Summer vacation means long days, sleeping in or enjoying the summer sun. It is quite true for students to enjoy a rest after a long and difficult year. But more and more parents fear their kids forgetting a lot of knowledge, so they send their children to summer schools. Because summer schools have many advantages, they can help children go over the knowledge that they have learnt during the school year.

    In summer schools, students probably study in a more relaxing situation and can come up with interesting topics for discussion with their teachers. Usually, the number of. students attending summer schools is smaller, so this gives them a good chance to connect with other students and teachers better. If a student has failed a course, summer schools may help him or her. Moreover, they are building their creativity(创造力) and imagination(想象力) as well as learning social skills.

    On the other hand, summer schools bring children problems at the same time. It takes children the whole summer vacation to learn without playing. That is too long. As a result, it may make them less interested in school during the coming year.

    For many students, taking summer classes can be a tiring experience. Teachers teach the subject too quickly, where only harms the whole education of students. Summer schools are usually expensive. They usually offer only a few subjects. So many students have to take classes that they don't like.

    A summer school can be a good chance for students who need it, but it can be difficult for students who need a rest. So you can decide whether a summer school is suitable for your children.

A. Be a Good Listener               B. Care About the Small Acts

C. Begin a Conversation             D. Make Time for Friendships

E. Give a Hand to New Neighbors     F. Remember Their Names

5 Ways To Build Friendship with Your Neighbors

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    Often neighbors don't even know each other's names. But it's okay to be the one to break the ice. So as you see them at work in their yards, smile, wave and say hello. Ask how their kids are or what they think of the price at the local supermarket.

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    Your new neighbors may be feeling lonely and unsure, especially if they're far from home. Your help will be welcomed by them. Leave your telephone number to them. If they have any questions, they can call you.

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    Most of us find it difficult to remember people's names. Writing down the names of your neighbors and note about them, such as "Frank and Jill—Bob's neighbor," helps you remember their names. The next time we see Frank and Jill, we try to call them by name.

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    If you value a friendship with your neighbors, spend time with them. What better way to meet your neighbors than to invite them to a pool party or holiday open house? Chat with each for five minutes to get an idea of what your neighbors are like so that you can plan for food and music.

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    In a good relationship, it's really the little things that count. Help to bring in the mail for the elderly neighbor when there is a heavy rain. When your neighbor forgets to take in his rubbish cans, roll them back into his yard.

    Many people in the United States celebrate Christmas Day on December 25.

    Christmas Day is just like our Spring Festival. People celebrate Christmas Day with a traditional family dinner. Many people decorate (装饰) their homes and gardens with lights, Christmas trees. People eat a special meal, such as turkey (火鸡）and a lot of other festival foods. Children often get a lot of gifts from their parents and friends. Shops are red and green. There are so many Christmas cards, Christmas hats, Christmas toys and many colorful things. So they looks very beautiful. We can give a toy to our friends: 我们花费许多的钱。

    Christmas is coming, and it also means a new year will come. Let's study harder to welcome the new year!

    A traveler in South Africa once set out on a long journey. When crossing a wide plain(平原), far from home, he saw a lion at a distance.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, and followed him slowly.

    When the traveler walked fast, the lion walked fast! When he stopped, the lion stopped! {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, and then attack(攻击)him.

    He was not able to run away from the lion because the lion ran faster than him. So he thought of a plan to fool it.

    He came to a large rock. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, where the lion could not see him. Then taking a stick which he could found there, he put his coat and his hat on it, in order to make them look like a man. He then placed the stick with the coat and the hat standing in the ground above the rock. He then left quietly.

    The lion stopped and watched the coat and the hat, at a distance. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    But the traveler was already far away. Before long, he reached his own home.

What do you think of the traveler? (不多于3个字) {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A History of English…in Five Words

    In 1582, Richard Mulcaster, headmaster of a British school, wrote that the English would not go beyond their island. However, it didn't stay that way. Today, English is spoken all over the world.

    English is a colorful and diverse (多样的) language that long has picked up words from many other languages. Here are five words that show the English language's interesting history.

English

    English began in the language spoken by the early Germanic people in the fifth century AD. It is from them that the word “English” comes. First it is the Latin word Angli which means the people of Angul, where the Germanic people were from.

Beef

    Although roast beef is seen as a traditional English dish, the word “beef” was introduced from the French boeuf during the Middle Ages. It was one of a group of words, including pork and mutton, that were taken from the speech of the French who moved in Britain following the Norman Conquest (诺曼底登陆) of 1066. However, the farmers who kept these living things continued to call them by their old English names: cow, pig and sheep. This difference passes on till today.

Dictionary

    Dictionary is a borrowing from Latin dictornarius liber, “book of words”. It first appeared in English in the 6th century, along with a huge number of other words from Latin and Greek. The first English dictionary was written by Robert Cawdrey in 1604. Cawdrey focused only on the difficult words whose meanings would have caused problems for those not educated in Latin and Greek.

Tea

    Tea was brought into Britain early in the 17th century, becoming very popular by the 1650s. By the 18th century it had become a symbol（标志） of fashionable society and a best-selling of the coffee house culture.

    The word tea rises from the Chinese word cha. A love of tea is so ingrained (根深蒂固的) in British life that the expression “cup of tea” has come to stand for anything viewed positively. The saying “It's not my cup of tea.” means: I don't like it.

Emoji

    Emoji began developing in Japan in the 1990s for use by teenagers: the word “emoji” comes from the Japanese e “picture” + moji “letter”. Its successful acceptance in English has been helped by its similarity to words with the e-prefix (前缀) like e-mail. The Unicode Consortium's (统一码 联盟的) official lists emojis and their meanings, but users keep finding creative new ways to employ them. Emojis are just another example of the development and diversity of English.