Why are so many people so afraid to fail? Quite simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure (失败) becomes an experience that means growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.

      Most parents work hard at preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. 60% of the parents choose this way. When a child finishes making a table, the mother describes it as “perfect” even though it doesn't stand still. Another way is to blame (责怪) others. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

      There's a problem with the two ways. It makes a child unprepared for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time, and that it's possible to enjoy a game even when you don't win. A child who's not invited to a birthday party, who doesn't make the honour list on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick consolations (安慰), prize or say, “It doesn't matter.” Because it does. The young should be allowed to experience failure and be helped to come out of it.

     Failure never gives people pleasure. It hurts both grown-ups and children. But it can be really good to your life when you learn to use it. You must learn to ask “Why did I fail?” Don't blame anyone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don't be shy about asking them.

March 24^th

    This morning, we had a school trip to the Dashan Collection House, a building of two floors． It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm． We took the school bus and arrived at 9:00． When we entered the collection house, our eyes were caught by a collection of old photos of the town on the walls of the front hall． Those photos told us something about the history of the town． And then in the Art Room, we saw many pictures of the countryside． The colors of the flowers and trees are rich and bright． All at once, I lost myself in the beauty of nature．

    Then we went upstairs． On the left, there were over one hundred different clocks． The oldest clock was already more than two hundred years old． To my surprise, the clocks all worked well and they could tell the right time． It was then ten o'clock, and some clocks produced different beautiful sounds． It seemed to be a concert． How amazing!

    On the right there was also a stone collection． The stones were from all over the country． They were in different sizes, colors and shapes． Some looked like different kinds of animals． I really liked one stone that looked like a little monkey． It looked very nice．

    The collections there were wonderful． So they stayed there until 11:30 in the morning． I had a great time and really liked the school trip．

    Listening to songs is a great way to learn English. Here are a few reasons.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And when you are enjoying yourself, you learn without even realizing it. The best thing is that there are so many good songs in English and there are so many kinds of music, including pop, country, R&B, rock, soul and so on. Let David Bowie, Madonna, The Beatles, Alicia Keys...be your teachers!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Just take your MP3 player with your favorite tracks and press “play”. And you can listen to them whenever and whatever you want, so you can learn English while you're walking, driving, doing sports or relaxing on the sofa.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. While you're listening to songs, you are raising your awareness of language structures. And you're seeing how the structures are formed and used.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And after singing along to the songs several times, all those phrases and expressions will become firmly fixed in your long-term memory. Then later you'll find that you use them naturally when you're speaking or writing.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. For example, the song American Pie is about the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the The Big Bapper, which was an important event in US history.

    So, load up your MP3 player, put on your headphones and press “play”!

A. Learning English by listening to music is easy, too.

B. Songs can also teach you about history, culture and traditions.

C. Songs are full of useful language that you can use when you're speaking and writing.

D. Songs are good for developing your understanding of English grammar.

E. Listening to music is fun.

    When Norman left high school, he went to a college to learn cooking for two years. He enjoyed cooking and was good at creating (创造) his own dishes. Then he got a job in the kitchen of a big hotel as an apprentice (学徒) for four years.

    ①Norman soon found that cooking in a hotel was nothing like cooking for his family at home. He needed to work in a hot kitchen for a long time every day. A lot of people couldn't stand it, but Norman enjoyed it. He always made new and unusual cakes on Friday. More and more people visited the hotel on Friday just ②________ his cakes. The hotel owner soon found out why.

    When Norman decided to leave the hotel, ③the hotel owner offered(提供) him more money and the position (职位) of the head cook. Norman took the position and saved most of the money he made. Finally, he bought his own hotel last year. Then he found he needed a lot more skills than just cooking skills. So he went to an evening school to learn business every Tuesday and Friday.

    Norman enjoys having his own hotel. But he also enjoys working in the kitchen and ④thinking up new creations when the hotel is not too busy.

    Nowadays, more and more teenagers can't get along well with their parents, some even fight with their parents from time to time. That's too bad. Even if you think that your parents cannot understand you at times, loving your parents is a normal and satisfying part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you and raised you. Here are some ways to love your parents.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to be angry, but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, keep a diary about your feelings, or talk to a friend. After this, show your feelings to your parents.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It depends on what you do. For example, if you get home late without calling first, next time your parents may not believe you. To get their trust, you must pay attention to the ways you do things instead of fighting with them. It will make your life much easier.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can watch TV, or go somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. You can go hiking together, your parents will get to know that you have the ability to deal with different problems, and they will understand you more. Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in one way or another.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm the coldest heart every morning. Remember that they brought you into the world. Without your parents, you might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will help you to get more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean the room when you aren't willing to do that at that moment. However, you had better remember they keep you comfortable when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and they make mistakes, too.

    It's hard to make friends if you stay at home all the time, so get out of the house and do things that will put you in touch with(接触)other people. It's easier to make friends with them when you find you like the same things as other people.

Don't be afraid to show people what you're really good at. You can talk about the things you like and do best. People will be interested in you if they, hear something interesting about you.

    Look at people in your eyes when you talk to them. That way, they'll find it easier to talk to you, or people may think you're not interested in them and may stop being interested in you.

    Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about "me, me, me” You can ask people lots of questions and show that you are interested in their answers.

    Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like, respect(尊敬)and admire(羡慕). You shouldn't just make friends with those people you will meet them easily. Try to be friendly with all kinds of people. That way, you'll have a bigger group of people to choose from. Then you'll be easier to make friends with other people.