At a supermarket in County Durham, England, the workers are getting ready for some lessons in sign language (手语). They are excited to meet their teacher — two-year-old Diana Graham. The little girl will teach them how to communicate with deaf(聋的) customers(顾客).
Diana is a wonder child. She began to use sign language to “speak” to her deaf mother before she said her first word. So whenever the phone rings or there’s a knock at the door, her mother can be quickly told by her.
Diana understands the sign language well. Her mother even reads story books to her in sign language. Her grandmother said, “Diana started signing at about five months. She is so clever for her age.”The supermarket officials couldn’t think of a better sign language teacher for their workers. So they asked Diana to give some lessons to the workers. They hoped that her lessons would help the workers communicate better with deaf customers during their shopping.
【小题1】Who will teach the workers to learn sign language?

“Chinese style road crossing” became a hot topic in China from the end of last year. Now, many cities have started to punish these jaywalkers (乱闯马路的人).

“Chinese style road crossing” means crossing roads without thinking about traffic lights, as long as you are part of a crowd.

Beijing Traffic Management Bureau (北京交通管理局) announced that from April 6, people who do not wait for the green light to cross the road will receive a fine of 10 yuan. Officials from the bureau said that using the diagonal (对角线) to cross the road is also against the rules. Walkers should walk in an “L” shape.

Besides Beijing, many places have also taken steps to stop “Chinese style road crossing”. Provinces such as Sichuan, Shanxi and Zhejiang have already started to fine jaywalkers 5 to 50 yuan since last year.

Road traffic deaths top the list of deaths from non-natural causes in China, Xinhua reported. The action to punish behaviors that go against traffic rules calls on people to realize the importance of traffic safety.

However, many people complain that the red lights last too long. “But as long as the design of traffic lights is the same, everyone should follow the rulers. Otherwise the country will lose its order,” said People’s Daily.

Some cities have also paid attention to the problem. Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, for example, said it would not only focus on punishment, but also improve road safety facilities (设施), such as fixing traffic lights in a more proper way and building overpasses (天桥).

1. Was the topic “Chinese style road crossing” very popular last year?

2.What is the right way for walkers to cross the road?

3. How are jaywalkers in Sichuan punished?

4. Why is it necessary to punish those who go against traffic rules?

5. Besides punishment, what else do some cities do to solve the problem?

6. What’s your opinion on the action to punish jaywalkers?

A forest fire that burned 55 square kilometers was finally brought under control on Wednesday morning. The fire started on Sunday in Black Bear State Park and quickly spread to nearby areas.
On Monday, police evacuated（疏散） the small town of Lawson and ordered the people to leave their homes. The fire destroyed 20 homes in the area and caused heavy damage to 40 others.
Nobody was hurt. Officials said the damage to homes and cars was between $l million and $2 million. The government declared (宣布) the town a disaster (灾难) area. The fire spread quickly in the hot, dry weather. Fire fighting was difficult because of strong winds. Firemen from 55 fire departments in the state joined the National Fire Service to put out the fire. Some kept fighting for 24 hours. Fire engines and helicopters（直升飞机）dropped water onto the fire. In order to control the fire, firemen cleared a way around the fire.
Police closed King Road to traffic on Tuesday because of heavy smoke. Thousands of tourists had to drive an hour north to Queen Road to pass the fire area.
Some people did not follow the police order. Paul Grayson sent his wife and two children to safety, but he stayed. As the fire came within 50 feet of his house, he started thinking, “Am I foolish? Did I stay here too long, just for a house?”
【小题1】When and where did the forest fire start?  
【小题2】. What did the police order the people to do?
【小题3】Why was fire fighting difficult?         
【小题4】 How did the firemen drop water onto the fire?
【小题5】What kind of person do you think Paul Grayson was?