Dear Fatima,

     Thank you for your wonderful birthday present. It was lovely.

     I told you in my last letter that we were going to Disneyland, Paris. Well, we've been! I loved it. It's not so large as Walt Disney World in Florida, but it is pretty large all the same. In fact, it's one fifth the size of Paris.

     It was so crowded! We had to wait a long time to go on the rides sometimes, but the weather was very fine, thought not so sunny as in Florida.

     There are great things to see. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is wonderful. My young sister Annette liked that best. Then there's Frontier Land—you feel you are in the middle of an old Western film. My elder brother Tom liked that. I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean area. You visit it in a boat. You really think you are living in those exciting times—but without the danger, of course.

     There are some great rides, too. I think the best is the Peter Pan ride. You seem to fly through the air over London. There's also a ride that actually goes upside down. I didn't dare to go on it, but my dad did.

     Another thing—did you know that there are more trees in Disneyland than in the whole of Paris?—150, 000 of them! My mum found that out.

     Are there places like those in your country? If so, what are they like? I know so little about you as yet, I'm so looking forward to hearing from you again. I'm sure we're going to be great pen pals. Please write back soon!

                                                              Love,

                                                             Louise

Information Card

Subject: Mobile phone problem

Dear Editor,

    I am a middle school student. I used to bring a mobile phone with me during school hours. But the teachers think using mobile phone is distraction (分散注意力的事) to students during school hours and also causes so much trouble in class. So now we aren't allowed to bring mobile phones to school.

    I find it really inconvenient (不方便的)。 My parents feel unhappy because they can't get in touch with me(不能与我有联系) . But I can't make our school change this rule. What do you think I should do to solve this problem?

Liu Fengyi

    Hello, everyone. I am Tom. You know that different people have different hobbies. Such as reading, painting, growing vegetables and looking after animals. I was interested in stamps and started to collect them two years ago.

    My father works in a big company. He always goes abroad. Two years ago, when he was working in America, he sent home a letter with a beautiful stamp on the envelope (信封). I got the first stamp. I liked it very much. From then on I have always asked my father to send me different stamps from different countries. Later I joined a club and I have made many friends there. My friends encouraged me to write about my experiences on the stamps.

    I have collected 300 stamps. My hobby has brought me pleasure and success. I can also enjoy the beautiful designs of stamps. So I think hobbies can make me grow as a person.

    When you stay away from your home for a long time, you start to miss your good old bed, your good old parents… Believe it or not, you're feeling homesick. You can help yourself to feel less homesick. Here's how:

A. B. C. D. E.

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    Once, a student complained to his teacher about his unhappy life. The teacher decided to teach him a lesson.

    One day, he asked the student to get some salt and a glass of water.

The student returned with a glass of clean water and a handful of salt. The teacher asked the young man to put the salt into the glass and drink it.

    "How does it taste?" the teacher asked.

    "It tastes bitter (味苦的)," the student replied.

    The teacher didn't say anything else, but asked the young man to get the same amount (数量) of salt and follow the teacher to a nearby lake.

    "Put the salt into the lake," the teacher said. The young man did what the teacher said.

    "Now, taste the water from the lake," the teacher said.

    As the water dropped down the young man's chin, the teacher asked, "How does it taste?"

    "Fresh and a bit sweet," the student said.

    "Do you taste the salt?" the teacher asked.

    "No," the young man shook his head.

    The teacher sat beside the young man and said, "The pain of life is like salt — no more, no less. However, the amount of bitterness you taste depends on the container (容器) you put the pain in." The amount of pain in life stays exactly the same. So when you are in pain, the only thing to do is to open up the mind. Stop being a glass, become a lake.