“Depend on yourself” is what nature says to every man. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. Others still can help you. But all these people only help you to help yourself.
There have been many great men in history. Many of them were very poor when they were young, and had no uncles, aunts, or friends to help them. Schools were few and not very good. They could not depend on them for education. They tried their best to learn something and never gave up till they became well-known. One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, “I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help you make men of yourselves.”
Some young men don’t try their best to make themselves valuable to the human beings. If they see their weak points and change their ways, they can be successful. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as(只要) they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers, and depend on themselves.
【小题1】Why did many men succeed?

We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration (迁徙) is probably the migration of fish, which is called “salmon”(蛙鱼). This fish is born in fresh(淡的) water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobster (龙虾). Every year, when the season of the bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
【小题1】 Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to _______.

In every country, there are thousands of people who want to help out. Many join organizations run (管理) by their governments, for example, the Peace Corps in the United States and Voluntary Service Overseas in Britain. Since the powerful (猛烈的) earthquake took place in Sichuan, more than 200 thousand volunteers across China have been helping there! They do all kinds of work or come up with ways to help improve life. Some offer their professional skills for free. Others have no qualifications (资历), but they love to work hard to help.
One of the most famous volunteers in the world was Mother Teresa. She could be the best volunteer because she gave her life to helping the poorest people of Calcutta. She helped the homeless, cared for the sick, gave out food, and became the mother of those without families.
Now more and more teenagers actively look for volunteering opportunities, too. They volunteer because they think it will be fun or they will learn something. They also like the idea of being helpful to others, even if it is just handing out books for the teacher. As they get older, these reasons are still the same, but there are other important reasons for volunteering such as learning on-the-job, getting work experience, and improving their social life.
All volunteers bring joy to the people they help in so many ways. They might read books to the blind, fix up broken homes, find ways to get water for villages. Could you be a volunteer? What kind of volunteer work could you do? There is someone in the world who needs you.
【小题1】The Peace Corps is   __   in the United States.

1.______________

Song Zuying is the most famous soprano(女高音歌唱家) in China. In the eyes of the Chinese people, Song Zuying is the star of oriental art(东方艺术).She was born in a beautiful place–Guzhang County in West Hunan. In recent years, she has been awarded many highest prizes in various music contests. She loves her hometown and does a lot for the people there.

2.__________________

Wen Jiabao is the premier(总理) of the world’s most populous(人口众多的) country. But, millions of people would rather call him“grandpa”.Always in plain(朴素的) jackets, he seems an ordinary old man with a kind smile. But in the face of disasters he has the power to pull together the whole country.

3._________________

Ding Cong, a famous cartoonist(漫画家) in China, died on May 26,2009.He started to draw cartoons more than seventy years ago, but he always called himself Xiao Ding of Little Ding.

He seemed to have a lot to learn in this world. His cartoons are humorous(幽默的) and interesting and loved by the old and the young in China.

4._________________

An 18–meter high “Olympic torch(火炬)”made of more than 110,000 pots of flowers, the biggest “Olympic torch” in the world, is seen at the Liberation Park in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The “Olympic torch” was exhibited at the opening ceremony（开幕式） of the 2008 Wuhan Flower Expo(展览会) to express local people’s best wishes to this summer Olympic Games.

5.________________

Liu Qian is the only magician(魔术师) form Taiwan invited by Las Vegas and the Hollywood Magic Castle for performance(表演).When Liu Qian was 7 years old, he started to study magic. The first magic he performed was to put a coin into his mouth and then take is out from his hindbrain(后脑).Now Liu’s magic tricks have made the old art popular again, and made him the hottest magician in China.

A. The premier is our “grandpa”.

B. The most famous soprano in China.

C. The cartoonist who was loved by old and young.

D. The famous magician from Taiwan.

E. The biggest “Olympic torch” in the world.