We seem to be losing the fight against landmines. While, every year, about 100.000 landmines are removed, 20,000,000 more are buried in the ground.   (1)   . Someone has to use a metal detector to find the mines. This is very inaccurate as the metal detector finds all metal objects, not just the mines, and it does not find new types of mines which are covered in plastic. Then he or she has to dig the mine out without setting it off.   (2)   .

   (3)   . Several countries are working on technological solutions to the landmines problem. As part of Japan’s support for finding and removing landmines in Afghanistan, Japanese scientists and engineers have been researching into robotics(机器人学). One of the most exciting projects is at Chiba University, where a robot that looks something like an insect is being developed. It is 4 meters long, 1.8 meters wide, 1 meter high, and weighs 900 kilograms, about the size of a small car. It walks on 6 legs and when it finds a mine, it marks the spot with paint and sends data to a computer which can then map the mines. As well as being much safer than finding mines by hand, the insect robot is also much faster.

  (4)   . The goal is for the computer to use the data it receives to determine not only whether an object is just a piece of metal or a mine, but also what type of mine it is. The researchers hope that mass production of robots will start in the next year or so and they will be used in such countries as Afghanistan and Cambodia.

In the 1990s world opinion built up against the use of landmines and, in 1997, 122 countries signed an agreement in Ottawa, Canada, to stop the manufacture and the use of landmines.   (5)  . Perhaps robotics will provide a solution, but as every 20 minutes goes by, one more person is killed or badly injured.

Secret codes （密码）keep messages private．Banks，companies，and government agencies use secret codes in doing business，especially when information is sent by computer．

   People have used secret codes for thousands of years．　(1)　Code breaking never lags（落后） far behind code making．The science of creating and reading coded messages is called cryptography．

   There are three main types of cryptography．　(2)　For example，the first letters of “My elephant eats too many eels” Spell out the hidden message “Meet me．”

　(3)　You might represent each letter with a number，for example，Let’s number the letters of the alphabet，in order，from 1 to 26．If we substitute a number for each letter，the message “Meet me” would read “13 5 20 13 5．”

   A code uses symbols to replace words，phrases，or sentences．To read the message of a real code，you must have a code book．　(4)　For example，”bridge“ might stand for “meet” and “out” might stand for “me．” The message “bridge out” would actually mean “Meet me．” 　(5)　However，it is also hard to keep a code book secret for long．So codes must be changed frequently．

Maybe you are an ordinary student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however,  (1)  Here’s how:

When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do.   (2)  First plan your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment. A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television.  (3)  Studyregularly.

When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, and read that material.   (4)   If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you’ll remember it longer.

There are other methods that might help you with your study. You will probably discover some of them after you have tried these.

If you feel depressed, it’s best to do something about it—depression doesn’t just go away on its own. In addition to getting help from a doctor or counselor, here are four things you can do to feel better.

Exercise. Take a 15-to-30-minute walk every day — or dance, jog, or bike if you prefer. People who are depressed may not feel much like being active.  (1)  Once you get in the exercise habit, it won’t take long to notice a difference in your mood.

    Cherish yourself with good nutrition. Depression can affect appetite. One person may not feel like eating at all, but another might overeat. If depression has affected your eating, you’ll need to be extra mindful of getting the right food.   (2)  So eat plenty of fruits arid vegetables and get regular meals （even if you don’t feel hungry, try to eat something light, like a piece of fruit, to keep you going）.

Identify troubles.  (3)   When you know what’s got you feeling blue and why, talk about it with a caring friend.  Talking is a way to release the feelings and to receive some understanding. If there’s no one to tell, pouring your heart out to a journal works just as well.

  (4)  Depression affects a person’s thoughts, making everything seem dark, negative, and hopeless. If depression has you noticing only the negative, make an effort to notice the good things in life. Try to notice one thing, and then try to think of one more. Consider your strengths, gifts, or blessings. Most of all, don’t forget to be patient with yourself.   (5)  

What color do you like best ? Do you like yellow, orange, and red?   (1)  Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist .At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.   (2)  If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

     (3)  A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.  (4)  A black bridge over the Thames River , near London, used to be the scene of more suicides (自杀) than any other bridge in the area until it was repainted green .The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

    (5)  It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or gray.

Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, and you are speaking quite fluently． __(1)____

First of all, remember that you are not alone．Listening is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language．The most important thing is to listen as often as possible．

 __(2)____ The Internet is really a useful tool for English students．You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com．The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station．

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated（受阻）by limited understanding. __(3)____

By remaining calm, allowing yourself not to understand, and not to translate while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: understanding English in English．

It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. ___  (1)  ___ Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. ___  (2)  ___ If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, no one will be any the wiser. When such moments occur, donˈt worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened.

Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that donˈt really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther Kingˈs famous speech－“I have a dream”， you may notice that he stumble(结巴) his words twice during the speech. ___  (3)  ___ Why? Because you were fixing your attention on its message rather than on his way of speech­making.

People care a lot about making mistakes in a speech because they regard speech­making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication. They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice­skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performer. They are looking for a well­thought­out speech that expresses the speakerˈs ideas clearly and directly. ___  (4)  __

As you work on your speech, donˈt worry about being imperfect. ___  (5)  ___

Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day.   (1)    .

   Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping.      (2)    .

   The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia.    (3)     . In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes to tell people that we buy too much.

    In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day.   (4)    . They made posters and talked to other students about it.     (5)     . The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day.

We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very good job.   (1)  

So, you have to give a speech and you are terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank Goodness, it’s over. I’m just not good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again.”

Cheer up!   (2)   Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of your time doing your research. Then spend plenty of your time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they help you make your points more clearly.   (3)  Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Just remember: Be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief.   (4)  And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience. If you follow these simple steps, you will see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches ! You’re not convinced yet?    (5)