Mr. Beynolds, my teacher, handed us a list of thoughts, and asked us to write a paper on one of those thoughts. I chose the topic “I wonder why things are the way they are.”

    I wrote down all the questions that puzzled(困扰) me about life. I realized that many of them were hard to answer, and perhaps others could not be answered at all. When I handed in my paper, I was afraid that I might fail because I did not answer the questions.

    The next day, Mr. Reynolds handed me the paper and asked me to read it for the class. The other students became quiet as I began to read my story:

    Mum, why are the roses red? Why is the grass green and the sky blue? Why do I have to graduate(毕业)? Why do I have to grow up? Why do I have to be called “Grandma” on day? ...

    Dad, why can't I stay out until 12:00? Why do I miss my old friends? Why do I miss being at home? Why do you love me so much? ...

    Mum, Dad, why did you have to leave me? I need you.

    At the end of my story, I looked at Mr. Reynolds, and I saw a tear slowly coming down his face. Then I realized that life is not built on the answers we receive, but on the questions we asks.

    When the teacher asks a question in class, Wang Xiaobin never raises his hand and this situation is very common at middle schools. This 15-year-old boy always waits for other classmates or the teacher to give the answer. “What if my answer is wrong?” Wang asks.

    Wang said only six or seven students in his class raise their hands when a question is asked. ①“I think it's a problem that may affect (影响) our studies, but I am afraid of making mistakes in front of my classmates,” he said.

    When we asked the teacher, Hu Wei, why the students didn't raise their hands, he said, “They lack (缺乏) confidence, they are afraid of showing off, or they're afraid of losing face by giving wrong answers.”

    To encourage students to raise their hands in class, Hu suggests that teachers should repeat the question, then try to guide and encourage students to offer their answers. ②Hu also advised students not to be shy, but brave enough to try.

    Sun Pin, 16 of Fujian, always raises her hand as soon as she comes up with the answer, even if she isn't sure she has gotten it right. Sun can't understand why some of her classmates keep silent in class. She enjoys raising her hand a lot. “It keeps me enthusiastic(热情的) and confident to express my idea,” Sun said. “Raising my hand has really made me excellent.”

    Many Chinese people like hot pot and Li Yang is one of them.

    Three days ago, Li Yang arrived in England. There he had three days of hamburgers, sandwiches, and potatoes. Yesterday he was very excited when he heard that there was going to be a meal of hot pot to welcome the new students.

    He went into the room and sat next to an American girl. To his surprise, he saw potatoes and bread in front of him. Where was the hot pot?

    When she saw Li Yang was very surprised, the American girl told him that hotpot is NOT hot pot. China has hot pot in two words but English hotpot is written in one word.

    Hotpot is made from meat, potatoes and onions. People put it in the oven (烤箱) all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. It is easy to cook.

    Hotpot tastes nice. But Li Yang still misses hot pot, two words!

    We live in a world filled with many different kinds of people. We want to get along well with others. We also want to be liked by others. The following ways will make others like you.

    Do this and you will be welcome anywhere

    Become really interested in other people. A show of interest must be true. It must bring good results not only to the person showing the interest, but also to the person receiving the attention. It is a two-way street-both of you get an advantage.

    An easy way to make a good first impression(印象)

Smile as often as possible. Your smile is a sign of kindness. When someone feels stressed(有压力的)from his or her teachers or parents, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds. Your smile can help him or her realize(意识到)that all is hopeful—there is still joy in the world.

    If you don't do this, you are getting into trouble.

    Remember a person's name. A person's name is the sweetest and the most important sound in any language. We should realize the magic in a name. The name makes the person different from others; it makes him or her special among all others. If you remember a person's name, the relationship(关系)between both of you will become much closer.

An easy way to become a good talker

    Be a careful listener first. Ask questions that other persons will like to answer. Encourage (鼓励)them to talk about themselves and their achievements. What you need to do is just listen, because people are much more interested in themselves.

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