Did you know that a new weblog is being created each second? Many of these bloggers are teenagers. While their parents wrote in a diary to express their emotions, or shared their interests by spending time with friends, teens are now using blogs instead. In fact, in the US, one in every five school-aged teens has a blog. Most of these are just chatter, some are funny or clever, but a few have become Internet success.
For example, Chloe Spencer’s blog ‘Neopets Fanatic’ gets around 300,000 hits per month. When Chloe was 15, she started the blog out of her strong liking for Neopets, a kind of pet website. One reason her blog has so many visitors is because she gives instructions and tips for the popular pet site.

Then there is Tavi Gevinson’s blog ‘Style Rookie’. It is said to get 1.5 million hits per month. Tavi, who started her blog when she was just 12, puts up her photos of her own clothes online as well as designers’ collections. Tavi’s blog has caught on because she knows a lot about style for someone so young, and she is not afraid to try out unusual clothes or see things in a different way.
Blogs like these are interesting, but they only become really popular after better-known websites link to them or they get noticed by the media(传媒). For example, Tavi’s blog became an overnight(一夜之间) success after being written about in The New York Times. Popular blogs can even earn money, usually from advertisements that companies pay to put up on the bloggers’ sites.
So for some, blogging is just a recreation(消遣), but for others, it can become a source of income and even a full-time job!
【小题1】 Teens nowadays ________ than their parents did.

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guestroom. Instead the angels were given some space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

     The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable (好客的) farmer. After sharing a little food they had, the farmer and his wife let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.

     The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, "How could this happen?" "Why didn't you watch out for the cow? The first family had everything, yet you watched over his house," she accused (谴责). "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, you didn't help."

     "Things aren't always what they seem," the angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. So things aren't always what they seem."

1. The older angel repaired the hole for the rich family because _____________________.

A. she wanted to punish the greedy owner

B. the basement was too cold to stay in

C. she wanted to save the gold for the poor.

D. she believed that one should always be ready to offer help

2. The younger angel was very angry because _______________________________.

A. the older angel killed the farmer's cow?

B. the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live in

C. the older angel treated the two families unfairly

D. the angel of death took the cow away instead of the farmer’s wife

3. Why did the older angel let the farmer's cow die?______________________.

A. Because she was sympathetic to the rich

B. Because she wanted to save the farmer's wife.

C. Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow.

D. Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson.

4.The first “they” in line 7 refers to ________while the second “they” in line 8 refers to _______in the second paragraph.

A. two travelling angels; the couple???????

B. two travelling angels; the wealthy family

C. the couple; two travelling angels???????

D. the couple; the angel of death and the God

5.The story tries to tell the readers that _________________________.

A. angels are always ready to help the poor

B. angels are always ready to help the rich

C. the young should always learn from the cold

D. sometimes things are not always what they seem

Before you hit ‘Enter’ on MSN, read this
It is often said that the language we use online is less formal than that we use in a letter, or in direct speech sometimes. This is true, but it can also make us in trouble sometimes.
The thing about online communication is that you have no idea what the person who is reading your messages is feeling. For this reason, it is always a good idea to be polite and cautious when writing e-mails or messages to your friends.
Chinese can be a direct language, but in English, people often talk about a subject in another way. So instead of saying “Please meet me here” or “Do this for me now”, English speakers usually go for indirect phrases like “Would it be possible”, “if you have time” or “It would mean a lot to me if…”
If you have a close friend, you may still run into trouble because of your jokes. If you have asked someone to do something and they need a bit more time, you might joke with him: “What? You still haven’t done it yet? What’s wrong with you?” While this seems funny to you, your friend may feel unhappy.
If you have foreign friends in different countries, the time difference can also be a factor. While you are waking up for class on Friday morning, they may be having a party on Friday night. You will be serious and they will, probably, be excited. So don’t be angry if they seem not to care about you. Just try to message them at the proper time.
【小题1】 According to the passage, we learn that our letters are more ______ than the e-mails.