Smiling is the best way of making friends.

    When I was thirteen 1 old, my father found a job in the city. So my family moved there. I also came to a/an2school near where we live. My old school was far away. At first, I did not know anyone in my class. I was very lonely 3I was afraid to make friends with my classmates. I 4talk to anyone about my problem, and I didn't want my parents to 5me.

    Then one day, something good happened. I was sitting at my desk 6as usual while my classmates were talking happily with each other. At that moment,7 came into the classroom. I only knew he was my classmate but didn't know what his name was. He passed me and then turned back. He looked 8me and, without a word, smiled. Suddenly, I felt happy, lively and warm. That smile changed my school life. I started to talk with the other classmates and make friends. Day by day, I became 9to everyone in my class.

    10the smile, I have moved on to a new life. Now, I believe that the world is what you think it is. So smile at the world and it will smile back.

In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts and the worst guests in the world. They're not really bad guests but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some Western countries it appears they are not nice guests. And Western guests sometimes look rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.  

　　In China guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home there is always fruit on the table for me and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the West generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behaviour for a guest. 

　　My wife's mother is a very kind elderly Chinese lady who doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly but I must realize that she must not do that. In most North America homes if you are a guest and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least you could ask "Is it OK if I smoke?" But don't be surprised if they say "No, you can't smoke." In our culture if you smoke in their home you are a bad guest, but if they don't allow you to smoke in their house they are not a rude guest.

　　Guests in China also have special habits. Some Western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So if you invite international guests to your home don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift. 

　　In China you probably won't need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If Western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

Mother's Day first began in America. A mother was very kind. After she died, her daughter wanted to remember her so she wanted to make a day for all the mothers. In 1913, America decided to make the second Sunday of May to be Mother's Day and every family had to put up a national flag to show their love to mothers. Later, it became an important festival to remember and praise(赞扬) all the mothers in the world.

In China, some people want to make our own Mother's Day. There is a famous story about Mother Meng. She loved her son very much and did a lot for her son. Chinese people think she was a great mother, so people want to make lunar(阴历的) April 2nd to be the day. Because Mother Meng's son——Mengzi was born on that day.

On Mother's Day, children often help their mothers do some cleaning and they also buy gifts for their mothers. Some mothers even go for a trip and have some other activities to celebrate this day.

Mother's Day

What do you often do to celebrate(庆祝) Mother's Day? (No more than 15 words) {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

①Franz Schubert was a music giant (巨匠). He wrote several symphonies (交响乐) and operas, about600 songs, and had many other musical works.

②Schubert was born in a musical family in Vienna on January 31, 1797. His father was a teacher, and he taught young Schubert to play the violin. One of Schubert's brothers also gave him piano lessons. Schubert was really good at writing all kinds of music. Schubert started working at his father's school in1814, but he didn't like teaching. So he spent most of his free time writing music. During that time, he wrote his first full symphony and opera. He also wrote many famous songs.

③In 1818, Schubert gave up teaching to make music full time. It was a good change. People liked his music, and they even paid him to write music for them. Schubert finally made money from his musical works, but they didn't make him rich.

④Schubert died at the age of 31 on November 19, 1828. Schubert and his music were popular during his time. And people still listen to his music today.