Here is a maze(迷宫)．Starting at the centre of the maze, try to find your way out using a pen or pencil．Can you work it out?

A man wanted to buy the slowest boat made in HongKong．He advertised(登广告)for it．Three boat－owners came to selltheir boats．He wanted the three boatowners to race(比赛)their boats across the harbour(港湾)and back．He said he would buy the last boat to arrive．After one day none of the boats had returned．What was the man's mistake?

What should he do?

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　　话题链接：China's First Spaceman Yang Liwe

　　With a Long March-II-F carrier rocket(运载火箭)pushing Shenzhou Ⅴ into the orbit some 300 kilometers away from the Earth Wednesday morning, Yang Liwei, 38, turns out to be China's first astronaut in space．

　　At 9 am Wednesday(Beijing time), Yang, aboard Shenzhou Ⅴ white in color, took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the Gobi desert in northwest China's Gansu province．

　　He is expected to land somewhere on central Inner Mongolia grassland at 7 a.m．Thursday, after orbiting the earth 14 times．Yang will be traveling some 500 000 kilometers in space in 21 hours, a “traveler's record” in the world's most populous nation with a 5000-year-old civilization(文明)．

　　When Shenzhou-5 entered orbit on schedule, the ground command center received a message sent by Yang from outer space, saying that “everything goes smoothly”．His name, however, had remained unknown until 5 am Wednesday．At 5 am sharp Wednesday, Yang was seen waving his hands to a group of journalists from inside a glass-shielded(有防护玻璃的)room at the Jiuquan launch center, with two other astronauts sitting beside him as “backups”．Yang, who looked calm, found himself in a shower of camera flashlights．He responded with a broad smile．

　　In an exclusive(高级)interview with Xinhua, Yang expressed full confidence in China's first manned space flight．

　　Su Shuangning, director-general and chief designer of the astronaut system under China's manned space program, described Yang as a sober-minded(沉着冷静的)person with a “superb capability of self-control”．

　　While a fighter pilot, Yang had 1350 hours of flight experience．He was chosen, along with 13 others, from among 1500 pilots for space flight training．Yang's colleagues described him as a man with a good team spirit, a man of dedication(奉献) to his career．Friends at his hometown, Suizhong County of northeast China's Liaoning Province, remember that Yang had dreamed of flying when still a child．Yang was recruited(招募)by the No．2 Aviation College of the PLA Air Force in September 1983 and became a fighter pilot after graduation with bachelor's degree．In 1998, Yang became a member of China's first team of astronauts．Yang, 168 cm tall, is a lieutenant colonel．He has an eight-year-old son, and his wife, Zhang Yumei, also serves in China's space program．

　　According to Su Shuangning, China's first team of astronauts are all capable of working and living in space thanks to five years of rigid(严格的)physical, psychological and technical training．He said that Yang Liwei was one of the best in the team．

　　In an Astronaut Training Base in Beijing, China's would-be astronauts had lessons necessary for space flight, including aviation dynamics, air dynamics, geophysics, meteorology, astronomy, space navigation, design principle and structure of rockets and spacecraft, as well as equipment examination．Moreover, they received systematic(系统的)training in space flight in simulators(模拟器)．

　　“To establish myself as a qualified astronaut, I have studied harder than in my college years and have received training much tougher than for a fighter pilot, ” said Yang．

　　If the spaceship's re-entry module(模块)could not land at the pre-set areas and the recovery team could not rush to the spot on time, the astronaut must act for self-rescue．“Therefore, survival skills have become one of the most important knowledge for the astronauts to grasp, ”said Su Shuangning．“Through rigorous(严酷的)training, our astronauts have learned how to survive under extreme conditions．”Twenty-five days before the launch of Shenzhou-5, the would-be astronauts started exercising in the real spacecraft at the Jiuquan Launch Center．

　　“When I boarded the spacecraft for the first time, I couldn't help feeling excited, ” Yang recalled．“I decided that I must fly it．”

　　At 6∶15 a.m．Wednesday, Yang got seated in the re-entry module of Shenzhou-5, atop a 58.3-meter-high Long March-II-F carrier rocket．Between 1999 and 2002, Long March-II-F carrier rockets were used to launch four unmanned spacecraft into orbit, and all the launches were successful．

想一想：After reading the passage, what made him become successful?What can you learn from him?

　　Will Mars Become a Second Earth?

　　In the science fiction films “Total Recall” and “Red Planet”, certain scenes show the characters taking deep breaths of Martian air as though they were on Earth．

　　In both films, Mars has undergone(经历)an artificial process of “terraformation” to transform(转变)its atmosphere and environment and enable life forms to breathe its air．

　　The idea of transforming a planet such as Mars in order to make it as habitable(可居住的)as the Earth is not restricted to science fiction films and novels．It has also been proposed by some of the greatest astrophysicists(天体物理学家)and scientists of the 20th century, such as Carl Sagan．

　　Such a notion is highly idealistic, since current levels of technology and Mars' natural resistance to change would make it an extremely long process．Anyone hoping to play a Martian football match on a genuine grass pitch in the open air will probably have to wait about another 100 000 years!

问题导入：NASA(美国宇航局)is planning to make the Mars into a second earth．Is this plan practical?Some people think it a wonderful idea．But others have quite a different opinion．They believe that to make the Mars fit to live on will cost a great deal of money, time and energy．

Here comes the question．Can human make the Mars into a second earth?Debate it with your classmate in two groups．

pros：

Debater 1：In my opinion, it is practical to make the Mars into a second earth．Because lots of research finds out that there are many similar points between the earth and the Mars．And the science technology is so advanced today, I think it is practical if human devote themselves to exploring it．

Debater 2：I don't agree with him that it is not practical to make the Mars into a second earth．

Here is some evidence to show that there used to be lives on the Mars and it is possible to live there again．________________________

Debater 3：I think his evidence is some guess or prediction of some scientists that hasn't been tested．________________．

Debater 4：

In conclusion, ________ Thank you．

Cons：

Debater 1：In my opinion, it is not practical to make the Mars into a second earth．Because ________________

Debater 2：I think some of his evidence is incomplete or unilateral(片面的) _____________．

I have some evidence that it is impossible for human to live on the Mars．__________

Debater 3：I don't think your reasoning is reasonable．________________．

Debater 4：In a word, ________, Thank you．

　　Genius, in Roman mythology(神话)，a protecting, or guardian, spirit．It was believed that every individual, family, and city had its own genius．The genius received special worship as a household god because it was thought to bestow(给予)success and intellectual powers on its devotees．For this reason, the word came to designate a person with unusual intellectual powers．The genius of a woman was sometimes referred to as a juno．In art, the genius of a person was frequently depicted(描述)as a winged youth; the genius of a place, as a serpent．

　　Recently, scientists have discovered that in the human brain exists a “genius button”(天才按钮)．Once the button is pushed, an ordinary person may have some special talent for arithmetic, music, sports and so on．Though it hasn't come true yet, many people are arguing about it．Some people think it a good idea and want to have a try, while others strongly object to it．

　　What is your opinion?Do you want to turn into a genius?

　　Albert：In my opinion, such a “button” can do a lot of good．It may help us to develop our abilities so that we can make new discoveries．As a result, we could solve many problems and have a more comfortable life．I could become skilled at science, art or economics(经济)．

　　Andy：I don't know whether such a “button” is good or not for us．It sounds attractive but I'm afraid it's hard to put it into practice．

　　Christian：I do think it's a great discovery．If possible, I am eager to become a genius．But I would make sure this “button” couldn't do me any harm before turning it on．

　　Eric：I would just like to be a normal person．As far as I know, some talented people are strange．They may be good at one thing but not talented in other areas．

　　Simon：If more people became geniuses, it may lead to an increase in high-tech crime(犯罪)，such as stealing money through the Internet and creating harmful computer viruses．It is hard to imagine what the world would be like if all the criminals were very clever．

　　Roy：Although it is convenient, I don't think its right to become cleverer in this way．If someone wants to be successful in maths or art, he or she should work hard．I believe success requires hard work as well as natural gifts．

Your view：________________________

　　话题链接：It is worth looking at his masterpieces and his experiences in order to understand Mark Twain and his humor．Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clement, who was born on November 30,1835, in the village of Florida, Missouri, and grew up in the town of Hannibal, Missouri．Twain's father died when Twain was 12 years old, he left school 1847, to work as apprentice-printer(学徒印刷工)．Followed printer's trade in Eastern and Middle Western cities, 1853-1854; journeyed down to New Orleans, 1856, intending to make his fortune in Brazil, but abandoned scheme and became Mississippi river-pilot(水手)instead．After a short period as Confederate volunteer, he spent remainder of Civil War years in Nevada and San Francisco, writing humorous newspaper items under pseudonym(笔名)of“Mark Twain”, and establishing himself as popular lecturer．He soon discovered his talent as a humorist and by 1865 his humorous stories were attracting national attention．In 1870, Twain married Olivia Langdon of New York State, and soon settled with her at Hartford, Connecticut．He wrote many books, nearly all well-received．

　　Punning(双关)，facetious(滑稽)，irreverent(不尊敬的)，the American funny man filled the newspapers and lighter periodicals with his material．Each writer had his particular patter, in them the ordinary sensual American had his say, shrewd(精明的)，cynical(愤世嫉俗的)，and sometimes refreshingly vulgar(粗俗)in a country．Mark Twain came up through their ranks．The elements of his humor were all familiar to America before he began to write．

想一想：Shakespeare once wrote,“All the world's a stage．”If life is like theatre, then we are all actors on its stage．Mark Twain plays an important role in American literature and life．What can you learn from his life experience?And what role would like to play in the stage nowadays?

　　话题链接：You will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be used for a special purpose connected with some public transaction with a foreign country．For some reason or other only one of these had been used and canceled; The other still lay in the vaults of the Bank．Well, the brothers, chatting along, happened to get to wondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London without a friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in possession of it．Brother A said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn't．Brother A said he couldn't offer it at a bank or anywhere else, because he would be arrested on the spot．So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousand pounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too．Brother A took him up．Brother B went down to the Bank and bought that note．Just like an Englishman, you see; pluck to the backbone．Then he dictated a letter, which one of his clerks wrote out in a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole day watching for the right man to give it to…．

　　他们物色了一个年轻人做试验。带着这张毫无使用价值的百万英镑钞票，年轻人经历如在梦中。年轻人得到了他想得到的，包括爱情和受人尊敬。他爱上的女孩正是兄弟B的女儿Portia，但是这个年轻人会过上幸福生活吗？

任务导入：Imagine what kind of life Henry will live with Portia and try to make up a short play between them．Then act it out before your classmates．

You can do it as the following steps：

1．Before write your play, read the novel of The Million Pound Bank-Note to get some background knowledge and refer to some play scripts to learn how to write a play; 2．Choose the right persons to be the roles of the play and learn some skills of performance from books or experts, etc．

3．Practice the play together and act it out before your classmates．

An example scene：

P＝Portia　H＝Henry

P：Oh, Henry．It's nice to see you home so early!

H：Mm, ah．

P：(looking worried)What's happened?

H：I can't hide much from you, can I, dear?We have lost our money．The railway company in Brazil has collapsed and all our money has disappeared．But I have a plan to help us．We can go back to America and start again．I can become a gold miner and we can make our fortune that way．

P：Leave London?Leave my father?Oh no, Henry, please!

H：I think it might be better for us．We would stand on our own feet．

P：(crying)I shall have to go home．You can't love me if you want to do this dreadful thing．

H：(putting his arms round her)Of course I do．It is for our sake that I suggest this．It will be an adventure．We will be able to travel where we like and I will be able to show you so many lovely places．

P：As long as you love me I shall be happy．

H：And I shall always do that!

　　话题链接：Family income after taxes remained virtually unchanged between 2001 and 2002 after growing during the previous five years, says Statistics Canada．After-tax income for families of two people or more was an estimated $60 500, virtually unchanged from $60 300 in 2001 after adjustments for inflation, the agency said Thursday．

　　“This lack of growth was in contrast to the increase of 3.2 per cent in annual average after-tax income for these families between 1996 and 2001．”

　　Average after-tax income declined in 2002 for single-parent families headed by women, the agency said．However, their income gains were among the strongest between 1996 and 2002 because more single mothers had jobs．

　　“On average, the after-tax income for the estimated 500 000 single-parent families headed by women declined to $30 800 in 2002 from $32 500 in 2001．”

　　“For unattached individuals, after-tax income amounted to $25 900 in 2002, up 2.4 per cent from 2001．”

　　After-tax income for families of two people or more remained stable in most provinces, but there was the occasional exception．

　　“In Alberta, after-tax income declined to $64 300 in 2002 from $65 600 in 2001．”“The biggest gain was in Nova Scotia where after-tax income for families of two or more people rose to $51 000 from $49 800．”

…

问题导入：Should we know our family's income？(你觉得孩子有必要知道家庭的收入情况吗？)

Student 1：As a high school student, I think we should know our parents' income．It not only helps us understand our parents, but also helps us know life is not easy．We should make the best use of the money and not waste money．

Student 2：In my point of view, students shouldn't know their parents' income, or they'll change their study attitude．If they know their parents have lots of money, they will not put their hearts into study．They'll think that their parents will be able to offer them a chance of working in the future, even if they don't study hard．Our parents have the right to keep their own personal matters private．They work hard and get what they want with their money．

Parent 1：I want my child to know our family's income．Because my income is not very good, but I work so hard．I want him to know“gain comes from pain”．I think it will help him to face difficulties in life and study and try his best to overcome it．

Parent 2：I think letting children know their parents' income is not a good thing．I have my own company and can earn more money than average families, so I can offer my son a richer life and can even arrange his future life for him．But I find my son doesn't want to study, he seems to think he can have everything in life more easily than his classmates．So I'm worried about my son．

Teachers：We think that children should know their parents' income．The most important thing is to show children the fact that people need to work for their money and to tell them how to manage their money as an independent person．What's more, this will also help children understand that they should share troubles with their parents．At least, they should learn to make the best use of money and not to follow fashions all the time．

Your view：________________________

Reasons for becoming a vegetarian are personal and individual decisions．Some are ethical(伦理的)and some are for health reasons recommended(推荐)by dieticians and doctors．Medical studies have proven that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider range of nutrients(有营养的)and imposes(强加)fewer burdens and impurities(杂质)on the body．Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict present-day civilization, as a result they live longer, are more healthier and have more productive lives．Vegetarians have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills．Their immune system is much stronger, their bodies are purer, more refined and skin more beautiful．

Would you become a vegetarian?Why?

你愿意当一个素食主义者吗？为什么？

The animal protector：I love animals．They're all very lovely and friendly．I would be very sad to see an animal go to die．

The nutritionist：We can get all the nutrition(营养)we need from non-meat products．If we want to keep fit, we should not eat meat．

The monk：Killing animals is a crime．

The meat eater 1：I think we need meat．Meat is delicious and makes us strong．

The meat eater 2：I don't think eating animals is cruel．It's true that animals have lives, but don't vegetables have lives?

Your view：________________________________