Many young people want to become pop-stars．It is their great ambition of life．They think：pop-stars earn a lot of money; they lead interesting and exciting loves; thousands of fans love them; they become famous!

　　Yes, but first they must become stars．Most performers start life with a group．This is the pattern nowadays．But there are many groups and the competition is hard．Groups appear and disappear almost overnight．Only a small number survive．Almost without exception they have to work very hard before they reach the top．

　　And very few reach the top－and stay there．In English there are perhaps thirty or so groups at the top．Most of these do not earn so much money：perhaps 500 pounds each time they perform．What’s more, they have quite a lot of expenses．They have to pay a manager, for example．He is the key person in their lives and he takes about 20％ of their earnings－perhaps more．Then there are their clothes, their instruments and their van．Sometimes they are still playing for the last two items．

　　And don’t forget, they have to travel a great deal－sometimes 2000 miles in one week．At times they even sleep in their van instead of a hotel, just to save money．

　　So now, what do you think?Are pop-stars so rich?And do they have such exciting lives?

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13 October

Dear Editor,

　　I’m writing to ask you what has happened to our youth．They are not as polite, hard-working or clever as my generation．I will give you two examples．

　　Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9∶15 am．It was very busy so there were no free seats．There were some teenagers sitting on the seats nearest me．I didn’t know why they were not at school．They were talking loudly and laughing．It was difficult to read my newspaper with all the noise．A heavily pregnant woman(孕妇) and her daughter got on at the next stop, with lots of shopping bags．I expected the teenagers to let them sit down．They saw the woman but did nothing．I had to ask them to offer her a seat．They unwillingly did so but gave me a rude look．I got off at the next stop and was glad that the teenagers didn’t follow me．

　　Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend’s family．I was expecting to meet his children, who I hadn’t seen for ten years．During dinner, we started talking about world politics．It soon became clear that they didn’t know much．They couldn’t tell me the name of the King of Spain or the President of Italy．All they knew about was the Internet and which singers were the most beautiful．In my day, students knew the kings, queens and presidents of every country in Europe．

　　I worry about the future of Germany．How could these young people become responsible workers and parents?They sit around McDonald’s after school instead of going to the library like I did at their age．Maybe they have too much money．Perhaps another reader can give us an idea about what to do with this “lost generation．”

Franz Vogts

Mamburg

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　　Hong Kong Disneyland is the only Disneyland in the world that has a real-life mountain and sea view as a backdrop(背景)．To increase the park’s natural beauty, more than 18,000 trees representing more than 300 different species have been planted in Hong Kong Disneyland．

　　Hours：10∶30 am to9∶00 pm, daily

　　Address：Lantau Island, Hong Kong

　　Phone：＋852 183 0830

　　Ticket prices：

　　●Adults：regular(惯常的)HK＄295, peak HK＄350

　　●Children(aged 3 to 11)：regular HK＄210, peak HK＄250

　　●Seniors(aged 65 or above)：regular HK＄170, peak HK＄200

　　●Children under 3 years old：free admission

　　* Peak days include weekends, Hong Kong public holidays, school summer holidays in July and August, and the Golden Week holiday in October．

　　Where to buy tickets：

　　(1)At Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express

　　●MTR Hong Kong Station Tung Chung line concourse

　　●Up to 90 days in advance

　　●Open daily from 9∶00 am to 9∶00 pm

　　(2)Online booking(To pick up at the Ticket Express counter)

　　(3)Booking office

　　●Tel：＋852 183 0830

　　●Hours：Daily from 9∶00 am to 6∶00 pm

　　(4)Your local travel agency：Buy tickets as part of your Hong Kong travel package

　　(5)At Hong Kong Disneyland main entrance：From 9∶00 am until the park closes

　　How to get there：

　　At Sunny Bay MTR station, take the exclusive(专用的)Disneyland Resort line to Disneyland Resort Station．

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阅读理解

　　It was another frustrating day．I had come home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work．I work at a local restaurant in town．

　　I went to work feeling down．And to make matters worse I was bussing(收盘子) that evening．It is the same thing over and over again．Dealing with customers who complain about their food, where they are sitting and the piece of pie that they are served is too big or too small．

　　Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the window．I had been bussing since 5 pm and we were quite busy．But these elderly women were watching how I was bussing and working really hard to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers．

　　When they finished with their meals, I went over to clean their table．They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what grade I was in and what I planned to do in the future．

　　As they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a confident, gentle voice, “You are going places．” And that was it．They left the restaurant and I was pretty much in awe(惊叹)．I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me a reason to believe in myself．They lifted my spirits and gave me a reason to keep on working hard and to give my all．

　　People used to tell me that I couldn’t have a career in television until I had a degree and was out of college．I’m now the host of a student-produced television show．And the best thing is, I’m only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school．

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　　A woman wears a face mask to protect her from polluted air in Lanzhou, China, in December．

　　A new study showed air pollution might put people more at risk for heart disease than scientists had thought．Kristin Miller, a doctoral student at the University of Washington, said chances of getting the disease were related to not only which city a woman lived in, but also where in the city．The study found that the effects of air pollution were often larger within cities than between cities．

　　The new findings make experts suspect that current pollution limits may be inadequate．Scientists examined rates of heart attack, stroke(中风)and other cardiovascular(心脏血管的) events in women with long-term exposure to air pollution．

　　The study involved women over the age of fifty who had no sign of cardiovascular disease at the start of the research．The study followed the women for as long as nine years to see how they would develop cardiovascular problems．

　　The researchers also examined levels of fine particles(粒子，微粒)in the air in 36 areas across the country．That information came from the Environmental Protection Agency．The extremely small particles came from industrial smoke and traffic, along with things like wood-burning fireplaces in houses．

　　In the study, every ten-microgram increase in the risk of a cardiovascular event．But it was related to a seventy-six percent increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease．

　　But just how do particles in the air damage the cardiovascular system?The particles may cause the lungs to swell and release chemicals from the pollutants into the blood．The chemicals then could damage the heart．

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　　There is no doubt that most of the readers will be students with little or no experience in reading poetry out loud, especially to such a large group．And we know that a poem will live or die depending on how it is read．The readers, by the way, should not read poems without getting any practice．They should be given their poems a few days in advance so that they have time to practice, maybe in the presence of a teacher．

　　Read the poem slowly．Most young people speak quickly, and a nervous reader will tend to do the same in order to get the reading over with．Reading a poem slowly is the best way to make sure that the poem will be read clearly and understood by its listeners．Learning to read a poem slowly will not always make the poem easier to hear, however．A poem should not be read too slowly, and a good way for a reader to set an easy pace is to pause for a few seconds between the title and the poem’s first line．

　　Read in a normal, relaxed tone of voice．It is not necessary to give any of these poems a dramatic reading, as if from a stage．The poems selected are mostly written in a natural style and should be read in that way．Let the words of the poem do the work．Just speak clearly and slowly．

　　Obviously, poems come in lines, but pausing at the end of every line will create a choppy (起伏的)effect and interrupt the flow of the poem．Readers should pause only where there is punctuation(标点)，just as you would when reading prose(散文)，only more slowly．

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　　When you enter a crowded room or go on a picnic or to a party, who is the most attractive and appealing person?It is the person who is cheerful, has a smiling face and behaves as if he or she is enjoying every moment of the event!Such people have an optimistic opinion on life．They are the ones with a positive attitude．On the other hand, let’s see that fellow in the corner with a long face．He is most probably thinking about the time and money wasted in having fun．He is a pessimist, one with a negative attitude．

　　A person with a positive attitude gets on well with the job at hand．He doesn’t worry about what’s gone before or what might happen in the future．If there is a problem, he quickly thinks of ways to solve it．If the problem cannot be solved singly, he seeks help from someone else．He doesn’t feel that it’s beneath his dignity to seek assistance．

　　When Sonal lost her history notes days before an important examination, she sat down and cried．Then she pulled herself together, borrowed a friend’s notes, worked day and night and managed to copy down whatever she had lost．Sonal passed the exam with flying colors．

　　It’s just not possible, even for the greatest optimist, to smile all the time and feel good all day．Everyone has a period of blues now and then, when everything seems sad and without cheer．But once you develop a positive attitude, once you realize that life is a series of ups and downs, dark clouds and bright sunshine, in no time at all, you’ve bounced back, ready to welcome the world again with open arms and a huge smile!So from this moment on, keep your face to the sunshine and you’ll never see the shadows．

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Blogs

　　A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet website called a “blog”．The word “blog” is a short way of saying “web log”, or “personal website”．Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like．

　　There are millions of blogs on the Internet today．They provide news information and ideas to the people who read them．They contain links to other websites, and they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others．

　　A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs．It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls．They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives．The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．

　　However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas．For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs．And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．

　　At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended．Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service “weblogs．com”．He said the site became too costly to continue．He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it．They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed．

　　One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket．Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999．She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook．It has been translated into four languages so far．

　　Miss Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about thirty thousand visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything－politics, culture and movies．She recently provided medical advice．And she wrote about how to prevent being stolen from online bank accounts．

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阅读理解

　　Police Officer Tidwell left the station after 8 a.m.on Sunday．He was looking forward to his day of rest．By habit he took a short cut down the path behind Digby Hall Road．Suddenly he saw a man climbing down a drain-pipe from an open bedroom window of number 29．Quietly Tidwell walked into the garden．The man had just reached the ground when he felt his arm grasped．

　　“It seems an unlikely adventure．Would you mind explaining?” said the officer．The man was frightened, saying, “I know what’s on your mind, officer, but it is a mistake．”

　　“It's part of my job to take an interest in unusual events．I think you’ve just left this house in a manner other than the customary one．” Tidwell took out his notebook and a pen．“Name, address and your job and then, please, tell me your story．”

　　“Charlie Crane, Lorry Driver, from Nottingham, 51 Brecon Street．My story…”

　　“Yes, What were you doing, Mr．Crane?”

　　“Well, I had a breakdown yesterday and had to stay here until it was fixed．Bed and breakfast．The landlady is Mrs．Fern．She gave me breakfast at seven, and I was out here in the right way and down at the lorry park．It was only when I felt for a cigarette that I realised I’d left 80 pounds under the pillow．It’s my habit to put my money under the pillow at night．”

　　“I see．Have you paid Mrs．Fern?”

　　“I’d paid her last night．So I came back, but it’s Sunday, and she’d gone back to bed．Could I wake her?I rang the bell and knocked on the door for ten minutes before I came here and found my bedroom window still open．Up I went, then, up this pipe．The money was still there．I hope you believe it because…”

　　“Mr．Crane, what are you doing here?I thought you’d gone an hour ago．” It was Mrs．Fern, speaking from the kitchen window．

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The Diet Zone：A Dangerous Place

　　Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet……We are surrounded by the word "diet" everywhere look and listen．We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us．We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically(身体上)．

　　Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically．On one level, we are not allowing our brains to admit that our weight, problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods．Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale(秤)instead．All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word "diet" in food labels．

　　On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects．Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results．Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle．

　　The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause．Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分)．Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products．Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemicals that go into diet products are potentially dangerous．

　　Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them．Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals．Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them．

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