O. Henry was a pen name【小题1】 by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to 【小题2】himself everything he needed to 【小题3】. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he 【小题4】different jobs.

He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went 【小题1】from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have 【小题2】it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued 【小题3】. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s 【小题4】.

   Every student wants to learn English well, but how can we learn it well? It's a good topic for English learners. Here are some good methods, which can help you improve your English quickly.

First of all, you must have a correct attitude. Please love English, not hate it. And you don't feel shy when you say or speak English. Remember one sentence: Put your face in your pocket.

Secondly, I think grammar rules, new words and phrases are important, but they are not enough. For example, some people are quite good at grammar and learned a lot of English words and phrases. But they can't speak English when they meet foreign friends.

The most effective (有效的) way to learn English well is to often use English. Don't be afraid and don’t laugh at others. We'd better listen, speak, read and write more. You can go to English corner, talk with foreigners or talk with your friends. If you have time, listen to the radio or English program. Listening to this good material can help you improve your listening and understanding. And then, you can read English books, newspapers or novels. They are wonderful. You can use the internet, chat with net-friends or write E-mails, dairies …Through these ways, you can get more for your English.

English isn't so difficult that we can't learn it well. As long as we set our mind to learn English well, I’m sure everyone will be successful.

   When the musical sound rings you, you immediately reach for your pocket ready to have a chat.But although you probably use it all the time, have you ever stopped to think about the manners related to talking on the phone? If you haven’t, here are some tips to guide you．

●Always give the person you are calling plenty of time to get to the phone before you hang up. If the person who answers is not the one you want,give your name and ask if you may speak to the person you want．

●Think about the time you call people.Try not to call too early in the morning（before about 9:00）or too late at night（after about 9:30）. Also try not to call at mealtimes．

●If you go by plane to visit your relatives at Christmas, remember to follow airline instructions.Cell phones must be turned off as soon as the plane doors are closed and remain so until the doors open again on arrival．

●When face to face with someone, do not talk on the phone. It is rude to be on the phone when a waiter is trying to take your order in a restaurant, or when you are returning the shoes you have just been trying on in a shop. Finish any face-to-face business before taking a call. Continuing to use the phone while nodding to the person in front of you is quite impolite．

●When in a restaurant with your friends,keep phone conversations short. Make a call only if it is important. Practice speaking in a low voice.If no one looks your way, you’ve got it．

●If you go to a theatre, a concert or a cinema, consider the other people around you.Check that your phone is “off” before you enter. If you are expecting a very important call, put your phone on “vibrate”（振动）and run for the exit as soon as you feel it. If you forget both “off” and “vibrate” and your phone rings, don’t answer it, turn it off straight away.

   You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes’ break between classes. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can’t __________ how quickly time has passed.

If you are familiar with this scene, you’ll know how time flies when you are having fun and drags when you are bored. Now scientists have come up with a reason why this is the case.

Scans have shown that patterns of activity in the brain change according to how we focus on a task. When we are bored, we concentrate more on how time is passing. And this makes our brains  _________ the clock is ticking more slowly.

In an experiment _________ by a French laboratory, 12 volunteers watched an image while researchers monitored their brain activity.

The volunteers were told to _________ concentrate on how long an image appeared for, then _________ the color of the image, and thirdly, study both duration and color. The results showed that the brain was more active when the volunteers paid attention to more subjects.

It is thought that if the brain is busy focusing on many aspects of a task, it has to spread its resources, and pays less attention to the clock. _________, time passes without us really noticing  it, and seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it concentrates its full energies on monitoring the passing of time. As a result, time seems to drag.

Next time you feel bored in class, perhaps you should pay more attention to what the teacher is saying!

   We should show respect to everybody, e【小题1】our elders because they are ahead of us — in age, in wisdom and maturity, in experience and education. Our elders have done a lot for us, directly or indirectly and most of us owe everything to their kindness and love.

When we show them respect, whether it is by bowing to them, or greeting them with a smile, or o【小题2】 them any help they need, it is one way of expressing our own love and gratitude to them. B【小题3】 , elders have also been through all the years you are going through and know a little more about the world than you do.

It is l【小题4】 that you do not agree with the belief of your elders, but this is nothing new. All younger g【小题5】 have always disagreed with their elders and it is these differences that bring changes in human society. However much you disagree with them, give them credit for their experience.

With changing times and cultural influences, youngsters no longer know what is interpreted as disrespect to elders. Youngsters should quickly express their views and if there are arguments, they should not r【小题6】 their voices.  When you do simple things as a mark of respect, elders become aware that youngsters care for them, and they respond with affection and kindness.

   Life affects friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things a【小题1】 us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.

When we were children we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade, faces blur, and even friends' names from childhood are f【小题2】.

Do you have a question about friendship? Do you w【小题3】  what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly? Perhaps you will see that you can't control others. If someone wants to be your friend, it is their choice. All you can do is to treat them well and do the best for them when you are w【小题4】  them. Then you wish them well when they leave.

You can talk to old timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day becomes a m【小题5】  and the sting will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go. Sometimes when they go it will hurt, but you will be okay with it. It's the way life works, after all.

   One of Britain’s bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected police killer David Bieber -- and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡30,000 reward money.

Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt. Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bibber’s bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building.

She said: "I was very nervous. But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there.”

The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious of the guest who checked in at 3 pm the day before New Year’s Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said: "He didn’t seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact （接触）." Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stan McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm.

Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston, Gateshead, at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man. Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes.

"It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said ‘Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside?". My heart missed a beat."

Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key.

"I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel, so I went to watch. I could not see into the man’s room, but I could see the passage. The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing. Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed.