Music is different from songs. Songs express feelings with lyrics, but music with tones (音調(diào)). Unlike
songs, music tones in themselves have no specific meanings. Different people may get different things from
the same musical performance. Though some music works are difficult to understand, people need music
in their daily life because it brings fun to them. Different people like different music: some love classical
music, and others take pleasure in pop music. Most young people like pop music.
    Pop music began in the USA and became popular around the world during the 1950s and 60s. The
best-known early kind of pop music was “rock and roll”. Pop music has taken the place of native music
in many parts of the world. It has caused the number of people for “jazz” music to become much smaller
than in the 1950s and earlier and it has now begun to become the most popular. Much pop music is
without artistic value (價值), but the works of some pop singers such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the
groups like Pink Floyd and Crosby are excellent. And there is still great interest in it today. Pop music
concerts and festivals are held all over the world.

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     Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset(不安的) if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you. 
     Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 pm and end at about 11. Ask your hosts (主人) what
 time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift. 
     Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks (小吃). If you want to be extra polite, say how much
  you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember: it's not polite to ask how much things cost. 
     In many families, the husband sits at one of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with
 their guests. 
     You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with
 vegetables, and then dessert (甜點(diǎn)心), followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate
 and to take more if you want it.
     Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short "thank you" letter. British
  and American people like to say "thank you, thank, thank you" all the time!
1. If your English friend doesn't invite you to dinner at home, it means he or she _____. 
    A. doesn't like you  
    B. likes you    
    C. can't afford to do so  
    D. is too busy
2. It's impolite _____.    
    A. to ask about the price of a certain thing  
    B. to say "thank you" to hosts
    C. take nothing with you when you are invited to dinner  
    D. to eat up everything on your plate
3. The meal ends with _____ usually. 
    A. soup    
    B. coffee      
    C. meat or fish
    D. dessert
4. When you are invited to a dinner party, you'd better _____. 
    A. ask what time you should arrive        
    B. take your wife with you 
    C. drink as more as possible              
    D. eat more snacks as you can
5. Which of the following is true? 
    A. The hosts like the people who sit closer to them. 
    B. The hosts like the people who ask them time, price, age, etc. 
    C. The husband and the wife usually sit together. 
    D. You can call your host the next day or write a letter of thanks after that.

    What is your favourite colour? Ask famous persons like Cat Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, and Bono
(singer for the band U2), and maybe they wil say “green”. That’s not because these artists particularly like
the color green. Instead, they are interested in green fashion.
    Green fashion is about making(and wearing)clothes that are good for humans, animals, and the Earth.
In the past, green fashion made people think of hippies(嬉皮士)and ugly clothes. But today, green fashion is different. It is about looking good and caring about the Earth and other people. You can have interesting clothes and be green.
   Around the world, green fashion is becoming popular. For example, the UK.company People Tree sells men's and women’s clothing and accessories(附件). They are made from natural fabrics(面料) like
cotton and wool. Workers who make the clothes are from countries like Nepal, Kenya, and Bangladesh. People Tree pays the men and women good money for the clothes they create.
    Singer Bono and his wife also started a clothing company called EDUN. When the clothes sell, EDUN uses most of the money to help people around the world.

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        The new book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood is warmly welcomed by the children in China. It sells well across China. You can see and hear the advertisements about the book here and there.
        Why is the book so attractive to children? After reading it, I was attracted by the magic world. I can not help asking: where is our own Harry Potter?
        China has a long history and colorful culture. With a large market of teenagers, China published(出版)many popular books among children. However, why are the present books not as good as those foreign ones?    
        Firstly, quite a number of children's books are written for teaching, and they have little interest. Reading them, children often have a feeling of being “educated”. Certainly, they don't like them. Secondly, fewer children like the same stories, but most Chinese books are usually much the same. One knows the ending as early as in the beginning. Finally, the writers seldom think about children's needs.
        First-class Reading, for children should be interesting, and written in their language.

         In many countries around the world May 1 is a holiday. Labour Day, or Workers' Day, is an international holiday that honours working men and women, and the jobs they do.
         During the late 1880s, in many parts of the world, people worked for fourteen to sixteen hours a day in factories, and earned very little money. In the United States and Canada, working people got together to try to make their workplaces better. These groups of people formed unions (團(tuán)體). The union leaders asked company directors for shorter work days and higher salaries (工資), but many of them refused to accept their ideas.
         On May 1, 1886, men and women in the United States and Canada stopped work and marched through cities and towns to try and force bosses to let them work an eight-hour day. In the city of Chicago, several people died in fights with the police. Over the next few years, people in cities around the world stopped working every May 1 to honour workers everywhere. By the early twentieth century, the first of May was a national holiday in many countries.
         In the United States and Canada, May 1 is not a holiday. North Americans celebrate Labour Day on the first Monday in September. Today in the Unites States, Labour Day is mostly about having fun. People enjoy a long weekend, and often celebrate by having barbecues or picnics with friends or family. In many parts of the Unites States, Labour Day is also the last day of summer vacation, and the students return to school the next day.