One day, a little boy decided to dig a hole behind his house after watching a science programme. As he was 1, some boys stopped by to watch. "What are you doing?" asked one of them. "I want to dig a deep hole all the way through the 2! " the boy answered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling him that it was 3 to do it. Then they left.

The little boy kept on digging and digging. Suddenly, a few small colourful stones caught his eye. He 4 them and put them into a glass jar patiently. Humming a song, he 5 digging. The jar was full soon. Then he talked to himself calmly (冷静地) and proudly, Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have 6 in the process of digging!”

The boy's goal (目标) was too 7, but it did cause him to go on, to keep working.

Not every goal will be achieved. Not every job will end up with a 8. Not every dream will come true. However, when you can't achieve your goal, you can say, "Yes, but look at what I've found along the way! They come into my life because I 9 to do something!" It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected 10 on the journey that really has a meaning.

Most children with healthy appetites are ready to eat almost anything that is offered to them. A child often likes food unless it is badly cooked. The way a meal is cooked and served is the most important and an attractively served meal will often improve a child's appetite. Never ask a child whether he likes or dislikes a food and never discuss likes and dislikes in front of him or allow anybody else to do so. If the father says that he hates fat meat or the mother refuses some vegetables, he may copy this action.

Parents should agree to the fact that he likes everything and he probably will. Nothing healthy should he to out of the meal because of a supposed dislike. At meal times it is a good idea to give a child a small part and let him come back for a second helping rather than give him as much as he may eat all at once. Do not talk too much to the child during meal times, but let him get on with his food. And do not allow him to leave the table at once after a meal, or he will soon learn to eat his food hurriedly, so he can hurry back to the toys in his room. On no condition must a child be coaxed or made to eat.

The BBC recently reported a rise in the use of British English in the US. Words like "cheers", meaning "thank you", and "mate", meaning "friend", are becoming popular. No one knows  this has happened, although the success of British  (film) like Harry Potter may have something to do with it.

British English and (America) English are a little different. The two are the same in grammar but different in the way they pronounce and spell some words. Americans pronounce words like car, better and sweater with an /er/ at the end while British say these words with an /e/. The British way of  (spell) "color" is "colour" and they write "favorite" as "favourite".

English is the most spoken language in the world because the British Empire. Its colonies (殖民地) once (cover) 25 percent of the planet. In some parts of the US, people  (real) like the British accent (口音). The British actor Hugh Grant, with his British accent, was very  (success) in Hollywood. His accent is very popular, and Americans often think British accents sound very elegant (优雅的). Maybe this has something to do with the Queen.

Don't  (worry) about the difference between British  American English. When you have exams, it is fine to use the English that you learned from your textbooks. The differences are not so important.

— About ten. Please book a table under the name of my husband.

— Yes, he is my new neighbor.

Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset1your English friends don't invite you home.2 doesn't mean they don't like you. Dinner parties usually start3 7 and 8 p.m. and end at about 11p.m.

Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine 4 a gift.

Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks. If you want to be extra polite, say how much you like the room, or the 5 on the wall. But remember－it's not polite to ask how much things 6.

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 7 meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert, followed by 8. It's polite to finish9on your plate and to take more if you want it.

Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day,10 write them a short "thank you" letter. British and American people like to say "thank you" all the time!

Is there intelligent (有智力的) life on other planets? For years, scientists said "no." or "we don't know." But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers (天文学家). They believe intelligent life exists (存在) somewhere in the universe. They also think we will soon contact these beings (人；生物).

Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. "This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life," say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size—the universe is huge. "Tools like the Hubble Telescope (哈勃望远镜) have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies," says Shostak. "And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth."

In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes (高倍望远镜) allow scientists to discover smaller planets—the size of Mars or Earth—in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life.

Have beings from space already visited Earth? "Probably not," says Shostak. "It's a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals (信号). In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don't have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other."

Don't    . He may be angry.