Mr and Mrs Smith have two sons and two daughters. They're Tom,Jack,Sally and Mary. They're quadruplets(四胞胎), so their birthday is on the same day—July 22nd.

    It's their fourteenth birthday today. Their parents buy some things for them:four cakes, two T-shirts and two skirts. The four cakes are the same, and one cake is 15 dollars. The two T-shirts are the same,too. They are yellow and 35 dollars for one. The price of the two skirts is the same and one skirt is 60 dollars. But their colors are not the same. Sally likes blue and Mary likes green, so the blue skirt is for Sally and the green one is for Mary.

    Chinese are very generous when they begin to educate their children. No caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the USA or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a good start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend a large number of money on education. Even poor parents will buy a computer for their child.

    However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents can see that their children are skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize is that today's children lack (缺乏) self-respect and self-confidence.

The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.

    Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. These activities are teaching a child not only to read, but also to think. And that is more important.

Make Changes to Lose Weight

    Making these easy changes realty can help you lose weight.

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    You can help prevent overeating by eating something about every three hours. Getting too hungry will get in your way to eat healthily. Make sure you know how many calories should come from snacks, and then aim for a healthy snack, such as an apple.

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    One of the worst ways to lose weight is meal skipping. Many people think skipping meals is a great way to cut calories, but in the end, they fail to lose weight. You'll be more likely to overeat if you do not eat regular meals.

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    Water helps you lose weight in several ways. Drinking water rather than other kinds of drinks can cut hundreds of calories. Don't wait until you're feeling thirsty to drink water; thirst can be mistaken for hunger, causing you to overeat.

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    It is impossible to lose weight and keep it off without exercising. Start out today by taking a walk or learn how to bike to lose weight. Work your way up from 10 minutes to 30-40 minutes a day, most days a week.

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    Keep a food diary. All you have to do is to put down what, when, and how much you eat in a notebook. A food diary will give you a clear picture of your eating habits so you can know the change you need to make to lose weight.

    While the rest of the city is crowded and noisy, several old men are sitting in their ancient hutong, drinking tea and playing chess. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Beijing hutongs have a very special place in the rich history of Beijing. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    According to experts, the word hutong comes from the Mongolian language, meaning "well( 井 )". In ancient times, people preferred to gather and live around wells. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are other explanations, too. No matter what hutong exactly means, it is commonly agreed that hutongs first appeared in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . Nobody knows exactly how many hutongs there are in Beijing today. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    I can still remember my first day at school. I was only 6 years old at that time. It was a very big room. I sat at the desk near the window, but I couldn't see anything because the window was too high. There was a big map of the world on the wall and an old blackboard. I don't think I was worried or afraid at that time. There was another little boy next to me. He sat there and kept silent at first. Then he began to cry, because he didn't want to stay there.

    More and more students came in, but the boy didn't stop crying. "Mom, I want to go home." He cried again and again. Later, the teacher came in. She went to the little boy, and said something to him. I couldn't hear what she said. Soon the boy stopped crying and began to smile. To this day, I still don't know what the teacher said to the little boy.