Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you.

    Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p.m. and end at about 11 p.m. Ask you hosts(主办人) what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine(酒) as a gift.

    Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks. If you want to be very polite, say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember—It's not polite to ask how much things cost.

    In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests(客人).

    You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.

    Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. British and American people like to say “thank you, thank you, thank you” all the time!

    Dai Shifang was an easygoing girl, who seldom argued with her parents. But when she became a ninth-grader, things started to change. "We often have arguments, sometimes because of some little things," she said.

    Maybe Dai has got the "ninth-grade syndrome (综合征)". Some experts think ninth-graders usually suffer a lot because of the changes in their body and mind.

    A study shows that the lack of support from parents makes things even worse. Dai's classmate Liu Shijia is an example. "The exams in Grade 9 are more difficult. So I'm under great pressure. But my parents push me so hard and they don't support me at all," she said sadly.

    As ninth-graders enter the rebellious phase (叛逆期), they want to be free and have their own ideas. The study shows that about 47 per cent of ninth-graders try to make their parents agree with them when they have different ideas. Dai feels this deeply. "I think I am an adult already. I can make decisions for myself," she said. For example, she thinks there is nothing wrong with playing with boys, but her parents don't agree with her. They often argue about that.

    To deal with these problems, an expert from Nantong gave useful advice to students. "First, talk with your parents. Sometimes you may not fully understand each other, but keep trying. Second, pay more attention to your studies. Finally, learn about the changes in your body and get to know yourself better. Then try to accept them and control your feelings," she said.

    There are many kinds of love. For me there is a kind of unusual love, which I call "soft love". Both my parents love me very much. Now I'd like to thank my father for giving me so much soft love. He has his own way to communicate with me.

    My father works at a university as a teacher. He is very strict with his students. He puts his heart into his work. All of his students love him. At home he is both a good husband and a good father. He is strict with me, too, so I am afraid of him. There is one thing that I will never forget.

    At the end of last term, my scores were lower than ever before, so I was very worried about it. My father came to my room and saw the report card. At that time, I was afraid that my father would be angry with me. But to my surprise, he left the room without any words. I couldn't help crying.

    The next day, when I got up, I found a letter. I opened it, and it was written by my father, "Dear daughter, I know that studying is hard work, but you won't give it up, will you? I believe that you can be the best. Now I want to give you some pieces of advice: ⒈Where there is a will, there is a way. ⒉Practice makes perfect. ⒊It's no use crying over spilt milk." After I read the letter, I couldn't say a word. So I wrote, "Dad, I can do it! Thank you!"

    I think that the soft love between my father and me makes us even closer!

    Mr. and Mrs. Wilson begin their vacation today with their children. And they have to be at the airport (机场) at 11:40 a. m, Yesterday Mr. Wilson said, "It'll take us half an hour to get there in the taxi, so we all have to be ready (准备好的) by eleven o'clock. Nobody should be late.

    Now it's ten minutes to eleven. But they are still all running around doing things, except Mrs. Wilson, who is enjoying the sun in the garden.

    Her husband and children are very surprised (惊讶的) that she isn't in a hurry. Then the taxi arrives and Mrs. Wilson says to them, "Well, I knew that this was going to happen, so before I went to bed last night I moved all our clocks and watches ahead (提前) twenty minutes. So now we can go to the airport without worrying about (担心) being late."