Are you an only-child in your family? Are you feeling alone at home? How are you dealing with it?
Zhang Luwen, 12, feels lucky to have a 4-year-old “brother”. “With him, I never feel lonely at home. He goes with me wherever I go,” said the girl of Sichuan Province. But it is not easy to be a sister. Zhang has to help her parents bath her “brother” every week. This is because he is hairy — he is a dog.
As the number of pet owners in China grows more and more, Chinese students have animal friends at home. Experts say that these small animals give these only-children lessons in love, care, teamwork and generosity.
This month, the first study on the influence of pets on the children came out. It is a survey of 402 Beijing primary school students. It shows that animal friends are good for children.
China had more than 90 million only-children by 2006, according to the government. “In families of three, most children feel lonely. They don’t have many chances to learn how to love and be responsible for others,” said Zhou Xia in the study group. “So having a pet can help with the problem.”
However, some students complain that their parents don’t allow them to have pets. “They are afraid a pet would stop me studying,” said Chen Qi, of Chongqing.
Perhaps he could learn from Qin Yixing, 13, of Beijing. “I don’t play with my dog until I have finished my homework. I made the promise to my mom and I must keep it,” said the girl.
【小题1】According to the passage, experts think _______.

1.Which of the following will help to improve your speech? 

A. IELTS Listening  .                       B. Car and Driver.

C. Quick & Easy Meals.                      D. Designing Effective Speech Interfaces.

2. Who will probably be interested in Quick & Easy Meals?

A. Car fans.                                B. English speakers.

C. Housewives.                          D. Businessmen.

3.How many of the four short passages are introductions of magazines?

   A. One.              B. Two.             C. Three.               D. Four.

What do you usually do after school? Playing football? Watching TV? Let's see how kids in foreign countries spend their free time?

Mess around（消遣逗乐） with Dress-up Do your parents have any old clothes? See if you can get an old box and start collecting hats, shoes and clothes now! Then, when your friends come over after school，you can play dress-up. See if you can make yourself into a doctor, or a cowboy, or even a spaceman! If you are really clever, you could even put on a show for your family! Let your imagination run wild!

Start a Club Want to learn new things after school? Want to make new friends who aren't in your class? You can get both of them in clubs. In other countries’ schools，there are usually all kinds of clubs for kids to join. There is a French club，a student government, a theatre，a choir（合唱队）and a photography club.

Take a photography club as an example. One may learn all the skills about taking photos. For example，you will learn how to choose a camera，how to use the light and how to develop pictures.

One can also make a lot of friends in clubs. It's always good to enjoy your free time with friends, isn't it?

1.How do kids in foreign countries spend their free time?        .

A. Playing football                            

B. Playing dress-up

C. Watching TV                             

D. Having a party in clubs

2.For foreign kids, what do they collect clothes and shoes for?        .

A. having them in future               

B. changing with their friends

C. making themselves into other person

D. preparing for parties

3.What do kids mainly want to do when they start a club?        .

A. Put on a show                                B. Learn new things

C. Talk with friends                                D. Take photos

4.In a photography club, kids can learn        .

A. how to use cameras          

B. how to collect cameras

C. how to repair cameras       

D. how to make a lot of friends

5.What will you learn from the passage?        .

A. Foreign kids like to put on a show in their school

B. Foreign kids usually play dress-up in clubs

C. Foreign kids spend their free time taking photos

D. Foreign kids usually join all kinds of clubs

I think the best place to go on Sunday is the zoo. When you are __1__, you can go there with your family. __2__ the zoo, there are many animals: elephants, deer, __3__, rabbits and other animals. Elephants are the __4__ animals on land. I __ 5__ there is a baby elephant in our zoo. So I want to __6__at it. Yu Xuan wants to go with me. She says, " __7__we go there together?" "Sure!" I say. "We can __8__ a good time there. But let's __9__ there at half past four. I have __10__ homework to do."