School is more than a place where students learn subjects such as math, science and reading.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} While the focus of school is not to make a student socially popular, learning these skills is an important part of education. You may have personal issues when it comes to making friends in class, but with coaching you will be well on your way to climbing the social ladder. Here are some instructions.

    Partner with classmates. Use projects as a reason to partner with people you would like to become friends with in your class.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Be reliable when partnering on a project so that you carry your own weight and put your best foot forward.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}There are many lulls (间歇) during class that will afford you an opportunity to engage a classmate. Giving a compliment to a person without overdoing it will help you come off friendly without looking desperate. Icebreakers can be as simple as saying hello or talking about the weather or class work.

    Get involved in activities. Offer to join a study group or get involved in other school activities to meet up with potential friends.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Share your knowledge with others. Helping others you wan! to befriend to understand a concept is a great way to avoid disrupting the class and to make contact.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Send others positive signals such as smiling or waving so that you seem friendly.

A. Break the ice without disturbing the class.

B. Take an active approach to making friends.

C. Ask for help from students you want to befriend.

D. Join available school programs that you are interested in.

E. Assignments will give you an excuse to communicate if you are shy.

F. It is also an environment that teaches and tests social communication.

G. This can be pleasing as well as a great way to interact with parents.

    A student's life is never easy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}A lot of preparations are needed so you can be sure to go back home with a diploma and a bright future waiting for you. The following are some basic things you need to do before seizing your passport and boarding the plane.

    Knowing the country.

    You shouldn't bother researching the country's hottest tourist spots or historical places. You won't go there as a tourist, but as a student. It'll be helpful to read the most important points in their history and to read up on their culture.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You surely don't want to face legal problems, especially if you're away from home.

    Studying their language.

    Don't expect that you can graduate abroad without knowing even the basics of the language. Before leaving your home country, take online lessons to at least master some of their words and sentences.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Doing this will also prepare you in communicating with those who can't speak English.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Check the conversion（兑换）of your money to their local currency, set up your bank account so you can use it there, get an insurance, and find an apartment. The Internet or your intended school will be very helpful in finding an apartment and helping you understand local currency.

    Remember, you're not only carrying your own reputation but your country's reputation as well. If you act foolishly, people there might think that all of your country men are foolish as well.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}．

A. Packing your clothes.

B. Preparing for other needs.

C. Most importantly, read about their laws.

D. This will be useful in living and studying there.

E. That would surely be a very bad start for your study abroad program.

F. Going with their trends will keep it from being too obvious that you're a foreigner.

G. And it is even more difficult if you have to complete your study in a foreign land.

Traditional Chinese Culture

    Chinese culture is over 5,000 years old.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The spirit of the tea ceremony

    Xihu Longjing(West Lake Dragon Well)and Yunnan Pu'er have long been world famous.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The spirit of the Chinese tea ceremony captures the Chinese attitude towards life and spirituality. These are the things that people all over the world can benefit from.

    A handful of good tea leaves with some boiling water and a set of lovely tea ware are the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon and gain some insights into the wisdom of that ancient civilization.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    During the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, many different flavors, styles, and cuisines(烹饪)have developed, based on traditional philosophy and culture. This ancient food culture has had a direct impact on the countries such as Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore. It has benefited billions of people around the world through innovations such as Chinese vegetarian culture, tea culture, vinegar, pasta, medicinal diets, ceramic tableware, and the use of soybeans in the diet.

    Confucianism

    Confucianism emphasizes peacefulness and harmony between heaven and humanity, through pursuing the "Tao", which is the harmonization between nature and mankind. It advocates harmony and moderation, including the harmony between individuals, as well as the harmony between a man and his inner self.

    Confucianism has flourished during the last 2,500 years of China's 5,000­year history.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This school of thought has had the most profound and long lasting influence in China's history. Seventy­four Nobel Prize winners and many other highly respected scholars have stated that for the benefit of mankind's livelihood and development into the next century, these teachings should be promoted and adopted worldwide.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Chinese cuisine

B. Traditional Chinese culture

C. It has been the mainstay of that ancient civilization.

D. They are pretty popular due to their superior color and flavor.

E. The following three items of traditional Chinese culture have had a worldwide impact.

F. This wonderfully rich food culture has also had an impact on Europe，America and Oceania.

G. This would provide long lasting benefits for man，helping to ensure a peaceful and happy life.

    What is happiness? When you can feel inner peace and satisfaction, you are happy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This usually happens when we do something we love or achieve something that we value. It is our opinions that make us feel happy or unhappy. All of us constantly go through various situations or conditions, but we do not have to let them influence our reactions and feelings. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Try hard to make a change of the way you look at things. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} That means looking at the good and positive side of every situation. Pay attention to solutions, not problems. Listen to relaxing and uplifting music. Watch funny and interesting programs that make you laugh.

    Always look at what you have done and not at what you haven't done. Look at what you can do, not at what you cannot do. Each day do at least one act to make others happy. When you make someone happy, you'll become happy, and then people will try to make you happy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} On the contrary, be happy for their happiness. Communicate with happy people and try to learn from them to be happy. Remember, do your best to stay detached (冷静的) when things do not occur as intended and desired. Detachment has much to do with inner peace. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Money Matters

    Parents should help their children understand money. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example.

    ⒈The basic function of money

    Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the things he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier(收银员). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money.

    ⒉Money lessons

    Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you must say no to a child's request to spend money, explain, "You have enough toy trucks for now." Or, if the request is for many different things, say "You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy."

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands(品牌) of a product—a name-brand butter and a generic(一般的), for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase(购买) with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases.

A. Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store.

B. Wise decisions

C. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.

D. Tell your child why he can—or cannot—have certain things.

E. The value of money

F. Permit the child to choose between them.

G. Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you.

Many people who are learning English want to know how to improve their reading skills. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The effective way to improve your reading skills is to love reading and practice more.

Reading is one of the most important language skills because we use it to expand our vocabulary and improve the way we speak, write and listen. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Seeing new ways to say things can help your understanding of English and improve not only your reading, but also your other language skills.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If we do not understand something, we can go over it again and even look up the words we do not know the meanings of. This means that we have a much greater chance of understanding information that we read than information that we hear.

So how do we practice reading so that our skill level improves? When we read a passage, we need to understand it. We must understand what the important words mean in each sentence. This does not mean that we need to know the meaning of every word. In many cases, we can find out what words mean from the words around them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To do this, we must understand how words work together. In many cases, we must "see" part of the message that has not been written, or we must form an opinion ourselves.

Reading is an essential part of your study of the English language. It can help you understand and learn more. It can also become a satisfying hobby.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A．Unfortunately, there is no easy way to do this.

B．Unlike listening, reading allows us to take our time.

C．Among the four skills, listening is the most important one.

D．It is hoped that you will love reading and improve your reading skills.

E．When we read, we can see how things are said, from sentence structure to expression.

F．If we do not, we will not be able to understand what the entire article or story is about.

G．Once we understand what the words mean, we need to figure out what the message is.