My grandmother is over eighty years old. She always complains about how greatly things have changed, and she often says that life used to be better.

    Families aren't families the way they used to be. If a husband and wife are having problem with their marriage, they don't stay together any more. They choose to divorce. Mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now everyone is busy working; no one has time to look after children at home.

    And the cars! No one walk any more; people get richer and richer, and more and more people buy cars and drive. We used to walk five miles to school every day, even in winter. But now children don't.

    And in school, children don't have to think any more. When I was at school, I used to add, subtract, multiply and divide using my head in math class, but now, children use calculators instead.

    Most families have computers and TVs now. In the past we didn't have computers or TVs, we spent a lot of time talking with our family members. But now, people are too busy to talk to each other. If they have time, they'd watch TV or surf the Internet rather than talk to family members. They are even too busy to eat and think.

    Life used to be simple, but it isn't any more.

Information Card

    Are you trying to live a healthy life? The following tips may sound strange, but they can really help you.

    Exercise when you are tired

    After a long and tiring day of study, an offer to exercise might not sound like a good idea, but it should. In fact, physical activities can provide you with the missing energy. Research shows that exercising for just 30 minutes can make you feel good!

    Write by hand to help the brain be active

    Although writing something using a computer is faster, it is much better to remember the whole thing by writing it down by hand. When you read a handwritten text, naturally it's easier for your brains to remember the information.

    Spare more time for yourself

    By sparing the time for yourself and just being alone for a while, you can have a chance to think and get to know yourself better. And you won't behave impulsively (易冲动地).

    Drink hot drinks on a hot day

    What cools more on a hot summer morning, cold water or hot water? A study shows that the hot water does make people feel cooler. When you are drinking something hot, the body will feel the change in temperature and increase the perspiration (流汗), which helps you cool down!

    It's December. It's snowing and the weather is really cold in the north of China. You can see many children playing with snow. Some of them are skating on the river because it's so cold that the water in the river freezes (结冰). It's a white world. How beautiful! But in Australia now, the weather is hot. Many people go swimming in the sea. They are having a good time. Jim and his friends are playing soccer near the sea. The sunny weather is really cool for them. They want to swim after playing soccer.

    Why are they swimming in December? It is winter, isn't it? Yes, it is in China. But it isn't in Australia. That's because we, Chinese and Australians, have different season (季节) in a year.

    Polar bears(北极熊) are soft and lovely, but they are also very dangerous. Mark's best pal is Agee, just a big cute white polar bear! Mark is a Canadian animal trainer. He and Agee became friends when the polar bear was just about four weeks old. Now Agee is 16 years old and weighs 800 pounds. She can't live at Mark's home now, but both of them are still best friends. They always play, swim and even wrestle(摔跤) together. Agee is not only Mark's best friend, but also the world's first trained polar bear star. She has acted in some films and TV advertisements(广告) . Polar bears usually live in the freezing Arctic region(冰冷的北极地区) . Unluckily, as the weather gets warmer and warmer, there is less and less room for the polar bears to live in. And they have to find their home and have less time to find food. So these make polar bears become fewer and fewer.

    Febri's is a very friendly place. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We did not see one unhappy staff member (工作人员) — all have smiles on their faces. It is very clean and it has good service.

    The pool is wonderful and deep and there is a baby area in it. My kids loved the elephants around the pool spraying water. We often bad lunch by the pool. You only just push the bell and the staff will bring you a menu. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It serves the usual food with little change each day.

    Lots of visitors stay here because it's a very good family hotel. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you have young kids, I advise you to ask a ground floor rooms, because stairs are too hard for young kids. These rooms are at the back of the hotel, so there is no street noise. It's very quiet. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I slept with 3 pillows (枕头) under me. The spa is quite relaxing! The location is good. Everything is close by, and the street is not one way here. Next to the hotel door there is a good DVD shop, and you can rent DVD at a good price from it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's a $1 taxi ride to Kuta Market. If you want to go to the beach, you can walk through the hotel opposite to Febri's to get to Tuban Beach.