Joanne Rowling

Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965. She grew up surrounded by books as her mum and dad loved reading. From an early age Joanne wanted to be a writer. She wrote her first book at the age of six - a story about a rabbit called Rabbit. When she was eleven she wrote a novel about seven cursed diamonds and the people who owned them.

Joanne first had the idea for Harry Potter while delayed on a train travelling from Manchester to London King's Cross in 1990. Over the next five years, she began to plan out the seven books of the series. 

She arrived in Edinburgh in 1993 with three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in her suitcase. By now she had a baby daughter, Jessica, but she continued to write in every spare moment she could find. When Joanne had finished the manuscript, she sent the first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She said that it was“the best letter I had ever received in my life" .

While being trained as a teacher after she finished her first book, Joanne learned that Harry Potter was accepted for publication by Bloomsbury. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone quickly became a bestseller on publication in 1997. As the book was translated into other languages, Harry Potter started spreading round the globe - and Joanne was soon receiving thousands of ltters from fans.

The Harry Potter books have since broken many records. In 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows became the fastest-selling book ever, selling 2.65 million in the first 24 hours in the UK. The Harry Potter series is now published in 80 languages, and over 500 million copies have been sold across the world.

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Self-confidence

Self-confidence is important for many reasons. First and foremost, when you're self-confident, you believe in yourself. You have full faith in your abilities and in your decision-making skills. You will become successful in life.

Then, how do you gain confidence?

The great news is that no one is borm confident. There's no such a thing as a confident baby. We all have the ability to become confident people and develop sincere self-confidence no matter how we grow up, where we go to school, where we live, or where we work. To put it another way, confidence is an equal playing ficld, something that's available to everyone.

That said, the primary way to gain self-confidence is trying and failing. Trying and failing leads to self-confidence. It might scem against reason but you become more confident the more you try and fail. Confident people are not necessarily perfect. It doesn't mean they never make mistakes. All it means is that they trust in their abilities. And the way you build trust in yourself is to keep trying again and again no matter how many times you fail.

Here's a simple example: baking a turkey. It seems hard at first. You're likely not confident at all that you can bake a huge turkey. Maybe you burn it the first time you try. Or, maybe you overcook it. Maybe it tastes so bad that your family has to order a meal for Thanksgiving. But, if you keep trying again and again, research, study, seek advice from mentors on baking turkey, eventually you can become proficient at it. Then, one day, you'll be so confident in your ability to make a turkey that you'll be the one volunteering to bring one to gatherings.

Once again: no one is born confident. It comes from trying and failing and trying again. Confidence comes from years of trials. The importance of self-confidence is that those who have it are the ones who have made the most mistakes and don't mind it at all because they know the mistakes lead to their proficiency and then eventual success.

A. he trusts himself

B. he is sure to be successful

C. he is reliable due to his abilities

D. he has skills in making decisions

A. Confidence comes from playing fair

B. Playing field is available to everyone

C. Self-confidence depends on where we are

D. Everyone has the potential to become confident

A. We should not be afraid of failure

B. Mistakes make us believe our abilities

C. We must make mistakes in order to be successful

D. It is wrong that you will be confident by repeated failure

A. it is too much large for your family

B. your family will order it for Thanksgiving

C. it may not be liked by your family members

D. your family members will volunteer to offer their experience

A. Cooks

B. Bakers

C. Doctors

D. Butchers

Distance Learning    

①The idea behind distance learning is pretty straightforward: With the help of technology, you can teach remotely and allow your students to complete their coursework from anywhere in the world. This can be particularly useful during times when students typically can't be physically present at school. Distance learning can also be used under normal circumstances, and it actually offers many benefits and advantages over traditional methods.    

②One benefit of distance learning directly affects students. Since the remote school days are less structured,students have more freedom to work through their class material at a more leisurely rhythm. So instead of pushing through pressing moments and having their scores potentially suffer, kids can put their pencils down and take a break until they're ready to revisit their schoolwork for the day.    

③With distance learming, there is no need to arrange for transportation since all work and teaching are completed remotely. This eliminates the stress of missing the school bus and allows students to be more relaxed and ready to get their work done. The comfort of your own home is likely one of the places where you can be most relaxed. With distance learming, your clasroom is whatever room you decide to work in that day. It can be your bedroom, dining room, or even outside. Being able to learn without having to sit in a chair in the same place for several hours a day is a big plus since it lowers stress levels, which can increase concentration and productivity.     

④Since there is no school building to maintain with distance learning, the money saved can be directed to areas that need more attention. For examplc, the moncy that is usually set aside to pay for things like maintenance and utilitics can instead be spent on upgrades for computers and tablets so that students and teachers are always learming on the most up-to-date systems available.    

⑤Since there is no commute to make, students and teachers can get a lttle extra sleep in the morning. This allows them to wake up feeling ready to tackle the day. Also, having to hurry between classes is completely eliminated, which results in spare time to focus on more pressing matters during the day. Teachers also benefit from more time for onc-on-one sessions with students and their planning period.

A.Money saved can be used to upgrade systems

B. Study can be done in a relaxing environment

C. Distance learning saves time

D. Students can control the rhythm of their study

E. Distance learning is likely to improve students' grades

F.What is distance learning?

A.Money saved can be used to upgrade systems

B. Study can be done in a relaxing environment

C. Distance learning saves time

D. Students can control the rhythm of their study

E. Distance learning is likely to improve students' grades

F.What is distance learning?

A.Money saved can be used to upgrade systems

B. Study can be done in a relaxing environment

C. Distance learning saves time

D. Students can control the rhythm of their study

E. Distance learning is likely to improve students' grades

F.What is distance learning?

A.Money saved can be used to upgrade systems

B. Study can be done in a relaxing environment

C. Distance learning saves time

D. Students can control the rhythm of their study

E. Distance learning is likely to improve students' grades

F.What is distance learning?

A.Money saved can be used to upgrade systems

B. Study can be done in a relaxing environment

C. Distance learning saves time

D. Students can control the rhythm of their study

E. Distance learning is likely to improve students' grades

F.What is distance learning?

A. take a break whenever they want

B.decide what course to take

C.more advanced teaching equipment

D. who can't physically go to school in person

E.due to more sleep time

F.anywhere a learner finds himself comfortable

A. take a break whenever they want

B.decide what course to take

C.more advanced teaching equipment

D. who can't physically go to school in person

E.due to more sleep time

F.anywhere a learner finds himself comfortable

A. take a break whenever they want

B.decide what course to take

C.more advanced teaching equipment

D. who can't physically go to school in person

E.due to more sleep time

F.anywhere a learner finds himself comfortable

A. take a break whenever they want

B.decide what course to take

C.more advanced teaching equipment

D. who can't physically go to school in person

E.due to more sleep time

F.anywhere a learner finds himself comfortable

A. take a break whenever they want

B.decide what course to take

C.more advanced teaching equipment

D. who can't physically go to school in person

E.due to more sleep time

F.anywhere a learner finds himself comfortable

Ban Smoking

More and more countries and cities ban smoking here and there, in public places.

According to various medical studies, smoking not only causes various heath problems for a person, but also for every non-smoker close by. Even though people continue debating the smoking issue, the reality is that a ban is the most appropriate and logical decision in case of smoking in public areas._ 1_

_ 2_ This point is particularly crucial for nearly one million US people who suffer from illnesses that have something to do with breathing.

Smoking hurts our environment. In addition to the fact that smoking is harmful to you and your family members, it actually hurts our ecosystem with all of its inhabitants. All cigarette ends and other elements of smoked cigarettes tend to pollute waterways, soil, and beaches._ 3_

In addition to some apparent damage being done by smoking, it is important to mention the cost of beauty._ 5_ Ladies tend to check their mirrors in order to see if they got new wrinkles and feel terrified when their doubts are confirmed._ 5_. The reality is that one of the most significant causes of premature aging is nicotine (尼古丁). People who smoke on a regular basis are more likely to face early skin changes.

In conclusion, it is clear from everything discussed above that smoking should be labeled illegal in all public places all over the globe.

A Fireworks Show

To celebrate the arrival of 2024, Li Chao traveled from Shanghai to Liuyang, Hunan province, to watch a fireworks display. Liuyang is_1_ as the“hometown of fireworks", but the 23-year- old girl was_2_to obtain a ticket to see a fireworks show at Sky Theatre, because they had sold out. She and her friends, along with people from across China, settled on watching the display, which was also broadcasted live over the Internet, from an open ._3_.

To witness the delightful display on Dec 31, more than 160,000 people traveled to Liuyang, which _4_ a population of 1.4 million and is situated about 70 kilometers from Changsha, the capital of Hunan.

Li said, “had never seen anything like these fireworks before. The evening was romantic, thrilling and festive. More_5_,after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in the large crowd was ready to celebrate." She_6_that the fireworks were like stars shining against the dark night_ _7_. After watching the display, which lasted more than an hour, Li said that the fireworks show she had seen at Shanghai Disney Resort seemed _8_ . in comparison.

The entire event on New Year's Eve lasted more than four hours, but Li and her friends _9_ to their hotel early to avoid traffic jam. Wang Biao, head of Sky Theatre, said the show was broadcasted live on short video_10_- Douyin and Kuaishou - two of the largest such platforms in China, with more than 600 million views.