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Maggie likes to talk about others and{#blank#}2{#/blank#}
My brother used to{#blank#}3{#/blank#} , but now he can listen to others' advice.
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You probably talk to friends more than you talk to your parents. That's natural. Still, most of us want a parent's help, advice, and support at times. But talking to the parents may be difficult or terrible-especially when it comes to certain subjects. Here are some suggestions to make it easier.

    Talk about everyday stuff—and do it every day. The more you do something, the easier it gets. Talking to parents about everyday stuff builds a bond that can help you discuss something more serious with them later.

Find something to chat(聊天) about each day. Talk about how your team did at the sports meet. Share something one of your teachers said. Even small talk about what's for dinner can keep your relationship comfortable.

It's never too late to start. If your relationship with your parents makes you feel nervous, try getting into conversations slowly. Mention the cute thing the dog did. Talk about how well your little sister is doing in maths. Chatting with parents every day not only keeps the present relationship strong, but it can help a might-be-worse relationship get better.

    When parents feel connected to your daily life, they can be there for you if something really important             .

    Americans love sports--they love to play them, to watch them on television, and to talk about them. But this hobby sometimes has serious results-- at least to the players. For example, when people play tennis, sometimes they hurt their elbows(肘部) and in this way they develop "tennis elbow". Also it is easy to hurt a knee in a football game. These injuries happen while the player is having fun, but they still hurt.

    A few months ago Kathleen Simmons, who loves playing volleyball, hurt her knee in a volleyball game. Her doctor told her that she needed a very difficult operation(手术) or she might not be able to play again. She felt very sad and didn't know what to do.

    Then Simmons learned about "video operation". Simmons found a hospital that was using this new science and went to see the doctor there. The doctors told her the operation could help.

    For this operation, her doctor didn't have to open her knee. Instead he put a very small camera lens(镜头)inside her knee. The lens sent back pictures, which appeared on a television screen. As he worked, he could see the inside of her knee on the TV. With the help of the large pictures on the screen, the doctor knew exactly what to do when he was making the repairs.

    Simmons started walking five days after her operation. Now, six months after her operation, Simmons can do everything she did before her injury. She can play volleyball again."

Information Card

    Here are some English learning tips to help you improve your English.

    Ask yourself weekly: What do I want to learn this week?

    Asking yourself this question every week will help you think about what is most important to you. If you make a plan for each week, you will be surprised to notice how much you have improved your English by the end of the week! This feeling of success will encourage you to learn even more English.

Quickly review before going to bed

    Research has shown that our brains process(加工) information that is fresh in our brains while we sleep. By going over important knowledge before you go to sleep, your brain will work on this information while you sleep!

Speak English aloud.

    Understanding grammar rules does not mean you can speak English well. You need to practice speaking aloud. Speaking by yourself at home and reading the exercises that you are doing will help connect the muscles（肌肉）of your face to the information in your head and improve your pronunciation.

Do five to ten minutes of listening at least four times a week.

    If you decide that you are going to work hard and listen for two hours, maybe you will not do extra listening exercises soon. But if you listen five to ten minutes at least four times a week, you will find it's not so hard to develop the habit of listening to English.

Look for situations to practice your English.

    Learning English in a classroom is important, but using English in real situations will improve your English skills greatly. You can create new situations by using the Internet to listen to news, exchange emails in English with email friends, etc.

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