Living in the foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They discussed that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes”and“no”.
     On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought the waitress wasn't paying any attention to her. The day was hot she went into a store and asked, "Do you have any cold drinks?" The woman there didn't say anything. Lisa repeated the question again. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She has raised her eyebrows, which in Micronesia, it means, "yes".
     Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the writer,“Do you have cabbage today?”He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means "no".
     Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with different nods and shakes of heads. He thought some people hadn't understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake heads in different ways. It depends on where they come from.

The first computer came out in 1946. It was very1 and it worked slowly. Today computers are much smaller and2 faster. What can computers do? A writer said, "People can't live3 computers today."

The4 came a little later than computers. It is about 25 years5 than computers. But now it is almost6 . We use it to read books, do some shopping, play computer games or make friends. Many students use the Internet quite often. They7 online and maybe they never know these people. They don't know their8 names, ages and work. They are so interested in making the "unreal friends" that they can't put their hearts into9 . Many of them become poorer (更糟糕) in subjects than before10 that.

Computers and the Internet let us learn more about the world, but we should remember that they can't do anything.

Spring is a warm season.  There are a lot of interesting things for you to do.  Let's see and join in one of them. 

Take a walk in the park

A long walk in the park is good for your health.  And you may forget your boring things when you are walking.  Sometimes the sun is behind the clouds, and this time is the best for walking. 

Birdwatching

Spring comes and the birds come along with the warm weather.  Go out and hear the birds singing in the trees and watch them flying in the sky.  This can bring you much relaxing fun. 

Play in the rain

The next time you are indoors or even outdoors on a wet spring day, throw away the umbrella.  ____ rain boots and a rain jacket and play outside in the rain.  It is a happy time for you. 

Go on a picnic

It may be wet sometimes, but on a sunny day, spring gives us good weather for outdoor activities like picnics.  This is a good time to go out as a family or group of friends.  It must be fun. 

The caique(地中海轻巧小舟) is an important part of Greek culture. For centuries, these traditional wooden boats have been used for fishing and for sending goods, animals and people. But the art of building caiques completely by hand is now in danger.

Caiques from the Greek island of Samos are famous for their quality. Years ago, many locals made a living building caiques. Now, only four boat builders remain. Giorgos Kiassos is one of them. "Sadly, I see the craft(工艺) slowly dying," he said while working on a boat. "Boats made from materials like plastic are cheaper and sell better." Besides, few young locals are interested in taking up the craft. While caique building is seen as an art, the work is tiring. It usually takes more than five years of hard training to learn how to build a caique independently.

The good news is that help is on the way. Kostas Damianidis, a researcher in the field of traditional Greek boat-building, is setting up a new craft museum on Samos. He also hopes to open a boat-building school within the museum.

To achieve his goals, Damianidis is turning to Kiassos for help. "It' s important to have someone with plenty of experience," he said. After more than 30 years in the business, Kiassos knows when to cut down a tree and where each piece should go on the boat. With one mistake, the boat could have problems. When you get it all right, it combines(结合) beauty and strength.

Kiassos is now finishing two caiques. "When a boat leaves, I'm sad," he said. "Yes, I'm happy when everything's okay. But it's like something is leaving, like a piece of me."

This is Rainbow Bridge Junior High School. There are forty-eight classes at this school. It is big and modern. Today is the first day of school. Ms. Chen will show you around the school. You will find it nice and beautiful. Following is a map of school.