Dear Mr. Hunt,

    My problem is that I can't get on with my family.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}They fight a lot, and I really don't like it. It's the only communication they have.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When they argue, it's like a big, black cloud hanging over our home. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}He always refuses to let me watch my favorite TV show. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I don't think this is fair. At home I always feel lonely and nervous. Is that normal?{#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

Sad and Thirteen

    The summer holiday is coming. What a perfect chance to plan a trip! How about backpacking (背包旅行)? Maybe you're too young to do it. But it doesn't matter. Follow me and you'll learn about an interesting way to travel.

    Have you ever noticed foreigners with big bags on their backs? They wear jeans and T-shirts, and have guidebooks or maps in their hands. They look curious (好奇的) about everything they see. They enjoy themselves without a tour group. That's right! They are backpackers.

    Backpacking is a popular way for Westerners to travel outside of their country. It's cheap so that people can travel more and see more places. Most backpackers are young people because backpacking needs a strong body, courage and freedom.

    Backpackers usually do some homework before setting out. They search for information about their destination (目的地) country: food, fun places to visit, hostels (青年旅舍) and things to buy. They are sure they know how to change planes or where to get the train.

    Backpacking is a freer way to travel. You can change your destination whenever you want. It also allows travelers to explore and see more. And you can decide how long to stay there. If you go with a tour group, there may be a lot of rules and you may not be free to do things as you like.

    Ways to Increase Your Confidence

    There are some ways you can use to increase your self-confidence. Some of them you'll need to practice a lot before they start to work. It's like playing the guitar or soccer. They might not work too well the first or second time you try them. But as you do them, you build a deeper confidence in yourself.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Exercise will improve your confidence and your way of looking at life. Plus, being healthy and looking better can also help you feel more confident.

    Create something.

    Everyone is a creative(有创造力的) person. Rediscovering your creativity is a good way to improve your confidence in yourself. Creating something is a wonderful but not always easy experience. But when you're done, you not only feel good about yourself. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Use your body.

    If you start to walk fast you'll soon start to feel nervous. If you start to walk slower you'll soon start to feel more relaxed. To feel more confident, use your body in a more confident way. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Learn how confident people around you or on the TV use their bodies.

Compare yourself to yourself.

This will take away a lot of unnecessary pain in your life. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Compare yourself to yourself. Improve yourself and see how you grow and become a more successful, more confident and happier person.

    There was an old pear tree in a man's garden. In the past, the tree fruited every year, so the man would get many pears. But now, the tree got old. There were no more pears for the man. So the man decided to cut the tree down.

    When he walked toward the tree with an axe in his hand, the tree said to him, "Please don't cut me down. I have born so many pears for you in the past years."

    "I'm sorry, but I have to do so," the man said, "because I need wood to make a chair." Then he began to wave (挥动) his axe. At that moment, a bird in the old tree shouted at him, "Don't cut it down! Every time you go out and your wife feels lonely, she will come out to the garden and sit under the tree to enjoy its cool shade (树萌), and I sing songs to make her happy. We give much pleasure to your wife."

    The man didn't listen to the bird and drove it away. Just as he was about to cut the tree, some bees flew out of it and said, "Listen! If you agree not to kill this tree, we will give you delicious honey every day. Would you please leave the tree with us?"

    The man got moved. He said, "You are so kind to the tree, although it has become old. Now I see that I shouldn't cut it down. It has done so much for me and my wife. Let the tree stay here, and let the bird continue to sing songs here." With these words, the man left.

    Schools in the UK are quite different from those in China. In the UK, at the beginning of the term, students must select their courses and teachers first.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So in the first term, don't select too many courses, or you'll feel nervous and it may influence your study. Then you have to ask for some teaching plans. There is some information about subjects, time arranging, marks and textbooks. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Different teachers have different teaching methods.

    If the teacher is called "killer" by the last grade, many students will give up choosing him, because this kind of teacher will leave too much homework, give too many exams and too low grades.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} How to buy textbooks makes each student feel hard. The textbooks in the UK are very expensive. Each copy is about $30 -50. In order to save money, many students buy some used textbooks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In class, discussing is very important. The teachers always encourage you to ask questions or show your own opinions freely. They don't usually ask you to sit well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They usually don't give you much homework to do. So in the schools in the UK you can learn knowledge and do exercises by yourself. You must do almost all things independently.

A. And some students usually borrow textbooks from the school library.

B. At the same time, you must select the teachers.

C. Selecting is very important for your grades in the UK.

D. Instead, they allow you to sit or stand everywhere you like.

E. There is another thing after you select the courses and the teachers.