Everyone needs friends. They are very important because friends bring us happiness and hope in our lives. But the ability to make friends changes from person to person. To some people, making friends is not hard, and to others it's very difficult. Making friends is a skill, and the first thing is to know how to get on with others. If you have trouble in making friends, maybe I can tell you how to do it.

    a)Realize your own good points. You have skills and talents(才能) that others will like.

    b)Believe that you are a good person and have something nice to share with others.

    c)Be humorous. Learn to laugh at yourself and your weakness. Remember to smile at others.

    d)Respect(尊敬) the others. Everyone has his own idea. Learn how to listen to others' ideas without trying to make them accept yours.

    e)Be kind. If you are kind to others, they will usually be kind to you. There are hundreds of little things you can do to show your kindness. Open the door for someone. Wave to a friend and so on.

    f)Don't complain. Learn to accept what you can't change, and work hard to change what you can. No one is willing to hear your complaints all the time.

    g)Never give up. Even if you are faced with some closed-minded people, never give up. And try to find someone who will understand you.

    Hello, everyone. I am Tom. You know that different people have different hobbies. Such as reading, painting, growing vegetables and looking after animals. I was interested in stamps and started to collect them two years ago.

    My father works in a big company. He always goes abroad. Two years ago, when he was working in America, he sent home a letter with a beautiful stamp on the envelope (信封). I got the first stamp. I liked it very much. From then on I have always asked my father to send me different stamps from different countries. Later I joined a club and I have made many friends there. My friends encouraged me to write about my experiences on the stamps.

    I have collected 300 stamps. My hobby has brought me pleasure and success. I can also enjoy the beautiful designs of stamps. So I think hobbies can make me grow as a person.

    Most of us probably dreamed about becoming an astronaut when we were little. But how many of us have actually become one, or are at least working toward it? It's true that the advice" Always follow your dreams" is something that is typically easier said than done.

    But still, this is the one piece of advice that Alyssa Carson wants to share with her peers. This 17-year-old girl from the US has become one of the candidates (候选人) for NASA's 2033 project to go to Mars. If everything goes well, Carson will be one of the first human beings to ever set foot on the red planet.

    Carson began to dream of going to Mars when she was only three years old. After watching an astronaut-themed cartoon and hearing from her father that humans had only been to the moon but not Mars, Carson decided that she wanted to be the first one to do so.

    To realize her dream, she has worked hard toward it. At the age of 12, Carson became the first person to attend all three NASA space camps, and she sat with real astronauts to discuss the future of Mars missions. Now 17, Carson is continuing with her space training while still taking on her high school work like a "normal " teenager, except that she studies all her subjects in four languages - English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

    "I don't think there's anything specific that makes it easier for me or makes it something that others can't do," Carson said in an interview," I've just really focused myself on what I want to accomplish."

    Besides, Carson is willing to make sacrifices (牺性) for her dream, She's fully aware of the danger of the mission and the possibility that she might never be able to come back. She also accepts the fact that she can't get married and start a family because any loved ones left on Earth may be a distraction for her and for the mission, But Carson believes that it's all worth it, summarizing her view with this ancient Greek proverb she once quoted," A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they'll never sit in."

    While some people's dreams may sound out of this world, Carson is on her way.

    One day, when Sunee reached her house, she saw a brown package(包裹). She ran inside the house with her package and showed it to her grandmother. Sunee opened the package. As she did, she noticed there was Thai writing on the box. This package had come from her aunt in Thailand.

    Inside the box, Sunee saw something uncommon. It was a red silk umbrella. She had never seen anything like it! Next to the umbrella she found a silk purse (钱包).They were both beautiful.

    "Shipping a package overseas used to take a lot of time," said Grandmother. "Packages traveled by train and ship. It could take many months to get a package from across the ocean. How long did your package take to arrive?"

    Sunee and her grandmother looked at the postmark (邮戳). It showed that the package had been sent eight days ago. "That's fast!" said Sunee.

    Her grandmother agreed. "We have resources (资源)now that we didn't have years ago. Now, packages are flown across the ocean. Because airplanes travel so fast, packages arrive very quickly. Now our economy (经济)depends on fast delivery (快递)!"

    David wants to buy a Christmas present for his mother. David's father gives him $ 5 a week and David puts $2 into his bank account(账户) every week. After three months David takes $ 20 out of his bank account and goes to the shop. He looks for a great present. He sees a beautiful brooch(胸针) in the shape of his favourite pet. He says to himself, "My mother loves jewellery(珠宝), and the brooch costs only $ 17. " He buys the brooch and takes it home. He wraps(裹) the present in Christmas paper and then puts it under the tree. He is very happy and he wants to see the joy(喜悦) on his mother's face that day. When his mother opens the present, she screams(尖叫). She sees a spider(蜘蛛).

    This is a home of the future, a smart home, where technology can do almost everything. Imagine we are in the year 2050; ①the computer wakes Tom up in the morning as usual. In front of him is a to-do list of the important events for the day, and it is provided by the computer， too. According to Tom's request, the computer serves a list of possible dishes. All the dishes are nice.

    As Tom eats breakfast, the computer reminds him to reply to Lucy. Before Tom finishes his next bite, Lucy's computer receives the message. Then Tom goes to the supermarket. The store's system checks his car when he drives to the pickup area and greets him. "Good morning, Tom! Your order is in Case 4. Thank you for shopping." When Tom removes his order from Case 4, the trade is completed automatically(自动地) over the information superhighway. That is, the money is electronically paid into the bank. Soon after arriving at the office, Tom reads another message from Lucy, telling him that she will go to have dinner with him.

    The smart home can also do many other things:

    Find things like keys and mobile phones.

    ②        (打开或关闭) machines and lights with your voice.

    Clean your home from clothes to buildings automatically.

    Record everything and everyone entering and leaving the house.

    Take care of each member of the family, young or old.

    ③With the development of technology, the smart home will come true in the future. It is sure to play an important part in our life.