Many people like to travel by plane because it's fast, but I don't like it. An airport is usually far from the city. You have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. You can't open the windows. You can't choose the food. Planes are fast, but they still take hours to go out of the airport and into the city.

    I like traveling by train. I think trains are safe. Railway stations are usually in cities. When you are late for a train, you can catch another one. You can walk around in the train and open the windows. You can see many interesting things on your way. I know it takes a little more time.

    I also like cars. You can start your journey（旅程） when you want to, and you don't need to get to a railway station or a bus stop. Also you can carry many things with you in a car. But sometimes there are too many cars on the road.

Andy doesn't like cleaning his room. This morning, when Andy is lying in bed, Mum walks into his room. She finds there are many clothes on the floor. Mum gets angry and says, "Look at your room, Andy! I don't want to come into your room at all. Today your brother Ryan wants to go to the zoo. Get up and put your clothes on quickly if you would like to go with us. "

Andy gets out of his bed and finds his coat, jeans and scarf on the floor, but he only finds one of his shoes. "Can you help me find the other one, Mum? "Andy asks. His mum says, "No, Andy. I don't know where it is. It's your fault(错误)to put your things everywhere. Now,  ▲  . l will check it after we come back. And you can't ask your grandpa for help. "

Then Mum leaves for the zoo with Dad and Ryan. Andy has to clean his room at home and it takes him a morning to do the cleaning. Finally, he finds his shoe on the bed! When Mum comes back, she sees Andy's room is very tidy. She says, "Good job, Andy! Here is some ice cream for you. "

 I left my hometown in London last year and now I have enjoyed working in this small city in China.Learning a foreign language opens your eyes to the culture and history of a country.So in order to know more about China，l started to learn Chinese.

But at times，I found myself in funny situations.When I greeted strangers in China，they began to talk a lot and very fast.They asked me questions about everything.But all I could do was to look at them with a blank face.I had no idea what they were talking about.Were they just being kind

However，the more Chinese I learn，the more similarities I find it has with English.In English， "thickskinned" is to describe a person who doesn't care about criticism （批评）.I was surprised to find that "houlianpi" in Chinese means the same.And both languages share some common idioms （习语）， "look on with folded arms" means "xiushoupangguan"，and "burn the boats" is similar to "pofuchenzhou".

I'm still on my journey to Chinese learning.I believe that sometimes you have the most fun on a journey.

Today, people want to keep healthy through sports and exercise. But some of them have some wrong ideas about it. "A plate of chicken is a good meal before games because it has much energy."

In fact, the best meal before games should have carbohydrates（碳水化合物）. Food like potatoes, bread, bananas are rich in it, but chicken and meat are not.

"The best time to exercise is early in the morning."

No. Morning is a good time to exercise, but it may not be suitable for you. If an afternoon or evening is suitable for you, and you enjoy the feeling of getting healthier, you can choose any time to exercise. So there is no fixed time for you to exercise.

"If you drink water when you exercise, you'll feel tired."

The fact is that you must have some water during breaks（休息时间）when you exercise. And after exercising, you must have enough water. If you don't drink enough water, then you may feel tired.

"Exercising every day is quite important."

Wrong. Too much exercise is bad for your health. You need to give your body a day of rest.

"Why don't you ever listen?" "You just don't understand me!" "You' re of no help at all!" Sound familiar? When you're having a difficult conversation with your parents or friends, accusatory words like those can stop a discussion. As soon as one feels attacked, the defensive（防御的）walls come up, and real communication becomes all but impossible. We focus on the other person's behavior first, without spending time thinking about and telling why we're feeling hurt. Here lie the differences between "I" and "you" statements. 

An "I- statement" is a sentence beginning with the word "I" that tells another person how you are feeling in a clear way. For example, you might say, "I feel. . . " or "I become nervous when…" I- statements are a powerful tool to help you express your feelings to someone else without blaming（责怪）others. "You- statements, " such as those listed above, are statements that begin with the word "you", pointing out what other people have done wrong. These statements often mean that the listener is responsible for something. 

Why are I- statements important? When you start a conversation by talking about the other person's actions, you're sending the message that they're the problem. For most people, this immediately leads to them becoming defensive and trying to throw blame back onto you. However, starting a sentence with 'I' helps us talk about difficult feelings and how the problem is affecting us, and stops other people feeling blamed. This can be seen in the case when you feel left out. Instead of saying "You always leave me out", you can say "I feel hurt when I'm not invited because it feels like I'm not welcome". With this I- statement, you're being honest about your feelings, but you're not presenting them as something the other person did to you. As a result, the listener will experience this as more friendly, opening the possibility of further conversation and hope for a solution. 

It's a simple change, but by being a little more careful of how you express yourself, you may find people are more likely to positively listen to you and understand more about what you are trying to say.