Children love their parents, but I didn't get on well with my parents before. I hardly talked to my parents, because they liked to 1 me with my sister. And that made me unhappy. I sometimes argued 2 them for that.

    However, I wanted to show them that I could do things as well as my sister. Then I began to spend most of my free time painting in my bedroom. Luckily, my art teacher, Miss Green, 3 to help me a lot. She taught me some drawing 4 to improve my painting. She was the only person I would like to talk with.

    One day, I told Miss Green about my problem. She encouraged me to enter a painting competition. In her mind，the best way to communicate with my parents was to prove（证明）5. I took her advice.

    Several days later, Miss Green told me the result. I was very happy and excited 6 I won the first prize! My parents were very 7 and I could see that they were very happy. And they began to care more about me. Now 8 between my parents and me have become very good. And I think it's very important to have someone to talk with.

When was the last time you gave or received a hug（拥抱）？ Do your parents hug you before you go to school？ In Western countries, it is quite common to greet close friends or relatives with a hug.

You might hug your teammates after winning a basketball game. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Friends who haven't seen each other for a long time will usually hug each other when meeting.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} After coming to China, I've noticed that the Chinese seem unwilling（不愿意）to hug.

My Chinese friends tell me that hugging is considered to be very intimate （亲密的） in their culture. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Chinese people don't usually hug in public. But people's attitudes towards hugging can also change.

I remember watching a video story about a "hugging party" that was held in shanghai.. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The Chinese who took part in the party looked uncomfortable. However, after the party, several of them changed their minds. They found that hugging didn't have to be embarrassing and could actually be quite nice.So next time you see your parents, give them a hug and see how it makes you feel.

    Peter and Mike are very good friends. They are in the same class at school. They often go to school and play t{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, and they often visit each other's home at weekends, too.

    Now they are b{#blank#}2{#/blank#} eight years old. Peter's mother has got a new baby. Peter is very glad to have a little brother, so he is always talking about his younger brother to Mike.

    At first Mike is very interested in the new baby because he doesn't have any sisters or brothers. But after some time he begins to get tired of Peter's endless talking about it. He also feels a little jealous (嫉妒) of his friend.

    One morning before class, when the two boys m{#blank#}3{#/blank#} at the school gate, Peter says to Mike cheerfully, "Do you know, Mike, my little brother, has put on nearly half a pound in weight this week."

    "That's not much at all," answers Mike. "I know a baby who can put on more than ten pounds a day."

    "Oh, that can't be t{#blank#}4{#/blank#}," answers Peter. "W{#blank#}5{#/blank#} baby is it?"

    "An elephant's," says Mike.

    Sudha Chandran, a classical dancer from India, had to have her right leg cut after an accident. She was also cut off on her career (事业) road.

    Though the accident brought her bright career to a stop, she didn't 1. In the painful months, Sudha met a doctor who had a(n) 2 on her leg. So eagerly she wanted to go back to dancing after she had been fitted with a man-made leg. Sudha believed in herself and thought she could realize her dream, so she 3 on her brave journey back to the world of dancing.

    After every public performance, she might ask her dad about it. "You still have a long way to go!" That was the 4 she used to get from her father. In January 1984, Sudha made a historic comeback 5giving a public performance in Bombay. She performed in such a great manner that it moved 6 to tears (眼泪) and this performance pushed her to number one position again. That evening when she asked her dad the same question, he didn't 7 anything. He just touched her feet as a praise.

    Sudha's comeback was so 8 that a film producer decided to make the story into a hit film. It has moved more and more people.

    People wondered 9 Sudha could manage to dance again. When she was asked the question, she would just answer quite 10 ,"YOU DON'T NEED FEET TO DANCE." Where there is a will, there is a way.

Dear Mike,

How is everything? I am not happy these days. My parents are angry with me because they think I live an unhealthy life on weekends. They want me to spend my weekend like my sister Jenny.

I always get up late. So I usually have nothing for breakfast. I play basketball for an hour then. For lunch, I often eat out. Hamburgers and ice-cream are my favorites. I know they are not good for me, but they taste great. After lunch, I usually go to the movies with my friends. Sometimes, I sleep all the afternoon. In the evening, I either watch TV or play computer games. I don't go to bed until eleven thirty.

But Jenny is different. She never gets up after six thirty. Then she brushes teeth and does morning exercises. After that, she has milk and eggs. She does her homework all the morning. For lunch, she eats rice, meat, fish and vegetables. She studies for 3 hours before she eats dinner. Sometimes, she helps with housework after dinner. Then she goes out to take a walk. She reads and takes a shower before going to bed."What a great day I have!"Jenny always says.

It is weekend! I just want to relax myself well. I don't like to hear my parents always say the same words again and again to me. It's terrible to live like Jenny! What can I do?

Yours,

Leo