From the time each of my children started school, I packed their lunches. And in each lunch I packed, I included a note. Often written on a piece of small paper, it might be a thank-you for an unusual moment, a reminder of something we were happily expecting, or a bit of encouragement for the coming test or sporting event.

    In early grade school they loved their notes. But as children grow older they become self-conscious（有自我意识的）, and by the time he reached high school, my older son, Marc, informed me he no longer enjoyed my daily notes. Telling him that he no longer needed to read them but I still needed to write them, I continued until the day he graduated.

    Six years after high school graduation, Marc called and asked if he could move home for a couple of months. He had spent those years well, graduation from college, completing two internship（实习）in Washington, D.C., and finally, becoming a technical assistant in Sacramento. However, he had lived away from home except for short holiday visits. With his younger sister leaving for college, I was especially happy to have Marc back. Since I was still making lunch for his younger brother, I packed one of Marc, too. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from my 24-year-old son, asking about his lunch.

    “Did I do something wrong? Don't you love me any longer, Mom?” he asked.

    “Of course I love you, dear!” I laughingly said. “What's wrong?”

    “My note, Mom,” he answered. “Where's my note?”

    Alex Smith， a fifteen-year-old boy， studied in an American boarding school (寄宿学校). In this school， students could go into town after school in the afternoon{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One afternoon， Alex walked to the town. He looked about at the shops and then went to a cinema{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It was eight o'clock. He was a little worried， He walked back to the school as fast as possible.

    When he arrived， he ran quickly to the main entrance (入口). It was locked. He looked up at the window of his dormitory(寑室). It was on the third floor. The window was open{#blank#}3{#/blank#}But the door was also locked. Then he saw another open window on the first floor. It was the window of the teachers' office{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Alex quickly climbed into the room. Just then， he heard someone opened the door. He had to hide under the sofa at once. One minute later， a teacher came in{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Under the sofa Alex had to lie on the floor.

    Ella loves her grandpa. He lives in Texas and takes a train to see Ella every month. Ella wants him to come every week because he is good at telling stories and cooking.

    One day, Ella asks her mom to make some chicken. Grandpa often makes it. Ella's mom says, "I'll try, but no one makes it as well as(像……一样好) Grandpa does. "

    Ella watches her mom make the sauce(酱) for the chicken. It looks delicious. When the chicken is ready, Ella's family sit down to eat. Her mom is right—no one makes it as well as Grandpa does.

    The next day, Ella's grandpa comes to see her. Ella tells him the story about her mom trying to make the chicken. Her grandpa says, "That's a great story." Then he teaches Ella and her mom how to make the chicken.

    My name is Frank. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It was a very interesting trip.

    We flew to Hawaii. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When we got there，we found a nice hotel. We stayed there for four days. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} After breakfast，we went to the beach. My sister and I swam in the sea and played games on the beach. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} My mom sat in the chair and read her favorite book.

    We visited many beautiful places and ate a lot of food there. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I also made two friends there. They were very friendly and they invited us to their houses. The trip was very nice. We want to go there again next year.

    What homework did you do in the holiday? Now homework is not simply about exercises. It can be survey, practice and even work experiences. Here's three students' homework.

    Sam bought 10 kinds of snacks. Then he checked their instructions and wrote down the amount of sugar and fat in the snacks. He was doing his biology(生物学)homework. "We are told it is not good to eat too many snacks. They have high calories(卡路里). But we don't care about it, "he said. Sam spent three days studying the instructions. He realized it was true.

    With some plasticine(橡皮泥), glass balls, a ping-pong ball and a piece of paper,  could you make a tumbler(不倒翁)?This is the physics homework of Mary. "Next term, we will learn about the center of gravity(重心). This homework made me more interested in physics, "she said.

    Lisa worked as a guide in the local museum. She got a guide book from the museum, but she still did a survey and added more information to her introduction. She worked three hours a day and had no time to take a break. But she felt it was a meaningful experience. "My communication skills have improved, "she said.

    Tom comes from Australia. He studies in a middle school in Tianjin. He usually gets up at 7: 00 a. m. and then reads Chinese. He has breakfast at 7: 30 a. m. And then he goes to school by bike. He is never late for school. Classes begin at 8: 00 a. m. He has four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. He has lunch at 12: 30 p. m. at home with his parents. They both work as reporters at a TV station. After school, sometimes he plays volleyball with his classmates, and sometimes he reads books in the school library. He goes back home at 4: 40 p. m. After supper, he always studies Chinese. He goes to bed at about 9: 10 p. m. He likes China and he thinks Chinese people are friendly and he believes he can make many friends here.