Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap (代沟) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.

    Voice of the students:

    "Our parents hold too high expectations（期待）which put us under lots of pressure（压力）. They care too much about our lives and studies," one student said.

    "It's impolite that some students' parents read their children's diaries without permission!" one student said angrily.

    "Some of our teachers are so serious that we can't make friends with them at all," another student said sadly.

    Voice of the parents:

    One mother said, "After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can't stand her clothes and hairstyle!"

    "I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn't realize I was being cheated (欺骗) by him until I got a call from his teacher," said a father.

    Voice of the teachers:

    An English teacher said, "Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students' brain. The power teachers have kept students away from them."

    "Some parents pay too much attention to their children's grades. They never create a lively and colorful environment at home," another teacher said.

    "In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about," said a teacher.

    Voice of scientists:

    Scientists say that a school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure bravely enough.

Dear Selina,   

    I have some rules at my house. I have to stay at home on school nights. I have to do my homework and practice the violin. I can't watch TV. Well, I can go out with my friends on Saturday nights, but I have to be home before 9:30 p.m.

    What rules do you have at your house? Write and tell me about them.

Molly

Dear Molly,

    I also have rules at my house. On school nights I usually can't go out. But sometimes I can do my homework at a friend's house. Well, I can watch TV for half an hour before I go to bed. On Saturday afternoons, I can go shopping with my friends. I can buy my own clothes. That's nice, right?

Selina

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Lin Tao is good at French, but he is not good at English. He wants to improve his English.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Henry is a middle school student. He dreams of being a famous painter. When he is free, he often goes out and draws pictures.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Peter's mother's birthday is coming and Peter wants to cook for her. However, he can't cook very well, so he wants to improve his cooking skills.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Lucy is a little bit over- weight. She thinks swimming will help her lose weight but she doesn't know how to swim. She wants to learn how to swim.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Jimmy is a good volleyball player and is on the school team. Now he thinks it would be fun to play football and wants to learn how to play it.
A. Swimming Club

Can you swim? Do you like swimming? We think the best way to learn how to swim is to just get into the water. Come to our club and we'll show you what to do.

B. Painting

If you want to be a painter, you should practice as much as you can. Having a good painter to teach you is very helpful.

C. Learning English

“Practice makes perfect.” English also needs practice. You should practice listening, speaking, reading and writing.

D. Volleyball Club

Do you love volleyball? There will be a famous volleyball player teaching you how to play it well. Come to our club and you will have a lot of fun.

E. Cooking

Do you want to learn how to cook? The Delicious Food Program at 7:00 am on CCTV1 every Sunday is a great help.

F. Football Club

Playing football is fun, isn't it? Come to our club and you can not only learn how to play football, but also watch exciting football matches.

    “Give it back to me!” Zhu Han shouted at his mum angrily. She had just grabbed(抓取) his cell phone, saying that he should stop playing and go to sleep.

    “I told her it was 9 o'clock and I'd finished my homework, but she didn't listen,” said the 15-year-old boy. “I really couldn't understand her!”

     Do you sometimes feel the same way? A China Youth Daily report said that, according to a survey on 1,500 students, 61% of the students said they felt they weren't able to communicate(交流) with their parents. Besides, 37% of them said they never shared their worries with their parents.

    One of the most important reasons is that students and parents don't have much common ground(共同点). The different ages always lead to different interests.

    Peng Yu, a psychological professor(心理学教授) pointed out another reason. He said when entering puberty(青春期), teenagers begin to have their own thoughts(思想) and want their parents to treat them like adults(成人). But parents don't follow the change.

    He suggested that children should first understand that their parents do everything out of love. “With this in mind, students should try to talk with their parents calmly and often enough,” he said.

    Huang Xinlin, 14, agreed with the advice. She talks with her mum during supper every day and she also helps do the housework. “We talk about everything and even make jokes while sharing housework,” Huang said happily. “We are like friends.”

    Your schooldays should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you get the most from them, and be sure you do not waste (浪费) this great chance to learn?

    Be active (积极的) at school. Don't say things are difficult or boring. Take an interest in your school life and school subjects. Take part in lots of activities (活 动). Put up your hands quickly in class. Go around the school with a big smile. If you are not working, you are wasting your time at school. Teachers can not make everything enjoyable (令人愉快的).

    Keep fit. If you don't eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class.

    If you go to bed late and don't have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play enough sports every day in order to keep your body strong.

    Face the problem. Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get behind the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish the race if you rest all the time. Everyone fails (失败) some exams, loses some matches and has a bad day. Don't make small problems very big and important. Don't forget to ask for help if you cannot solve the problems. You are young, and no one thinks you must do everything quite well!

    Spend the weekends. Don't waste time lying in bed on Saturday or Sunday morning. Go and play sports, get together with friends in the park to relax, learn to play the piano, or help someone with problems. If you don't want to go out, there are also a lot of things to do. You may read a book, practice English or help your mum with housework.

    Follow our advice, and have a happy school life!

    Critical thinking(批判性思维) is trying to improve the way you think. People use critical thinking in every area of life to solve problems and evaluate claims(评估主张).

    Like every other skill, critical thinking takes practice. When a problem comes our way, we need to think critically to decide how to solve it. When we see an advertisement, for example, we should stop and think. Advertisements are made to make people feel certain that they are true, and then people can buy the products. But is what the advertisement says true? Is it making a claim? Or does it only interest us? Critical thinking is important and stops us from making poor choices. In fact, we are using it if we ask questions naturally about what we see.

    Practice makes perfect. While you are growing in critical thinking, you'll become a wiser and more thoughtful person. There are many ways of doing practice. Here are a few.

    Read about a topic people disagree on. Look at articles or books on all sides of the subject. For each side of the subject, think carefully and evaluate it.

    When you see or hear a claim, ask questions about it. Who is making the claim and why?

    Evaluate your own thinking. Where and why do you think uncritically? How can you improve?

    Critical thinking should be part of everything we do. It may help you to succeed at work or school. Make yourself into a habit of critical thinking. Change your thoughts and change your world.