Who designed (设计) the first helicopter (直升飞机)? Who painted one of the most famous pictures in the world? （1）________ There is an answer to all these questions—Leonardo de Vinci.

   Leonardo may have been the greatest genius (天才) people have ever known. He lived in Italy around the year 1500, but many of his inventions seem modern to us today. For example, one of his notebooks has drawings of a helicopter. （2）________ But scientists say his idea would have worked.

   Leonardo wasn't just an inventor. （3）________ By the time he was twenty years old, he was called a master painter, and as he got older he became even more famous. Sometimes he drew a hand in ten different ways before he was ready to paint.

   January 1 is New Year's Day, the first day of the year. It is a legal (法定的) holiday, and all banks, stores and schools are closed. Many people invite their friends to come and visit them in the afternoon or evening.

   The only legal holiday in February is Washington's Birthday. Although Washington was born on February 22, his birthday is now celebrated on the third Monday of February. Some states also celebrate Lincoln's birthday on February 12. These two, the United States' most famous presidents, were both born in February.

   The last Monday in May is Memorial Day (纪念日). This holiday remembers the Union Civil War soldiers, who died for their country. Americans celebrate Memorial Day with services in cemeteries (公墓) and churches.

   America's great national holiday, Independence Day, falls on the fourth of July. It celebrates the birth of the United States. It was on this day that the colonists (殖民地居民) announced their independence from England. They had to fight hard for the next seven years to win this independence.

   The first Monday of September is Labour Day (劳工节). This holiday honours (向……表示敬意) the working people of the United States. There are sorts of celebrations and speeches on this day too. People go to all kinds of places to enjoy the fine weather at the end of summer.

How green are you? Do you know how to be green?

We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.

Reduce

Reduce means “use less”. Don’t waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary—or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.

Reuse

Reuse means “use again”. Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don’t use a paper cup of a paper bag. It’s better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.

Recycle

Recycle means “change things into something else”. Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it’s better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.

So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Different countries celebrate the New Year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar, meaning that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year celebrations for some countries (like China, Vietnam, and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!

In the US, many people attend New Year parties. They drink, dance, and cheer at midnight.

In the southern US, many people eat black­eyed peas for good luck in the new year.

In Mexico and Venezuela, many people wear red or yellow for good luck.

In Brazil, people wear white clothes for good luck, and in China, they wear red clothes and give children red envelopes with money in them.

In Iran, people wear brand new clothes on the first day of the New Year.

In Scotland, people open the front door at midnight to let in the New Year, and open the back door to let out the old year.

In Switzerland, people kiss each other three times at midnight.

In Japan, they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of(除掉) the 108 bad desires.

In Korea, they ring a bell 33 times for 33 old soldiers(士兵).

A

To travel around the world is the dream of many adventurous people. But very few people can afford a global tour because hotels, food and airplane tickets are too expensive. Some people, however, have thought of some ways to realize their dreams.

Laura Cody and Tanbay Theune, a couple from Britain, decided to travel around the world. They have found a good way to pay for their trips. They look after pets for rich house owners. In exchange, they can stay in the houses for free. They have looked after horses, cows, cats, dogs and fish. In two years, the couple has been to Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. They have stayed in big cities and small villages. The home owners are usually very generous and have given them food, wine and day trips.

Another person who tries to realize her travel dream is photographer Rhiannon Taylor. She travels around the world to visit, review and take photos of the best hotels. She shares the places she stays and the food she eats on the Internet with tens of thousands of followers.

With these ways of making money, traveling around the world is no longer a dream. More and more young people are thinking creatively to make their dream come true.

Balzac (巴尔扎克) was a great French writer. But he was very poor before he became famous. He lived in a dirty, wet room and was often worried about food. All his friends were very poor and they could not help him.

   One night, it was very cold. The wind blew and it was snowing heavily. Balzac went to bed early but couldn't fall asleep. He didn't get any food before he went to bed, He thought and thought, but he couldn't have a good idea. At midnight, he saw a man climb in through the broken window. The man began to steal something on his bookshelf. Balzac got up quietly and said, “Don't waste time, my friend! I couldn't find any money in the daytime. How can you find some in the dark?”

National parks are large areas of public land. They give a safe home for local plants and animals. They help keep the air and water clean. They also give us the best trips. Today, there are nearly 7,000 national parks around the world. Forbes has listed 12 of the most beautiful ones in the world that will surprise you with their amazing landscapes（风景）, geographic wonders and colorful plants and animals.

TheGrand Canyon National Parkof the US is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is best known for its size and depth. It is 446 kilometers long, up to 29 kilometers wide, and 1.6 kilometers deep. The immensity of the canyon makes people think big. Every year, about 5 million people visit here. Taking a tour in the South Rim offers visitors the parkˈs full views, while the North Rim shows beautiful wild flowers.

If you love animals, youˈll like theSerengeti National Parkin Tanzania. The“Big Five”live here. They are the lion, African elephant, African leopard, black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The name“Big Five”came from the five animals that were the hardest to catch. Now they are what people most want to see in the wild. If you visit the park, you should never miss the migration（迁徙）of over 1.5 million wildebeests（角马）and 250,000 zebras every year. This is the most famous site of the park.

   When we talk about NBA, many people will think of Yao Ming. There's no doubt that Yao Ming is a Chinese hero. On October 16, 2013, Yao announced (宣布) he would open the NBA Yao School. This was really exciting news!

   Looking at the name of the school, many people would think that the school is going to train NBA talents. But that is not the truth. The NBA Yao School provides after-school basketball training and health programmes. Its students include boys and girls over 16 years old who are very good at playing basketball. The school aims to teach the importance of teamwork, leadership (领导素养) and communication in a fun basketball environment.

   Yao is quite glad to be part of the school, because it has always been his dream to positively (积极地) influence young people's life through sports.

   Now, basketball fans in China are looking forward to getting good basketball training, and the NBA Yao School is a great choice. In this school, students have chances to meet NBA stars. The stars can offer suggestions on how to play basketball well.

   The school's first programme opened at the Wukesong Basketball Park in February, 2014. If you want to know more information about the school, you can visit www. nbayao, com.

根据短文内容,判断正(T)误(F)。

Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to make sure that you and your group have a successful and educational visit to CU Museum.

   Before the Visit

   Discuss the coming trip with your students.

   Use the pre-visit (参观之前的) activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources (资源) as a pre-visit activity.

   After the Visit

   Discuss the trip with your class. Talk about what was learned and answer their questions.

   Ask them to write about their museum experiences.

   Use the post-visit activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources as a post-visit activity.

   For more information on how you can make your visit a success, please call us at (303) 492-1666 or (303) 492-4843.

   For other questions, please send an email to cumuseum @ colorado. edu.

There are some famous buildings in the world. Everyone can recognize (认出) them with their imaginations. For example, when you see a picture of sports stadium (体育场) that reminds you of a bird's nest, you probably know it is the Olympic stadium in Beijing.

   In fact, other buildings can be recognized more easily. The shape of the building shows the objects people can see inside. In Guizhou, China, people can visit the Meitan Tea Museum, built in the shape of a big teapot. From far away, the teapot-shaped museum looks like some kind of huge work of art. But as one gets closer, the windows make it clear that this is a building.

   People who are interested in guitars might want to visit the Guitar Museum in Tennessee, USA. The building is shaped like a guitar. Inside, visitors can see all kinds of guitars and learn about famous guitar players.

   One of the newest funny-shaped museums is a pottery museum in Korea. This museum, built in 2011, is shaped just like a traditional Korean pot. Along with seeing examples of pots and tools used for making pots in the museum, visitors can try to make their own pots there.