In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts (主人) and the worst guests in the world. They’re not really bad guests, but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some western counties, it appears they are not nice guests. And western guests sometimes look rude (粗鲁的) in the eyes of Chinese guests.

   In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person’s home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host’s way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

   My wife’s mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn’t smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North America homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least, you could ask, “Is it OK if I smoke?” “But, don’t besurprised if they say, “No, you can’t smoke.” In our culture, if you smoke in their home, you are a bad guest, but if they don’t allow you to smoke in their house, they are not a rude guest.

   Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your home, don’t be too surprised if they don’t bring you a gift.

In China, you probably wonˈt need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

   If you donˈt love yourself first, how can you confidently give and receive love? Only when we fully realize who we are and accept ourselves, can we understand the love of someone else.

      So letˈs start with some questions by asking yourself. Who are you deep down inside? What are your goals, strengths, clever ideas, likes and dislikes? What do you need to control your weaknesses and improve your growth?

     Self-discovery can be scary, because most people consider themselves to be unimportant. They would rather become dependent than depend on their own. Is that true in your case?

     Loving yourself influences your life. It influences whom you choose to fall in love with and your action in the relationship. lf there is no self-esteem (自尊), there will be no love.

     A person with high self-esteem is responsible for himself or herself, no matter how much love and care there is between that person and others. Such a person is not waiting to be saved and will not place unnecessary dependence on others. He or she is confident of his or her own ability, value and mind. He or she remembers that he or she is the prize.

     A person with high self-esteem depends on his or her own happiness, rather than looking for

someone else to make him or her happy. Happiness is an "inside" job. When you accept this responsibility for yourself, you build self-esteem, and then you receive love.

a. Asking others to answer questions.      

b. Finding out about oneˈs own likes and dislikes.

c. Improving oneˈs own growth.           

d. Finding out oneˈs own hidden facts. 

Students don't always get along well with their teachers. Sometimes they try to get out of a class to escape(逃离) a teacher they don't like. Here is some advice to solve this problem.

●Ask yourself, "What can I learn from this teacher?" If you don't worship his or her personality (性格) or lessons, you can find out what he or she is good at.. Focus on(聚焦) that part of the teacher's personality, and use him or her as a tool for learning. You'll not only get more knowledge in that subject, but also a closer relationship with your teacher! It may help you understand each other better.

●Talk to students who are doing well in the class and ask them for tips, tools, and a plan of action to get along with the teacher better. If you're too shy to talk to another student, study his or her actions and behavior（行为） in the classroom and try to follow them.

●If you still can't get along, make an appointment with the school guidance counselor（辅导员）． He or she will offer many tips and suggestions for you to get out of difficult teacher relationships. Sometimes a guidance counselor can be a mediator（调解员） between you and the teacher. That means they can help you and your teachers get rid of （摆脱）the bad impression（印象） on each other.

●If your relationship problems can't be solved in school, it's time to tell your parents. They can meet with your teacher and try to work it out.

Teachers are there for more than just knowledge, and they know about more than just their subject. They can help you learn how to be a lifelong learner and a helpful adult.

David is  (1)  American school boy. His school is not  (2)  from his home. It takes him only ten  (3)  to go to school by bus. But he’s often late for school because he can’t get up   (4)  .

It’s a   (5)  day today. David gets up early. He has breakfast and goes to school. He  (6)  to the bus station. He takes a bus  (7)  seven o’clock. His classes begin at half past seven. But today he is  (8)  late. Do you know  (9)  ? Because he takes a  (10)  bus!

Many people likeanimals. So theykeep(饲养)  (1)   as pets. Usually people like tokeep dogs, cats, fishes and   (2)   animals as their pets.Many young people keep animals  (3)   they think these animals are   (4)  . Some old people keep petsbecause  (5)  children don’t live   (6)   them and they   (7)   lonely(孤独的).

Mr. Li is an old man.He is apetdoctor (医生). He is friendlyto all people and their pets. Peopleinthe neighborhood love  (8)   very much.People usually call him “The Pet Doctor”. Whenpeople’spets are sick(生病的),they oftenask Mr. Li for   (9)  . Mr. Li can always help the sickpets get well soon. So he is   (10)   popularin the neighborhood.

For some people, music is no fun at all. About 4% of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to enjoy musical notes(音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. In fact, most people cannot understand what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping center can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics have to stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in social loneliness. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify(辨别) this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from those of people who can enjoy music. The difference is complex(复杂的), and it is not connected with poor hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding common speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, “No, thanks. I’m amusic,” says Margaret.

We use our smart phones to carry out many tasks every day. Many of us have become so reliant on them. However, it is bad for our eyes and health to use too much phone.

  A study shows that smart phone owners usually start to use their phones early in the morning. They check personal e-mails and we chat. And before they get out of bed, many people often check the weather, read the news, and send a massage or two to friends. After getting up, they often takes photos of food themselves, and even whatever they can see with their phones They share their photos with their friends. The research finds that users pick up their phones more than 1,500 times to do different tasks in an average(通常的) week. And the smart phone users are on their phones for three hours and sixteen minutes a day. That is to say, people use their phone for almost one full day each week.

    Using phones will take much time and it’s bad for our health. Many people stay up late to play phones. And mobile phones will influence our sleep. Without using the phones, many people will feel sad. Many owners also find they use their phones without realizing they’re doing so.

      How do you think people use their phones too much?

"Cool" is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world changes, the word has many different meanings.

　"Cool" can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say "Itˈs cool." You may think, "Heˈs so cool," when you see your favorite footballer.

　We all maximize (扩大) the meaning of "cool". You can use it instead of many words such as "new" or "surprising". Hereˈs an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall. On one studentˈs paper was just the one sentence, "Itˈs so cool". Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt.

　But the story also shows a scarcity (缺乏) of words, it seems that some people have no words to show the same meaning without "cool" . Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word "cool"?  Yes, I can. And I think they are also very cool .

        Learning English is not easy. Almost every student sometimes   (1)   questions like these: Can I really learn English well? Can I really learn it well to communicate with others? If you are learning English, you may come across the  (2)   question.

        The answer is yes. According to some studies you will find it isn't as   (3)   as you think.

       Almost anyone can learn a foreign language   (4)   he or she  wants to. Some might learn it faster and some slower. But with the   (5)   ways and attitude, almost anyone can make it.

        Successful English learners   (6)  have positive attitude towards their studies. They don't wait for the chance to use English; instead, they try their best to   (7)   one. They don't miss every chance that they can use it. For example, they are not   (8)   making mistakes in front of others. They must know everyone may make mistakes sometimes. They   (9)   talking with people even in broken English, singing English songs or watching movies, even though they may not   (10)  the idea completely(完全地). They like to read simple stories or newspaper reports and try to guess the meaning all the time. They set goals(目标) and try  to achieve them. The most important thing is that they never give up.

Do you love taking photos with a camera? People who always take photos may actually be harming their memory, because they’re not concentrating on the event itself.

   “People so often take out their cameras almost mindlessly (不费心思地) to catch a moment, and they are missing what is happening right in front of them ,” said Linda Henkel, from the university. Henkel and her team decided to perform an experiment. They wanted to find out whether taking photos in a museum weakened a visitorˈs memory of what they had seen. So they simply told a group to look around the museum, and either take photos of the items on display, or try to remember them. The next day, the group was tested.

   People who took photos in the museum were less likely to remember what they had seen. In addition, the amount of detail(细节) they remembered was worse than those who didnˈt take photos. “These results show how the mindˈs eye and the cameraˈs eye are not the same,” said Henkel.

   But donˈt put your camera down just yet. Other studies have found that looking back at old photos helps us remember an event, compared to just taking a photo and forgetting about it. So next time you’re thinking of taking a photo, just think： is it better to look at the beauty around you with your own eyes, or behind the eye of the camera?