language（語音） and some of the customs（風俗）of the country.
When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say “How do you do?” and shake hands(握手). Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say goodbye. But they shake hands when they haven’t met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time.
Last year a group of German students went to England for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly ever shake hands. So when they met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that the Germans shake hands as often as possible, so they put their hands in front and got ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh.
【小題1】It is _____ if you know the language and some of the customs of a country before you pay a visit to that country.

The following Mini Course will give you lots of ideas on how you can turn your favorite hobby into a business. Just choose the hobby that interests you from the following, and enjoy reading through the articles and information on your favourite topics.
Dog ownership, training and care. Dog ownership can be both a hobby and a lifestyle decision. There are many different types of dogs in this series of articles.
Cat ownership and care. Owning a cat can also be both a hobby and a lifestyle choice. If you want to know more things about your furry friend before you buy a cat, please read this section of the website.
Blogging. Blogging is a big business these days and it is one of the fastest growing hobbies today. But what exactly is a blog? In this series of articles, we’ll look at blogs and they will make you interested in blogs.
Chess. Chess is a very popular hobby. You can get tips and ideas about chess after you read this series of articles, which can help you win at chess.
Fishing. As a global pastime and hobby to millions, fishing is a big business. There are many fishing techniques and much information in this series of articles. Please try. Maybe you can catch a big fish next time.
【小題1】The Mini Course will offer you the following except___________.

When you are feeling unhappy or forget how great you are, these are six ways to make you feel good about yourself.
1) Look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I am a special person and there’s no one in the world like me. I can do anything!” It may not sound so good, but it really works!
2) Do something nice for someone. Helping others always makes you feel good.
3) Smile! Be friendly to people you meet. Look for the good things in your friends and family.
4) Learn something new! Have you always wanted to decorate your own room or learn how to swim? New challenges are fun and give you a sense of accomplishment when you have finished.
5) Read and start a diary. Turn off the TV and let your imagination fly! Write down your thoughts, dreams or anything you want! Writing always helps to express your feelings.
6) Stay with your family. We all need our family time. Talk with your Mum or Dad or maybe even your cousin.
【小題1】This passage may be taken from         .

Do you go to the movies during the holidays? What do you eat there? Popcorn (爆米花)? Yes, of course! More and more Chinese youth now like to eat popcorn when they watch movies at the theater.
However, it may be the Americans who love popcorn the most. Americans do fun things with their popcorn. They like to put butter on their popcorn. But that's not all; they also like other kinds of things like chocolate, and even cheese! Americans like to eat popcorn as a snack (小吃). These days, there are a lot of "low -fat" kinds of popcorn in US shops to keep people healthy.
Americans started eating popcorn in movie theaters in the 1930s. Before this, they couldn't because movies were silent (無聲的) and popcorn made too much noise. When movies got noisier, people could eat noisier food.
Next time you eat popcorn, why not try to eat it American style.
【小題1】Young people like to eat         at the cinema.

閱讀短文，根據(jù)意思，判斷所給句子的正誤。正確的寫T，錯誤的寫F。
“How are you?” is a nice question. It’s a friendly way that people in the U.S.A greet（問候） each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual（不尋常的） 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 （只）other ways of saying “Hello” or “Hi”.
　　Sometimes, people also don’t say exactly（確切） 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（強烈地）, 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 on the phone finish when one person say “I’ve to go now.” Often, the person who wants to hang up（掛）says: “Someone’s at the door.” “Something is burning (燒)on the stove（爐）.” The excuses（借口） might be real（真的）, 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 （傷）the other person.
　　Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, of 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.
【小題1】“How are you?” is another way of saying "Hello." or" Hi."
【小題2】It is polite to say" No. I disagree. I think you are wrong, "if you don’t agree with others.
【小題3】When someone says "I have to go now "On the phone，it means he wants to go on talking.
【小題4】"Someone is at the door." may be an excuse for finishing a talk.
【小題5】Sometimes people don't say exactly what they are thinking about just because they try to be nice to each other.

New rules and behaviour standards (行為規(guī)范) for middle school students have come out. The middle school is going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won’t only have high marks. They will also be kids who don’t smoke, drink or dye (染) their hair. The following are some of the new rules.
Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else’s work on an exam? Don’t do it again! That’s not something that an honest student should do. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room, don’t tell your parents you have done homework.
Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird Loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! That way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them. When more people work together, it is more fun for everyone.
Have you fought with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others, not only yourself.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Maybe you’ll discover Earth II someday. Don’t look down on new ideas. Everyone’s ideas are important. You should welcome them because new ideas make life better for everyone.
Protect yourself. Has someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don’t let it happen to you. If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some things on the Internet aren’t good for kids, do try to look at Web pages that aren’t good for you. You can use the Web for fun or homework. Can’t you find any good Web sites for children? Here are some: http://kinds.eastday.com / http://www.chinakids.net.com / http://www.cyenct.com
【小題1】The new school rules will help kids by telling them __________.