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.

Problems: ①Some people always smoke in public places. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

②The No. 16 bus is always late.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

③Some people always drop litter everywhere in our neighborhood.    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

④Some students talk loudly in the library.   {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

⑤My parents hope I stay at home and study all day, even at weekends.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Solutions: A. Tell them that we need to relax after studying for a long time or ask our teacher for help.

B. Tell them politely to keep quiet

C. Put up posters to ask them not to litter. If someone is found dropping litter, punish him badly.

D. We could say politely "Excuse me, could you please put out your cigarette?"

E. Call the bus company and ask for the better service.

    Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, "You should have goals(目标） like climbing the mountain." Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed ，we couldn't have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience (耐力).

    Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing. I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds' singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, "You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can't see it before you reach the top. ①Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life."

    At that time, ②我太小以至于不能理解他的话。But later after that, I got new hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the mountain. And there, I could see the whole of the sky, which was as clear as crystal (水晶).

    Have you ever been to Singapore? For many Chinese tourists, this small island in Southeast Asia is a wonderful place to take a holiday. On the one hand, more than seventy-five percent of population are of Chinese descent, so you can simply speak Mandarin most of the time. On the other hand, Singapore is an English-speaking country.

    When the ancient Chinese paid their first visit here in the early 14^th century, it was still a small seaside city. Later in the 1820s, the British Empire claimed it as a colony (殖民地). Singapore hasn't been an independent country until 1965. From then on, it has become an important port of trade and business between different countries.

One great thing about Singapore is that the temperature is almost the same all year round. It seldom drops below 20℃. It's warm and wet the whole year. This is because it is so close to the equator (赤道). So you can choose to go whenever you like—spring, summer, autumn or winter! And, of course, it's not too far from China. For those who enjoy the sun and the beach, Singapore is an ideal place.

    On the northeast coast of Singapore, Changi Village is far from the noise of central Singapore. The buildings are modern, but there's still a village terminal (晚期的) atmosphere. There's a small, attractive seaside camp site across the Changi Creek from the bus terminal, where you can watch the planes gliding into Changi airport while relaxing on the sand.

    Most large cities have zoos, but have you ever been to a zoo at night? Singapore has a night zoo called the "Night Safari". It might seem strange to go to a zoo when it's dark. But if you've ever been to a zoo during the daytime, you might understand why Night Safari is so special. A lot of animals only wake up when it goes dark at night, so this is the best time to watch them. At the Night Safari, you can watch these animals in more natural environment than a normal zoo.

    A young man entered the last interview of a company. The director learnt that the young man's academic (学业的) grades were very good. "Did you get any scholarships (奖学金) in school?" the director asked. "None." The young man answered. "Did your father pay for your school fees?" the director asked. "My father died when I was one year old, so my mother paid my school fees." The young man answered.

    "Where did your mother work?" the director asked. "My mother washed clothes." The young man said. The director looked at the young man's hands. He had a pair of smooth and perfect hands.

    "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" the director asked. "Never." The young man answered. "I have a request," the director said. When you go back today, wash your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

    The young man felt that his chance of getting the job was high. When he went back. He happily asked his mother to let him wash her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings. She showed her hands to the kid. The young man washed his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell when he did that. It was the first time he had noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled (有皱纹的).He realized it was this pair of hands that helped him pay the fees.

    The next morning, the young man went to the director's office. "I washed my mother's hands, and I know that without my mother, I would not be the person I am today." He said.

    "This is what I am looking for," the director said. "I want a person who can appreciate (感激) the help of others to get things done. You will be a member of our company.

    Everyone wants to become perfect. Unluckily, being perfect may not happen. Here's some useful advice about how to refuse perfection.

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    Compared(比较) with others, you may feel that you are not perfect. The solution? End your comparison.

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    When perfection is your goal, mistakes mean failure. Your fear of criticism(批评) may keep you from taking risks or trying new things. Nobody is perfect. Take it easy. You needn't take others' words seriously.

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    Part of beating perfection is accepting that mistakes are part of human beings. If you don't give up, you will be successful one day. You shouldn't prevent you from asking for help.

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    Find a trusted friend, family member or teacher who is not a perfectionist- someone who can take criticism and has learned from his or her mistakes. Share your goals and achievements with him or her, no matter how small they are.

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    Cut out the words like never, always and should from your self-talk. Carry a notebook and take notes whenever you want to say these words. Realizing this means you're well on your way to changing them. The more confidence(自信) you develop, the less you'll feel the need to be perfect. And when you give up perfection, happiness can begin right now.