A new school term begins, Is anything new at your school? Sichuan students are getting an extra (额外的)hour to sleep in the morning.
This year, Sichuan schools decided that students should start classes later. This should help them feel less tired, For Junior high schools, the first classes will begin no earlier than 8:30 am.
The changes have made students happy.
Liu Xian, 15, said his class was excited by the news on the first day of school. “It’s so good we can get up later!” said Liu.
Liu studies in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. He used to get up at 6:40 am. Now he can get up at 7:40 am because class doesn’t start until 8:40 am.
Wu Hongli, 15, said the new timetable is good for her health. “I used to drink coffee every night or I would feel to sleepy to finish my homework, ”said Wu. “Now I can finish it without coffee.”She used to get up at 6:30 am. Now she can get up at 7:30 am.
Wu Hongli’s mother was happy, too. She thought more sleep would help her daughter grow taller.
But some parents worried that more sleep would mean less learning. There used to be five classes in the morning. Now there are only four.
Many teachers, though, say the changes will help students learn better.
“Students used to doze(瞌睡)for the first two classes in the morning,”said Wu Zongping, an English teacher at Chendu No.12 Middle School. “But now they look fine and they learn much better than before.”
【小题1】What made the Sichuan middle school students happy?

A lot of boys and girls in western（西方的）countries are wearing the same kind of clothes, and many of them have long hair, so it is often difficult to tell whether（是否）they are boys or girls.
One day, an old man went for a walk in a park in Washington, and when he was tired, he sat down in a chair. A young person was standing on the other side of the pool.
“Oh!” the old man said to the person sitting be side him on the chair. “Do you see that person with the glasses and long hair? Is it a boy or a girl?” “A girl.” said the neighbor（隔壁的人）. “She is my daughter.” “Oh!” the old man said quickly. “Please forgive me, I did not know that you were her mother.” “I’m not.” Said the other person, “I’m her father.”
【小题1】What did the old man see on the other side of the pool?

A man made a nice talking machine .It could weigh people’s weight .The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of machines.
He put the machine into the waiting room of a station. There were always lots of people in and out.
The first one who used the machine was an Indian woman. She stood on the machine, the machine thought for a few seconds to decide which language to speak. “Good morning, Madam.” It said in Indian. “Your weight is 72 kilograms. That’s three kilograms more. If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you will be soon all right. Please have a nice day.”
The second one to use the machine was a Chinese girl .She stood on the machine and waited to hear her weight. “Good morning, Miss.” The machine said in Chinese. “Your weight is 45 kilograms. It’s all right for your age. Keep eating what you eat every day. Please have a nice day.”
The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman .She thought for a long time to stand on the machine .The machine spoke quickly in English, “Good morning. Will one of you get off?”
【小题1】The machine in this passage could           .