Xia Ming was worried about his study, so he wrote a letter to a magazine.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

A. Two readers read the letter from the magazine and here are their answers.

B. I'm sure you can do better.

C. Most of my classmates are much better than me.

D. But I can't get good grades.

E. When you are feeling bored, just smile and take a deep breath(深呼吸)

    Surfing the Internet can help open students' eyes and get more knowledge. As a teacher, I encourage my students to use the Internet. In class those students who surf the Internet understand lessons better than the others. Besides, people can use the Internet to write letters or stories and send emails. Many students communicate with their friends online. You can also make friends by chatting on QQ. It's cheaper than calling somebody far away and it's much quicker. Nearly one third of young people surf the Internet for fun. They like to listen to music, watch films, and go to their favorite stars' websites. But can the Internet cause problems? Some of my students who used to study well at school are now failing exams. Because they spend a lot of time playing computer games.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Jack comes from Russia. He is studying in Beijing now. So he misses his hometown(家乡) very much. He wishes to go to a city where he can find the feeling of home.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Mary is an American girl. She likes going shopping. She is planning to travel to a city where she can find a job.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Frank is from Canada. He is interested in swimming in the sea. But he lives far from the sea. He wishes to go to a place where he can swim and eat bananas and pineapples(菠萝).

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Helen comes from England. She doesn't like hot weather. She likes to go somewhere cool, clean and beautiful.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Nick is a Japanese(日本人). He likes taking photos. He would like to stay close to nature(自然). He even wishes to take a boat when taking photos. But he doesn't like hot food.

    Reading makes one wise, but many adults seldom read. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sure. They have work to do. They have families to support. But these are only excuses. The fact is that they haven't got a reading habit. A reading habit isn't something natural. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And it's never too late to develop a reading habit.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A book in rich colors and with simple patterns(图案)such as lines and circles is a good choice for babies of three months old. When they reach six months, they will become interested in simple story books in rich colors.

    When children get old enough to read by themselves, it's necessary to buy books that are both interesting and right for them to understand. Books which are either too easy or too difficult are not good for kids to keep their reading habits.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For kids, parents are their first teachers. So parents should read books to set an example. Children will follow them. Scientists say imitating the adults is a born skill. And it is the most valuable way for children to learn. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    Bobby came from a poor family. He wanted to buy his mother a Christmas present, but he only had a dime(十分硬币). He walked from shop to shop and finally came to a flower shop. Bobby asked if he could buy just one flower for his mother as a Christmas present with a dime. The shop owner said, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."

    The shop owner came out a little later with twelve beautiful roses, "That will be ten cents, young man. I just happen to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen(一打). Would you like them？"

    Bobby took the long box from the man's hands and left the shop happily. As the shop owner returned inside, his wife asked, "Who were you talking to and where are the roses you took out？"

    The man replied, "This morning while I was preparing to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice. It told me to put aside a dozen of my best roses for a special present and I did so. Then, just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with a dime. When I saw him, I remembered my experience many years ago. That time I was a poor boy with nothing to buy a Christmas present for my mother. A man that I didn't know stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew whose voice that was, and I put together a dozen of my best roses."

    Paul is a boy in Brazil. He has many pen-friends around the world. He likes writing to them and receiving their letters in return. He started writing to his first pen-friend, Thomas Wright from Britain, when he was ten years old. They have been writing to each other for two years now.

    Paul also has five other pen-friends. They are from Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Norway and Mexico, He got their names and addresses from various sources (各种来源): the International Pen-friend Club, the Look and Learn magazine and the newspapers.

    Paul enjoys writing to people from other countries because he finds it very interesting to learn more about those countries and the different cultures and customs that are found there.

    He hopes to visit his pen-friends some day. In the meantime, he will continue writing to them and enjoying their friendship.

    He will also try to look for penfriends from other countries such as Holland, the Philippines and Japan.

    Needless to say, all the letters of Paul and his pen-friends are written in English—the international language.