Dear Teens,

  ①Do you wonder why some kids can stay calm while others get nervous so easily? Why do some kids do everything very quickly while others are verysluggish? Why are some kids always happy while some feel upset all times?

  ②One of the answers to these questions is personality(个性). People were born with different personalities. A baby gets its blood type, genes(基因) and other physical things when it is still inside its mother. These factors(因素) make part of your personality. Besides, family life, school learning and life experiences can also decide what kind of person you are. You may not like your personality. Don’t worry. You can always try to change it and make yourself better.

   ③If you are a selfish person who always thinks of yourself, you can start this way. Try to give others a hand and ask for nothing in return. The happiness you get from giving instead of receiving will help you change your personality.

   ④If you are very shy and don’t know how to make friends, just tell yourself to smile at others and start talking to others with warm greetings. You are sure to have more friends than you used to do.

   ⑤If you are a sluggish person who always does things slowly, you’d better make a plan every day. When you finish something, draw a happy face. If not, draw a crying one. No one would like to see a crying face and you will have the desire to change it into a smiling one.

   ⑥All in all, don’t get too worried about your shortcomings(缺点). No one is perfect. That’s why many people are trying to change. Don’t give yourself a hard time about it all. It’s not easy to change the habits overnight. Remember “ Rome is not built in a day”. Keep working at it. One day you’ll see that you can turn over a new leaf and be a new person.

                                                                          Dr. Olson

 Most people want to be happy, but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness. Aristotle, a Greek thinker, said, "Happiness depends upon ourselves." In other words, we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.

   The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend too much dine thinking about the future-for example, getting into college or getting a good job—that we fail to enjoy the present. You should enjoy life's simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have several close friends often live happier and healthier lives.

   Another secret to living a happy life is to be active. Many people go dancing or play sports. People can forget about their problems and only think about the activities.

   Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others. If you want to feel happier, do good things for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to buy food for an elderly person, or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes.

 Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake. But don't worry because most are so weak that they cannot be felt. Only a few big ones hurt people. Many earthquakes happened in China, such as the big one in Sichuan. Thousands of people died in it. So it's important to know what to do when one hits. Here are some tips on how to stay safe in an earthquake.

   a. If you are indoors during an earthquake, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.

   b. If you are outdoors, move to a clear place. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you.

   c. If you are in a shop and far from the door, don't try to run outside and rush for exits (出口). Everyone will be doing that and you'll find it hard getting out. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. Just hide under some strong cover near you.

   d. When an earthquake has ended, be careful because aftershocks may still happen. These are just as dangerous as the earthquake itself. So stay under the desk until you make sure it's safe to get up.

   e. If you are at home and you smell gas (煤气), open the windows and get out of the building as quickly as you can. A gas line in your house may be broken. This could be very dangerous.

The following is a QUIZ* from a magazine.

President-elect Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech during his election night rally, Nov. 9, 2016.

Americans have elected Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States. The Republican Party candidate(共和党候选人) defeated the Democratic Party nominee(民主党候选人), Hillary Clinton.

"I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for every American. And that is very important to me," says Mr. Trump. Trump is also the oldest American elected president for a first term.

"For those that have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and you help so we can work together and unify our great country."

Trump’s win brings to an end eight years of Democratic Party rule (民主党统治)of the White House. Political experts have said the change could lead to the undoing（取消） of many of President Barack Obama’s policies(政策).

One of Trump’s first targets(目标) may be the Affordable Care Act(美国平价医疗法案), a health care law signed by President Obama in 2010. Trump criticized the measure repeatedly during his campaign. He promised supporters he would cancel it if elected.

Robert's parents are working in Wuhan, China now. He studies there, too. This is his schedule (时间表) in December. Read it and answer the questions.

※ There are 45 minutes (分钟) in every class.

I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

   Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot. I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox. I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve. But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.

   I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

   Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper. Maybe you could be an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iphone or the new medicine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor -- but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

Homework is a big part of going to school. Unluckily, homework has to be done, outside class--during the time when you would rather be doing something else, for example, you prefer going to a birthday party to copying out a whole Chinese text. Luckily, there are several things you can do to make homework less work.

   First, be sure you understand the task. Write it down in your notebook if you need to, and don't be afraid to ask questions about your task. If you want, you can also ask how long the special homework task should take to finish, so you can budget your time.

   Second, go over your lessons before you start your homework. Many students think they don't have enough time to finish their homework. So they begin to do it at once without reviewing their lessons, In fact, they will have to spend more time looking up now and then when they do their homework.

   Third, use any small pieces of time you have in school to work on your homework. The more work you can get done in school means the less you'll have to do that night..

   What if you don't have time in school to get homework done? You'll need to think about how much homework you have for a given night and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day, you'll need to spend more time on homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework timetable, especially when you want to enjoy sports or other activities.

Dear Emma,

Thanks for the photo of your family. Here is my family photo! These are my grandparents. The man is my father. His name is Jack Green. He is 40. The woman is my mother. Her name is Lucy Green. She is 38. This boy is my brother. His name is Tony. He is 9. My uncle and aunt aren’t in the photo. They are in Beijing now. Do you know this girl? Yes, it’s me!

                                    Yours,

                                     Mary