Venice, one of the cities in Italy, was founded in A.D.811 by the people of Malamocco, fleeing（逃跑）from the Franks. It was said that they were guided by pigeons carrying little crosses, and settled where now Venice lies.

Venice is built on 117 islands. It has 150 canals and 400 bridges. The narrow streets, with their historic names, are covered with stones, but have no footpaths. They are dotted with flowershop signs and lanterns. Shops and palaces stand by side. The brick bridges are high enough to allow boats to pass freely under them.

The center of public life is St. Mark’s Square where tourists and citizens sit in the famous Florian and Quadri cafes to listen to music, enjoying themselves. The Quadri is more popular but the Florian, founded in 1720, is the best-known cafe because it has received such great persons as Byron (an English poet) and Goethe (a German poet).

Unfortunately the special position of Venice is threatening（威胁）its own existence. The terrain（地势）on which it is built began to sink while the level of the surrounding waters is constantly rising. However, many measures have already been taken to prevent the city from sinking.

In the second paragraph, the author _______.

Which of the following shows the right relationship?（○=Italy; △=Venice; □=St. Mark’s Square）

Why is the Florian the famous cafe? Because _________.

From the article we can see that _______.

    When your child is supposed to be doing homework, are they chatting with their friends on Facebook or playing games? Many studies have shown that multitasking doesn’t   (1)  ,   (2)   your child is probably proudly claiming they can do ten things   (3)  ! Many people believe that they can   (4)   two or more tasks at the same time, but Dr. Edward Hallowell says this is   (5)  . The reality is that multitasking   (6)   poor job performance.

    New hand-held   (7)   such as smartphones, iPads, games and social networking sites make it very easy to multitask and “attention   (8)  ” leading to difficulty focusing on the task   (9)  , such as listening in the classroom or doing homework. “  (10)  , the brain actually   (11)   kids for multitasking even if performance on every task gets worse and worse. Kids don’t know they’re doing   (12)   because they feel better when they multitask,” says Dr. Edward Hallowell.

      (13)   the appearance of hand-held devices and social networking sites, teachers have noticed a difference in   (14)   performance, critical thinking skills and how information is   (15)  . “Multitasking prevents people from gaining a deep understanding of the information they are trying to learn,” says Dr. Edward Hallowell. Kids have a difficult time sticking with a “difficult to understand” topic and   (16)   to allow themselves to be distracted（分散的）, to tune out and switch   (17)   to Facebook or using their cell phones   (18)   working harder at understanding a difficult subject or problem. In the long   (19)  , multitasking affects grades, One study showed that kids that use the Internet while in class did   (20)   on tests resulting in lower grades.

Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.

Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.

The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.

In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.

I have never understood the importance of parties in the classroom. As a mother of two school age children, I believe that public schools should no longer   (1)   classroom parties during the school day.

  (2)   is very important to students in school today. Our school year is already too short. Teachers can only just get all the basics of the courses (课程) into the   (3)   instructional minutes of the day.   (4)  , there is no time for anything useless or silly.   (5)   time is best spent focusing on the primary goal — learning.

And what about food? For health and safety reasons, schools often require that   (6)   for these activities should be bought from a store. This   (7)   a real problem for many families. Biscuits for a class of students, plus drinks and napkins can   (8)  what it costs a family to eat a meal at home. The   (9)  of a classroom party is   (10)   a problem for many people, especially in these difficult times.   (11)  , we all know that our children have eaten enough sugar and junk food without the school   (12)   such unhealthy choices.

All the   (13)   that a party can create is unacceptable! I   (14)   those birthday parties held at home for my children. I would just buy the disposable (一次性的) plates, cups, and napkins   (15)   I didn’t need to do any cleaning up. But even so, I just   (16)   to fit all the party time rubbish into the rubbish bin (垃圾桶).   (17)  the trash thrown out by a school of 16 classrooms and over 400 students. It only adds to the   (18)   of our planet’s environment.

I am not sure when our public schools decided that classroom   (19)  needed to become a part of the school calendar (日历), but I do not see the   (20)  . So I do believe schools should forbid (禁止) classroom celebrations.

Most of us don’ t know the reasons anymore but people today follow them because they are good fun.

Today the bride (新娘) carries flowers but long ago she carried strong-smelling grass. This was to frighten away the evil spirits and to cover the smell of people who do not wash often. People also used to believe that the bride brought good luck, so they would try to get something from her. Today, the bride will offer the guests some good luck by throwing the flowers to them after the wedding. It is said that if you catch the flowers, you will be the next one to get married. Of course, many of the single girls at a wedding try to catch the flowers.

In early times, the bridesmaids (伴娘) and the bride all wore similar dresses. This was to confuse the evil spirits. Now bridesmaids still wear similar dresses but the bride wears a different dress that is often white. Many brides wear veils (面纱) over their faces. This comes from a time when the young couple was not allowed to see each other before the wedding. The families were afraid that the bridegroom might not like the bride. So he was only allowed to lift her veil just before the wedding. By this time it was too late to refuse to marry her.

Brides often wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. In earlier times, if the bride did’t do this, she felt she would be in danger from the evil spirits. Wearing “something old” represents the journey between being single and being married. “Something new” represents the change from being a child to being an adult. “Something borrowed” means if you borrow something from a happily married couple, it will bring you good luck. And “something blue” comes from a time when the edge of the bride’ s dress was blue which represented purity.

Why do Chinese people love hot pot (火锅）so much? As the winter months are coming in, more and more people are sitting around a table, enjoying this kind oftraditionalmeal. I find myself wondering what it is about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1,000 years. What makes it a Chinese food favorite? It seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself.

Hot pot isn’t just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it’s also asocialexperience. It’s a “theater” cooked food that turns a meal into an event. There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding some foods to the hot pot.

Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours. For this reason, it is often considered an evening’sentertainment，and a time to spend with friends and families. However, many Westerners would beput offby the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food. When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we tend to have our own shares, although the experience is still a social one.

    Asimilarexperience to the hot pot can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which let you cook your own meat.This allows people to have their meat done .

 For most Westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is very strange. But I find it’s now one of my favorite meals in Beijing. The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this was also part of the experience. When the cold wind is blowing outside, I am sitting aroundwith my good friends, eating and drinking. For me it’s like a dinner party where my taste buds (味蕾)and myappetiteare equally satisfied in the warm company of friends.

 How will you celebrate New Yearˈs Eve? By having a party with your classmates? Going to the karaoke for a singing competition? Many people around the world celebrate the day. Letˈs have a look at what people in other countries do.

In the United States, thousands of people jam into Times Square in New York to welcome in the new year at midnight. The change from New Yearˈs Eve and New Yearˈs Day is very exciting. People count down(倒计时) the seconds to welcome the new day as the New Year ball slowly gets down and lights up the area.

In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, everyone eats 12 grapes. They eat one grape for each toll(钟声) to bring good luck for the next 12 months of the new year.

In Scotland, fireworks are set off in front of the Edinburgh Castle. Immediately after midnight, people sing Auld Lang Syne. The words are in Scottish and mean “days gone by”. The famous Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote the song.

In Brazil, most people wear white clothes on New Yearˈs Eve to bring good luck for the new year, If they live near a beach, after midnight, people go there, light candles in the sand, throw flowers in the sea and make a wish. They say that the goddess who protects the sea will make their wishes come true.

Did you know?

The date January 1 was picked by the Roman leader Julius Caesar(凯撒大帝) as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 46 BC. The month of January was named after the Roman god, Janus. He is pictured with two heads. One head looks forward and the other back. They represent a break between the old and new.

Bookstores are a traveller’s best friend: they provide convenient shelter in bad weather, and they often host readings and other cultural events. Here is a look at world’s six greatest bookstores.

    Adrian Harrington—since 1971. Rare books; rare first editions; leather bound sets and general antiquarian（古玩）. Address: 64a Kensington Church Street, Kensington, London, England, U. K.

    Another Country—Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany. Another Country is an English Language second-hand bookshop which is mostly used as a library. They have about 20000 books that you can buy or borrow. Some regular events are held at the shop, such as readings, cultural events, social evenings and film nights.

    Atlantis Books—Oia, Santorini, Greece. Atlantis Books is an independent bookshop on the island of Santorini. Greece, founded in 2004 by a group of friends from Cyprus, England, and the United States. Throughout the year it has hosted literary festivals, film screenings, book readings, and good old fashioned dance parties.

    Bart’s Books-Ojai, California, U. S. A. “The World’s Greatest Outdoor Bookstore”, a bookstore founded by Richard Bartinsdale in 1964. Shelves of books face the street, and regular customers are asked to drop coins into the door’s coin box to pay for any books they take whenever the store is closed.

    Corso Como Bookshop-Milan, Italy. Extensive selection of publication on art, architecture, design, graphics and fashion, along with a strong emphasis on photography. It was founded in 1990 in Milan, Italy, by Carla Sozzani.

    The Bookworm-Beijing, China. A bookshop, library, bar, restaurant and event space, now with four divisions in three cities-Beijing, Suzhou and Chengdu. The interconnecting rooms with floor-to-ceiling books on every wall are light and airy in summer, yet warm and comfortable in winter.