The Chinese are very generous with money when it comes to educating their children. Some parents send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the US or Australia, regardless(不管) of how much this costs.  Many also want their children to take after-school activities where they either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is, so parents often spend a great deal of money on education. Even poor parents buy a computer for their son or daughter.

    However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents should know their children's different skills.  They will usually be good in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children lack(缺乏) confidence.

    The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take tests and how to study well. They are not teaching them the most important skills that can be helpful to their growth. These skills can also build their confidence.

    Parents can help achieve this by teaching their children practical skills like cooking, sewing and other housework.

    Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking needs patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give a child a lot of satisfaction and confidence.

    An old machine, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child as a toy may make him curious. If he spends hours looking at it, and trying to mend it, your child might become an engineer when he grows up. It is better to do such than teach a child to read a book. These activities can teach them  to think, and to use their minds.

    How Chinese parents should {#blank#}1{#/blank#} their children

    When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. When you read, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them. When you read a passage, it gives you a good example for writing. Here are some good reading tips.

    Firstly, try to read at the right level (水平). Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for you, it is not interesting.

    Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don't use a dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meanings as you read. Mark (作标记) them with a pencil. Then look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try to remember them.

    Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at lunchtime.

    Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand.

    My dream home is a house made of glass and it has a garden. It is not far from the sea. It is a smart house with a library. There are one million books in it! There is a big 3­D TV in the living room. How cool it is to watch my favourite films with it! It is never too cold or too hot in the rooms. When I walk into a room, the lights are turned on. The house can keep itself clean.

    There is a garden in front of the house. Many flowers are in it. And there is also a small lake behind the house. At weekends, I can watch the fish swim around or do some fishing by the lake.

    The house is far from the city centre, but there is a mini airport (机场) in it so I can fly to other places in my mini plane if I want to go shopping or do some other things. Does the house sound cool? Maybe in 20 years, my dream will come true.

    Qinghai Lake is in the northeast of the Qinghai Tibet plateau(青藏高原). ⑴It's the highest inland (内陆的)salt lake in China. It's like a blue mirror shining between snowy mountains and grasslands.

    There are three small islands in the lake. They are the paradise(天堂)for birds. Every year, thousands of tourists come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery(风景).

    ⑵People are trying to protect the lake and the land which is around it. Blue sky, clear lakes green grasslands and snowy mountains are all our treasures. We must treat them as our eyes.

⑴{#blank#}1{#/blank#} ⑵{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    December 21 was Becky's fourteenth birthday. When she got home after school, she saw her parents in the living room. They said to her, "Happy birthday, dear! We have a present for you, Becky. Go and look for it in your bedroom."

    Becky ran quickly to her room. On her bed she saw a bright red box. She thought that her present must be in the box. She opened it. There was nothing but a card in it. The girl took it out and read.

    "Dear Becky, I'm your present. My first three letters are the same as in the word 'come'. My last two letters are the same as in the word 'water'. My middle three letters are in the word 'put'. What am I?"

    Becky thought hard and soon smiled. She then went back to the living room and shouted. "Aha, I know what present it is. Thank you very much, Mum and Dad! But where is it?" Her mother answered, "Look at the back of the card." Becky turned it over and read, "Come and look for me in the study."

    Becky hurried to the study. There on the desk she found her present. What was it? Do you know?