Once upon a time，there lived a girl in ancient China named Mulan．Mulan's father used to be a general．He was too old to fight．but not too old to____ Mulan how to ride a horse and use a sword（剑）． Girls usually did not learn these____． But Mulan's father believed everyone should know how to__ even girls．

One day， the emperor sent soldiers to Mulan's village．The war was coming．Men were ____for the army． the leader of the soldiers put up a list of names in the village square． Each name meant one man from each family．

Mulan saw her father's name on the list． She knew her father couldn't fight in a war． Mulan's brother was a young child． There was____ Mulan who could take her father's place． But the army did not lake girls as fighting men．

Quietly， the next morning， Mulan stole her father's armor （盔甲）． She dressed up herself as a____．The soldiers accepted"him"in her____ place．

Mulan was very careful over the years． No one found that she was a girl． When the war was over，Mulan received a special prize from the emperor for her___．

The emperor gave her a horse and a lot of wealth!

Her family greeted her with joy． Mulan dressed once again in the clothes of a woman．

Two of the men who had worked with Mulan____by her home， on their way home． When Mulan greeted them, they could not believe their eyes.

After recalling many memories， they_____believed that Mulan was a woman． They spread Mulan's story across China and it inspired many young women to ride horses and use swords．

Do you have a lucky number？ What is it？ Many people have a special number____they hope it will bring them good luck．

In Chinese culture， people believe some numbers are lucky or unlucky according to____sounds．For example， the number 8（ba）____ quite like the Chinese character"发（fa）"． So people think it is a very lucky number． Some people will even spend lots of money ____8 in their phone numbers or driving license numbers． The opening ceremony（开幕式）of the Beijing Olympics began at 8：00 pm．____8 August， 2008．

   I am 13 years old and in eighth grade． One day， when I was walking home from school， I saw some words on a fence（栅栏）of a house． It said， "Happiness is a direction， not a destination（终点）．" I had been having a bad day and just reading this made me a little happier．

I saw the quote（格言） every day while walking home from school． One day I decided to write one of my favourite quotes on the fence for someone else to see． But when I came back to the fence， I saw another quote under mine． I added another， and we kept at this pattern for quite a while．

A few days later， when I was writing another quote on the fence， the old man， one of my neighbours， who owned the fence， saw me． He came out and I was afraid he would be angry with me． He was not known to be a friendly person． He looked at me angrily and then read the quotes on the fence． Without saying a word， he went back inside． I was terrified for a while， but when I went back to the fence， I noticed two words had been added： "Thank you．"

Later， I saw the old man in his front yard． He called me over and told me that he was glad to see that young people still had values． We are now good friends． I still don't know who wrote that very first quote， but I'd like to say "thank you" to that unknown hero．

The world is full of great books， just waiting to read．【小题1】Here are some tips．

What makes you happy？

If you have a favorite hobby， look for books about that activity． You're more likely to enjoy reading a book if you're already interested in its subject．

Fiction or nonfiction？

Some books are totally made up and imagined．【小题2】 Novels， short stories， and fables（寓言）are all examples of fiction． These books can bring you to another world or help you imagine something beyond（超出） your own experience．

【小题3】 But that doesn't mean they are boring． Nonfiction books can bring to life everything from the first trip to the moon to what it's like to explore （探索）the deepest oceans．

Try both fiction and nonfiction books to see which you like better．

Find a family favorite．

What was your mother's favorite book when she was at your age？ Or your dads？【小题4】 Then you can ask them why they liked it and share your thoughts． It's a fun way to get to know your family a little better， and to find a book you ll enjoy!

Ask an expert．

Your local library is a great place to find books that you will love．【小题5】 Tell a librarian about your interests． Your librarian can help you find books that you're sure to love． Your teacher is another good person to ask．

最近，你随机调查了你校50名同学的课外英语学习现状（结果见图表）．请你就此用英语写一篇短文，在英语课上进行汇报，并谈谈你的看法和建议．

注意：1．文章必须包括图表中四项内容，可适当增加细节；

2．看法和建议至少两条；

3．文章开头已纪给出，不计入总词数，你只需接着写；

4．词数：80﹣100．

参考词汇：背诵 recite

I have recently done a survey about how students learn English out of class．  ．