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             .

    There are lots of strange things about animals in the world. Do you know the following things?

    You may think bears walk slowly. In fact, they can run very fast like horses.

    Cats won't die if they fall off very high places because they can turn themselves up the right way.

    Chocolate tastes nice but you cannot give it to little dogs because it may make the little dogs die.

    We may sleep for eight hours at a time but a snail（蜗牛） may sleep for three years.

    Our ears and nose become bigger when we grow up but eyes keep the same after we are born.

    Mother's Day is celebrated in the USA. It is also a holiday in some other countries. It is on the second Sunday in May. It is a day to thank mothers. On that day mothers usually receive flowers or cards. On the cards, children will write "Thanks, Mom"， "To the best mother in the world", "Best wishes for Mother's Day" and so on. We should make mothers happy on that day.

    Where does the idea for the holiday come from? We should thank Miss Anna M. Jarvis. She brought up the idea of having such a day. She lived in West Virginia. Her mother died on May 9th, 1905.She had a deep love for her mother. She wrote letters to some important persons. In her letters she asked them to decide a day for all mothers. Then Mother's Day was made on the second Sunday in May by the USA in 1913.

    In China, children give presents to their mothers on Mother's Day, or the whole family go out and try to do something nice for their mothers. Mothers always think of others more than themselves. They love their children and families very much. Everybody should show his love to his mother and help her as much as possible.

    Information Card

    My name is John. I'm twelve years old. I have many friends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some are older than me and some are younger.

    My best friend is Jim. He's also twelve years old. He comes from the countryside. We are in the same class. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Jim is good at science and he often helps me with my science. I often help him with his Chinese. He is poor in Chinese, because he never studied Chinese before.

    Jim is 1.70 meters tall. He is taller than me. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} We both have brown hair, but Jim's hair is longer than mine.

    Jim is a little thin, but I am heavy. I don't like sports, so I don't get much exercise. But Jim likes sports very much. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    After school, Jim and I play ping-pong for half an hour on the playground. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We help and learn from each other. We are good friends.

    People travelled to see the buildings, the food, the national dresses in foreign countries because they thought they would not be the same as those of their own countries in the past. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They all have their Hilton or Sheraton Hotels everywhere. They all have their McDonald's, their KFCs and their Pizza Huts. Office buildings look the same everywhere, and most city centers are full of office buildings.  And of course, people are driving the same brands of Japanese or European cars.

    Then why is the foreign travel more popular nowadays? What do tourists hope to experience m a foreign country that they can not experience at home? The answer could be that people could be very interested in the past.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Most people travel overseas to find out what foreign countries' history and culture used to be like, not what they are like today. Tourists visit different kinds of museums in foreign countries so that they can learn their history and culture.

    Every country also has its own beautiful places for tourists to visit. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It is not just its old buildings, its works of art or beautiful places, but also the people who live in it. This is why a country such as Thailand attracts millions of people. The tourists come mainly because of the friendliness of the people there. It is why the Pacific islands are also so popular. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Why Live Near the River?

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

How did rivers help people live in the past?

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}People also used rivers as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods (货物) to people from other areas.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

When building many factories right next to rivers for the water's power to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity for homes and businesses.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Who wouldn't want to live near a river?

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods (洪水). Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (毁坏) many things in the house.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops (作物) we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

How do people decide where to live?

 {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.