You either have it, or you don’t－a sense of direction. But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map while others can lose themselves in the next street?
Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works. One theory is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it. Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it.
“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,” says Jim Martland, research director of the project. “However, if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car, they never develop the skills.”
Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:
If you are using a map, turn it so that it relates to(與……有聯(lián)系) the way you are facing.
If you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree－something easy to recognize. Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike. When you return, go back along the same route.
Simplify(簡化) the way for finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, streams, or wells in the countryside to guide you. Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as towerblocks or hills which can help to find out where you are.
Now you will never get lost again!
【小題1】Children have the ability to find the way around when they are ______ years old.

---Why is he so happy?
---He_______ becoming an Olympic torchbearer．

閱譴下面短文．筒要回答所給問題。
Welcome to Youth Radio, your radio.  Here we're proud to introduce three Amazing Kids.
Gina, who is thirteen years old, got first prize in the "Young Cook of the Year" competition and she wants to write a recipe book for kids. "I want it to be fun to read and easy enough for children to use," she says. Gina learned by watching her father, who's also good at cooking, in the kitchen.  She wants to encourage other children to cook because "everyone needs to eat so it's a skill that will always be useful!"
Seventeen-year-old Brian used to love running until he was hurt in a serious accident three years ago. He lost part of one leg and didn't even expect to walk again. Now he's an athlete who has recently taken part in a long race.  "After my accident I wanted to give up," he says. "But now I'm happy to be alive and able to continue running."
Helen has always been good at science, but she thought it was too difficult to become an inventor. Then she heard about an accident that had happened when a car hit a train in her town.  "That gave me an idea," says the clever sixteen-year-old. It took her over a year to invent a small special machine that tells car .drivers when a train is coming. One company is already interested in selling it, so it may be in he shops soon!
Do you know a child like them? Please e-mail us at amaxingkids@ mail. com and tell us why he or she should be on our radio. Thank you.
【小題1】What was Gina the winner of?
【小題2】Does Gina want to write a children's recipe book? Why?
【小題3】Why is it surprising that Brian is an athlete?
【小題4】What is Helen's new invention used for?
【小題5】What do you think the three Amazing Kids are like?

It’s Charlie’s birthday today, but he isn’t feeling happy. No one wishes him a happy birthday. Mother says nothing about his birthday. She just tells Charlie to play outside. At lunchtime, his mother calls, “Come in for lunch, Charlie!” Charlie slowly walks into his house. But the living room looks different. Charlie sees a big “Happy Birthday” banner(橫幅). Then, he sees a birthday cake, balloons(氣球), presents, and all of his friends. “Happy birthday!” everyone shouts. Charlie’s face lights up. He is happy and surprised(吃驚). No one forgets his birthday after all!
【小題1】What is this story about?

E–book is short for electronic(電子) book. It is usually read on personal computers. Some mobile phones can also be used to read e–books.
Earlier e–books were written for a certain group of readers and were about only a few subjects. With the development of the Internet, knowledge and answers to a lot of questions mainly come from e–books. This is why the e–book business is increasing quickly.
E–books have many advantages. First, they save time. We don’t need to go a bookstore to buy books. Besides, we can find the topic we want to know about on the Internet, and then we can quickly get many e–books on similar topics. Second, e–books save money. Some e–books cost us little money, and there are millions of e–books on the Internet that we can get for free. Third, more trees are saved because e–books don’t need to be printed on paper. Fourth, e–books make reading more convenient. You can carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you in a small computer or any e–book reader(閱讀器), without worrying about their weight.
But e–books have certain disadvantages. They need a personal computer or an e–book reader, and the information can be lost if its file format(文件格式) is not supported(支持) or changed in the reader’s computer.
However, e–books provide us with a new way of reading. That is good.
【小題1】Why is the e–book business increasing quickly? Because______________.