When you sleep somewhere else, like at a summer camp or a friend's house, you know you're there for a fun time. But for some kids, when they are away from home they feel sad. They start to miss- their own beds, their own parents, and all the things at home. It's called being homesick (想家的). Do you want to feel less homesick? Here's how.

    Spend more time doing fun things. The more fun things you do, the less time you'll have to feel homesick. So try to take part in activities and soon you might start to have a good time.

    You can make a plan to call your mum or dad. For a one-night visit, maybe you can call once that night, and again in the morning. In the camp, you might set a regular day and time for a phone call home.  You can also send emails or short messages to keep in touch with family members and friends. If you're going to be away for a while, you might even write a letter! When you get in touch with someone, make sure to tell them about the fun things you're doing!

    Sometimes, just tell someone that you're feeling homesick. This will help you feel better. Maybe you can tell a friend that you feel homesick. And both of you can do something fun, such as telling jokes. If you're at a camp, a camp counselor (顾问) would be a good person to talk to. He or she might have some ideas to help you feel better.

    Surfing the Internet can help open students' eyes and get more knowledge. As a teacher, I encourage my students to use the Internet. In class those students who surf the Internet understand lessons better than the others. Besides, people can use the Internet to write letters or stories and send emails. Many students communicate with their friends online. You can also make friends by chatting on QQ. It's cheaper than calling somebody far away and it's much quicker. Nearly one third of young people surf the Internet for fun. They like to listen to music, watch films, and go to their favorite stars' websites. But can the Internet cause problems? Some of my students who used to study well at school are now failing exams. Because they spend a lot of time playing computer games.

    It isn't hard to plant potatoes.

    First, you take a seed potato and cut it into four pieces. Be sure each piece has one or two eyes where it will begin to grow.

   ①    Second, cut the pieces in water for one day.

   ②    Third, plant each potato piece about four inches under the soil.

   ③    Fourth, water the soil two or three times a day.

   ④    Finally, put out any weeds（杂草）in the area. Your new potatoes will be ready to eat in about two months.

    Traveling by subway can sometimes be a challenge, especially during rush hour. You have to fight your way into the carriage (车厢), and keep away from others' hot water. The smells of some passengers' food are very strong, too.

    Since April, the local government of Beijing has collected public opinions on the new Beijing Subway Passenger Rules. The rules say that if passengers have bad manners while on the subway, they will end up with bad credit (信用) scores or even being refused by the subway. Four kinds of behaviors (行为) were added to the new rules. They include stealing others' seats, eating or drinking, handing out advertisements, and not paying for the tickets.

    As for eating and drinking on the subway, ①不同的人有不同的观点. Some people support the rules that all passengers except babies and people with certain health problems are not allowed to eat or drink on the subway. ②The have pointed out that the smell of food and drink can make other passengers unhappy.

    However, others question this rule, saying that drinking water should be allowed ③________ people can get thirsty after long rides on the crowded subway.

English weather

    Everybody talks about the weather in England and this is not surprising. It changes from minute to minute, so it's always interesting. Someone once wisely remarked(评论) that other countries have a climate, but England just has weather! Gretel was amazed by this talk at first, but she has got used to it now.

    Last month Gretel really understood why everyone is so concerned about the weather:  you can never be certain what's going to happen. Though it was spring, there were heavy snowfalls. As usual, no one expected it. The pipes in many houses were frozen; trains failed to run; cars on the roads shrank; there were many accidents on the roads; lots of people slipped on the icy pavements and got hurt. The weather was very bad. Everyone complained gloomily(沮丧地), "What awful weather we're having! Haven't seen anything like it!". And then, suddenly, the sun came out, the snow melted and it was spring again.

    "Typical(典型的)! Just typical! " Gretel remarked. "From the way you talk about the weather, Gretel," Mr Clark said, "anyone would think you were English."