Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Net speak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cell phones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York; it's great.

Schoolteachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming（破坏）the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted（面目全非）.

Everyone should just relax, say linguists（语言学家）. They believe Net speak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Net speak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nurnberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says, "Kids who are now doing text messages, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents."

Linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can bet your bottom dollar that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted"; they simply change to meet the new needs.

However, Net speakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard（标准） English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Net speak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must（绝对必要的事物）for their future."

Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun".

   C

  Children need encouragement(鼓励)and support（支持）from the family to be successful in school. So, as parents, you should take part in your children’s educational activities, and it will be helpful for both you and your children.

  Just ask. Ask your children what they studied in class today, what they liked and what they learned. Asking questions shows that school is important.

  Quiet study. Choose a place for home study and make sure the room is quiet during that time. Greating a quiet place goes a long way toward helping your children learn.

  Regular schedule (时间表). Set up a fixed time of day for homework. Follow up with your children to be sure homework is completed and handed in on time.

  Learn together. If you want your children to finish their tasks, give yourself a task, too. When it’s time for them to do homework, take a break and spend a few minutes reading a book, a mgazine or newspaper.

­­_________ Add your children’s interest in schoolwork by relating school to everyday life. For instance, your children can learn math while you prepare favorite foods together.

  Meet their teachers. Meet with your children’s techers to discuss their progress(进步) in school.

Praise( 表扬)helps. Praise your children for successfully completing homework. Nothing encourages children more than praise from their parents.

This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US NASA (美国航空航天局) engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—hopefully doubling its working life.

The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid (小行星) so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy (重力势能) to Earth.

“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the sun,” Laughlin said.

Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter(木星) or Saturn (土星). The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.

In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to worldwide warming, although the team was actually worried about a much greater danger. The sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so “seriously compromise” our biosphere (生物圈)—by cooking us.

That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.

The plan has one or two worrying sides, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation (误算)in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly results.

There is also the question of the moon. As the present issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its present location, it is “most likely the moon would be stripped (剥离)away from Earth,” it states. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.

All students need to have good habits（好习惯）: When you have good study habits, you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily.

   Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better.

    Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too. You’ll feel tired easily if there is not   enough light.

When you have good study habits, you will         .

The living-room is not a good place for study because it is too ___________.

You’ll feel tired easily if the light is _______.

You should remember to _____ before you study.

Scientists (科学家) think that many animals cannot see colours. The world is black and white to them. Scientists want to find out if (是否) dogs can see colours. When the scientists give the dogs food, they show them a certain colour every time. The dogs get ready to eat when they see this colour. The scientists then show the dogs another colour. Again the dogs get ready to eat. The colours are all the same to them.

Colours are not all the same to monkeys. For example, if we put food in a red box, and do this every day, a monkey will always go to the red box to get food. If we put food in a blue box, the monkey won’t go to it.