A road is just like a bridge between two places. The Silk Road has been a bridge between East and West. But the Silk Road is not a single route! It is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes. From the time Zhang Qian opened up the world-famous Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, until the Yuan Dynasty, it enjoyed a history of about 1,600 years.

 This ancient road begins at Chang'an (now Xi'an), and it reaches Dunhuang, where it divides into three, the Southern Route, Central Route and Northern Route. And then it ends in Eastern Europe, near the Mediterranean Sea(地中海). The Silk Road is about 6,500 kilometers long. It goes across one-fourth of the planet. (3)In fact, there is another trade road which is called the “Silk Road on the Sea” in the southwest of China.

 The Silk Road was very important to both China and the rest of the world. Besides trade, knowledge about science, arts and technologies were shared across the Silk Road. The Four Great Inventions of China was introduced to the West and Chinese also knew about the religions of the West. (4)In this way, languages and cultures developed and influenced each other. Today, places along the Silk Road are great places of interest, such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu.

    Life is not easy, so I'd like to say “When anything happens, believe in yourself.”

    When I was a young boy, I was too shy to talk to anyone.My classmates often laughed at me.I was sad but could do nothing.Later, something happened, and it changed my life.It was an English speech contest.My mother asked me to take part in.What a terrible idea! It meant I had to speak before all the teachers and students of my school!

    “Come on, boy.Believe in yourself.You are sure to win.” Then my mother and I talked about many difficult topics.At last I chose the topic “Believe in yourself”.I tried my best to remember all the speech and practiced it over 100 times.With my mother's great love and encouragement(鼓励), I did well in the contest.I could hardly believe my ears when the news came that I had won the first place.I heard the cheers from the teachers and students.Those classmates who once looked down on (瞧不起) me now all said “Congratulations!” to me.My mother hugged me and cried excitedly.

    Since then, everything has changed for me.When I do anything, I try to tell myself to be confident and I will do a great job.This is true not only for a person but also for a country.

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

    Every year, the town of Verona, where the well-known love story Romeo and Juliet took place, receives thousands of letters to Juliet. These letters are written in different languages and sent from all over the world.

    The tradition of sending letters to Juliet dates back to centuries ago. At first, people left notes on a local landmark said to be Juliet's tomb（坟墓）. Later, they started to send letters to the town.

    To deal with these letters, the Juliet Club was set up in 1972.

    The staff of the Juliet Club are volunteers who call themselves “Juliet's secretary.” They can be students, couples and even grandmothers. They can read letters in many languages.

    These people take their work seriously. They use their own experiences to reply. When there is a letter difficult to reply to, they will discuss it with each other to give the best answer. Thanks to them, every letter is read, translated and answered by hand in the name of Juliet.

    The Juliet Club has been dealing with Juliet's letters for more than 40 years. You can read some of the letters on the club's official website. You can also write your own letters. Here is the address:

    Club Di Giulietta,

    Corso Santa Anastasia 29,

    37121 Verona, Italy

A. Be a Good Listener               B. Care About the Small Acts

C. Begin a Conversation             D. Make Time for Friendships

E. Give a Hand to New Neighbors     F. Remember Their Names

5 Ways To Build Friendship with Your Neighbors

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    Often neighbors don't even know each other's names. But it's okay to be the one to break the ice. So as you see them at work in their yards, smile, wave and say hello. Ask how their kids are or what they think of the price at the local supermarket.

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    Your new neighbors may be feeling lonely and unsure, especially if they're far from home. Your help will be welcomed by them. Leave your telephone number to them. If they have any questions, they can call you.

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    Most of us find it difficult to remember people's names. Writing down the names of your neighbors and note about them, such as "Frank and Jill—Bob's neighbor," helps you remember their names. The next time we see Frank and Jill, we try to call them by name.

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    If you value a friendship with your neighbors, spend time with them. What better way to meet your neighbors than to invite them to a pool party or holiday open house? Chat with each for five minutes to get an idea of what your neighbors are like so that you can plan for food and music.

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    In a good relationship, it's really the little things that count. Help to bring in the mail for the elderly neighbor when there is a heavy rain. When your neighbor forgets to take in his rubbish cans, roll them back into his yard.

    Mr. Guo is a teacher from Xi'an. He asked his students to hand in their homework through a QR code(二维码). "We spent an hour or two in class learning how to generate(使产生) the codes, and in the end everything gets easier." Said Guo, "When students finish the homework, they keep it on WeChat. Then, each student makes his own QR code and gives it to me. So I can check their work anywhere using my computer or telephone."

    The QR codes can be sent to Mr. Guo by email, QQ and WeChat. When Guo scans(扫描) his students' QR codes, their homework appears on his phone. He finds that their homework becomes more creative, with many pictures, music and even videos.

    Guo's students like the new way and think it is interesting. "We are living in the information age. Many students like to work with computers, which makes learning more fun." Said Tingting, a student of Guo's. "The paper is not easy to keep, but the code is easy to keep and share." Guo said, "It is worth trying to use new technology in education. Education itself is a kind of creation. I don't want my students to fall behind the times."

    However, some parents are worried. They are afraid that their children will spend too much time on computers and less time communicating with teachers. But in fact, it's unnecessary. Students still need to look up information in books and write it down when they do their homework. They only use the codes when they hand in their work, which doesn't take them too much time. Also for teachers, it allows them to check the students' work at any time. And it's also an easy way to share homework with other students.

    Ms Lin, an expert on psychology, is giving a speech about how to stay relaxed.

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    Whenever you need help, turn to your parents and friends for help.  It's better to speak the worries out and get some advice from others.  Sometimes you will feel relaxed when you find that someone else has the same problems as you do. 

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    If you find yourself stressed out, try to find a way to let the feelings out. Doing breathing exercises, listening to music, doing some sports and taking a walk may help. Or just shout it out if the other things don't help you feel better.

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    When you calm down, it's time to deal with your problem. You should find out what the problem is and figure out a way to solve it. If you can't solve all of it at once, you may begin by solving part of it. When you don't know what to do with your problem, you may become stressed.  But when you've found out what the problem is and have started solving it, you will find your stress gone.

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    Every coin has two sides. Looking at the dark side can make you stressed and it won't help solve your problem. So why not look at the bright side? You may find your problem not too hard to deal with when you are less stressed out. And more ideas will come up to you when you are relaxed.

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    After you have solved the problem or part of the problem, buy yourself a gift, go and see a movie or just hang out with your friends. You will enjoy the feeling of being relaxed.