Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
As young Chinese increasingly forget how to write characters because they don't have to, using keyboards and touch screen technology on mobile phones is changing the trend.

For Yin Liang, a 26-year-old purchasing agent at a company, his embarrassment over forgetting how to write characters has gradually disappeared since he started to use the handwriting input method on his iPhone 4 a month ago.

"When you write on the touch screen, you use your finger, instead of a mouse or keyboard," Yin says.

"Actually, your finger is like a pen, writing the complicated characters that have long been spelled by pinyin, an alphabet-based input system. Whether typing on computers or texting on phones, most users in China type by phonetically spelling out the sounds of the characters and the software then gives a menu of characters that fit the pronunciation, so users only need to recognize the character.

Handwriting technology on a mobile phone touch screen has been around for years and became popular with the iPhone, which recognizes the input and offers a wide selection of characters.

"It's efficient and accurate," Yin says.

Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world, but as pinyin-based typing has become more widespread, youths have started forgetting how to write out characters. This was one of the main topics for debate at the first Cross-Straits Chinese Character Art Festival, held recently in Beijing, which attracted experts from Taiwan and the mainland.

According to Zhang Zikang, president of the Culture and Art Publishing House, writing with a pen on the touch screen brings handwriting into the digital age. It is even better when you write with your finger, feeling the flow of the cursive script and the grace and art of Chinese characters, he says.

"Smart gadgets don't take life from the square-shaped characters, instead they offer a new and advanced platform to show the charm of Chinese characters, which are always evolving," Zhang says.
1. How old is Yin Liang?
2. what has he started using?
3. Why system is oldest and continuously in use?
4. On which device has he used it?
5. What brings handwriting into the digital age?
6. What is changing the trend on Smartphones?

Numbered answers:
1. 26
2. the handwriting input method
3. Chinese characters
4. his iPhone 4
5. the touch screen
6. using keyboards and touch screen technology

Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
London (CNN) -- Sixty years ago Monday, a 25-year-old woman visiting a remote part of Kenya got a message that her father had died.

She cut her trip short and flew home to London. Prime Minister Winston Churchill met her at the airport -- because with her father dead, she had become Queen Elizabeth II.

Celebrations of her Diamond Jubilee, marking six decades on the throne, officially begin Monday and continue through June, when London will mark the anniversary of her coronation with festivities including up to 1,000 boats sailing up the River Thames.

On Monday, the queen thanked the public "for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and (husband) Prince Philip over these years."

She said in the open letter that she planned to "dedicate myself anew to your service."

She called on people to "give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart" in a brief letter that she signed simply "Elizabeth R."

She was honored with a 41-gun salute in London's Hyde Park Monday, and a 21-gun salute in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Two new photographs of the queen were released Monday as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, showing her wearing a necklace worn by Queen Victoria in her own Diamond Jubilee portrait in 1897.

She is the oldest British monarch in history, but has not yet passed her great-great-grandmother Victoria as the longest-reigning one.

Elizabeth II was not in line to the throne when she was born April 21, 1926. But the fate of Lilibet, as she was known to her friends, changed when her uncle Edward abdicated the thone to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.
1. what is a Diamond Jubilee?
2. how long has Elizabeth II been Queen?
3. how old was she at that time?
4. who is her husband?
5. How does she sign her letters?
6. how was she honored on Monday?
7. what did the recent photos released show?
8. Was she always in line to be queen?
9. what changed?
10. why did he give it up?
11. What is the queen called by her friends?
12. Is she the longest reigning monarch?
13. who is?
14. how is she related to Elizabeth?
15. what does she plan to do according to her letter?
16. what is one festivity that will take place to celebrate?

Numbered answers:
1. marks six decades on the English throne
2. Sixty years
3. 25
4. Prince Philip
5. "Elizabeth R."
6. gun salutes
7. her wearing a necklace of Queen Victoria
8. no
9. her uncle Edward abdicated the thone
10. to marry Wallis Simpson
11. Lilibet
12. no
13. Queen Victoria
14. she is her great-great-grandmother
15. "dedicate myself anew to your service."
16. up to 1,000 boats sailing up the River Thames

Question:
Read the text and answer the questions.
June and Michelle were playing outside in their yard on a winter day. Michelle was making pies and cakes out of mud. June was writing her ABCs in the sand with a button she found. June's mom told the girls they were going to the store soon and not to get dirty. Michelle knew she would get in trouble but she kept playing in the dirt because she liked pretending to cook. Her mom cooked and Michelle wanted to be grown-up like her mom. June looked down at her blue jeans and saw the dirt. "Oh No!" she said to Michelle. Michelle looked down at the mud on her shoes and shirt. She smiled, "Mommy says cooking is messy business!" "What are we going to do? Mom is going to be so mad!" June worried. "We can tell her we were thinking as we played, she always says school is not only a place." Michelle said. "That won't work!" June cried. "Wait! I have an idea." Michelle said as she wiped her hands on the back of her blue jeans. Michelle walked over to June's fence and pulled out the prettiest prized purple flowers from the bush. June looked at her friend more worried. Michelle walked past June and knocked on the door with the purple flowers in her hand and a big smile on her face. Mrs. Jones answered the door looking mad. Before she could say anything Michelle said, "Look Mrs. Jones we picked you flowers and June did her ABCs." Mrs. Jones wanted to be mad at them but their smiles warmed her heart. "Thank you dear. Please go change clothes and rinse off for our trip to the store. The girls walked in the house leaving a trail of mud on the floor.
1. what was Michelle making?
2. out of what?
3. was June with her?
4. what were they doing?
5. what was June writing with?
6. did her mom want her to get dirty?
7. did Michelle keep playing in the dirt?
8. why?
9. where did she get mud on her?
10. did she think it was funny?
11. was June worried?
12. what did Michelle grab from the bush
13. where did she take them?
14. was she angry?
Numbered answers:
1. pies and cakes
2. mud
3. yes
4. playing outside
5. a button
6. no
7. yes
8. she liked pretending to cook
9. her shoes and shirt
10. unknown
11. yes
12. the prettiest prized purple flowers
13. to Mrs. Jones
14. no