Please help. My best friend in the class, Rebecca, told me today that she is going to drop out of school!! She says that she has put off doing work for every class and no longer has enough time or energy to finish. She thinks her only choice is to quit. I know that she puts off a lot, and that this was a big problem, but I didn’t know it was so serious. Rebecca was going to talk to our teacher today about this problem, but she also postponed that meeting! I know she is feeling very anxious, but I’m worried she’s making a huge mistake. How can I help her with this serious problem? I don’t want her to leave school. 

Worried Friend 

Susan Brown, Seattle

A meal will be served at 7:00 p.m. The cost of the meal is $4.50 per person. 

Please respond with the number of family members attending by May 5ᵗʰ. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

To: HRManager@company.com 

Cc: 

From: “Stella Simpson” <stellasimpson@hotmail.com> 

Subject: Job Application 

Dear Human Resources Manager, 

I’m writing to show my interest in the Sales Adviser position you advertised on JobMarket.com. I hold a college degree in tourism. Therefore, I have both the knowledge and the skills required for this position. Having been working in a five-star hotel for five years, I am experienced in working with people in the tourism industry. My responsibilities include helping customers check in and out of the hotel, answering questions on the phone, and dealing with customers’ requests and complaints. 

Although my duty does not include selling products to customers, I have been fully aware of their needs and know how to help them solve problems. Having served in this industry for several years, I am a person who is friendly, helpful, patient, and can certainly work under stress. If given the chance, I am available for interview at any time and place. I can be reached either through mail or phone. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Yours sincerely, 

Stella Simpson 

                         

Stella Simpson 

 168 Main Street 

Sydney NSW 1000 

Australia 

Cell: 843-495-1378 

Email: stellasimpson@hotmail.com 

        Most adopted children know that they are adopted. Psychologists and child care experts generally think this is a good idea. However, many adoptees have very little information about their biological mother and father. As a matter of fact, it is often very difficult for adoptees to find out about their birth parents because the birth records of most adoptees are usually sealed. The information is confidential, so no one can see it. Sealed documents protect both adoptees and their natural parents.

The Viking age lasted from AD 790 to 1100. The Vikings were mainly from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and were the best shipbuilders and seamen of their time. They were able to travel long distances in their longships and attack towns on the coasts of Britain and Ireland. They reached Greenland, Iceland, and even America. The Vikings’ boats were long, narrow, light, and flexible. They made them out of oak wood. The typical length of a longship was about 20 meters. The hulls of the ships were shallow so that they could dock on beaches and sail in shallow water. A longship had a large, square, woolen sail, which the Vikings covered in horse fat to make it waterproof. The main power for the longship was from the oars, which were all along the ship. There were usually a crew of about 60 men who rowed the boat. The sailors usually placed their shields along the side of the boat for protection. They also carved the fronts of their ships into the shape of a dragon’s head in order to scare the enemies.

　　Hot pot is an easy way to make a meal during the winter. It’s a favorite meal in Asia. You can choose the food to cook in it and also the  41  of soup you want. You will cook all the food in the soup in the pot. When the soup  42  , you can begin cooking the food. Let the food cook  43  about 10 minutes. When the food is done, use your chopsticks or a spoon to put the food in a bowl. When you eat your food, you can add  44  kinds of sauces. After you eat all the food in the hot pot, don’t forget the soup! It will taste very good after you cook your vegetables and meat in it. A hot pot meal is a good time for friends and family to  45  to eat and talk, so don’t eat quickly!

    I use my computer twice a week. I frequently use it to download pop songs and movies from the Internet. I often use Facebook to keep in touch with friends who are far away. Sometimes I write something and post it on my blog in order to let others know what is going on in my life. 

    Computers are convenient; however, they do cause serious problems. For example, some teenagers play computer games so often that they ignore their studies. They become addicted to computer games and stop interacting with people, finally forgetting how to function in the real world. In addition, long hours of computer use can result in poor eyesight and other health problems.

        When I was a kid, I did not like to play the piano. My parents asked me to practice the piano every day, but I just

   42   to go out and play with my classmates. I was so bored with practicing the same piece of music for hours that I

almost gave it   43   . When I was ten years old, I began my piano lessons with an   44   teacher, Beth, who allowed

me to choose the piece I would like to play and urged me to play for the pleasure of the music. Instead of criticizing me,

she encouraged me and taught me to have self confidence. I also learned from Beth that the beauty of music comes from

passion rather than from techniques. I am grateful to her   45   introducing me to the wonderful world of music.

        Now I enjoy playing the piano. I practice not for my parents but for   46   . Playing the piano can be a lot of fun. 

    With spacecraft that can carry tourists into orbit and connect Paris to New York in less than two hours, the new heroes of space travel are not astronauts but daring captains of industry. This new breed of space pioneers are all using private money to push the final frontier as government space programs fall away. Times have changed. Once the space race was led by the likes of the U.S. space agency NASA that put the first man on the moon in 1969. 

    Today it is entrepreneur Elon Musk — the founder of Tesla electric cars and space exploration company Space—who wants to reach Mars in the 2020s. The furthest advanced — and most highly publicized — private space project is led by Richard Branson, the British founder of the Virgin Group. His shuttle, SpaceShipTwo, will be launched at high altitude from a weird-looking four-engined mother ship — which can carry two pilots and up to six passengers —before embarking on a three-hour suborbital flight. 

    Branson and his sons will be the first passengers aboard the shuttle when it is expected to launch late 2014. His company Virgin Galactic was given the green light in May by the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to carry passengers from a base in New Mexico, which is named “Spaceport America” — the stuff of science fiction. 

    The US$250,000 price of a ticket has not deterred more than 600 people, including celebrities such as actor Leonardo Di Caprio, from booking their seats.

    From a young age we are told that our inner qualities matter more than the clothes we wear — but do you know that your shoes can actually speak 41 to strangers? 42 a study by researchers at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, people could accurately 43 a stranger’s age, gender and income just by looking at their shoes. 44 that isn’t necessarily surprising, what made researchers 45 was the second level of analysis. Participants in the study could also tell whether another person was insecure in her close relationships, or more laid-back and relaxed, based on the shoes she wore.