Have you ever planned a trip to Europe? What should you consider before you travel? First of all, it is important to think about money. It can be difficult to (A)estimate how much you will spend. (B)A wallet that is lost or stolen can also cause problems.

    Experienced travelers would learn about the money they will use in a foreign country. Most  European countries now use the euro(欧元). So you should know the different value between the euro and the money you use in your own country. We call it exchange rate(汇率). This rate changes every day. You can find out the exchange rate through a bank or the Internet.

It is not wise to carry a large amount of cash(现金). Many travelers prefer to carry travelers' checks(支票) rather than bring cash. (C)They can be used in many places around the world and they can be exchanged for the local money. (D)It is possible to get them back if they are lost or stolen. Travelers can also use bankcards instead of cash. But they must be careful and make sure not to lose them and to keep their passwords secret.

Dear Sonia,

    I'm writing this letter in the classroom. It's snowing outside and I'm sitting by the window.

    Some of the boys are playing on the playground. They are throwing snowballs to each other. Some girls are building a snowman, and some are chasing each other around the tree in front of the classroom. They are leaving footprints everywhere. Our teacher is shouting something loudly to them. In the classroom, some girls are drawing pictures.

     What are you doing?

                                                                                                                                                                           Yours,

                                                                                                                                                                            Tina

Thumbs Down to Texting （屈指发短信）

       Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?

       Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling in our thumbs. Our thumbs were not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many sick people with RSI. She says we need to see how much time we are spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10–15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.

       As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI. Among them, most are university students and teenagers, as they do not know the risks of spending so much time using computer, video games and mobile phones. If we don't do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.

    You know that eating a sensible diet and getting plenty of exercise help make your body healthy and strong.But do you know that there are ways to make your brain healthier and smarter? Here are some steps toward a smarter brain.

Limit your TV viewing

    ① Never spend too much time on TV viewing, for it needs very little brain activities.Your brain will become weak just as your muscles do.If you do watch TV, choose something educational and meaningful.

Travel

    Travelling to another country forces you to see and do things in a fresh way, bringing stimulation to the brain.

    Learn a new language

    Learning a new language involves different learning methods.Learning a language sharpens your brain and helps prevent memory problems that you may meet in later years.

Read often

    As you read, take the time to look up people or places that aren't familiar.Reading makes your vocabulary much larger if you always search for words and definitions that you don't know.Each week, choose an animal, a bird or fish, and read everything you can about it.Stretch your brain as you become an expert on the subject.

Calculate （计算）when you shop

    As you put things in your grocery cart, total everything in your head.See how close you get to the actual total.

    Use your non-dominant（不占优势的）hand

    If you are right-handed, use your left hand for everyday activities, or use your right hand if you are left-handed.Doing familiar things in a different way will make your brain create new neural （神经）networks.

Wechat（微信）

    ② Read messages from various people.They have different interests.And some say that learning to express yourself in just 100 words is a great brain challenge.

    Have a try and do these every day.Little by little you can get into the habit of challenging your brain, and make your brain smarter!

    What do you think of when talking about India? The Taj Mahal(泰姬陵)? Song and dance? The list goes on and on. India is an interesting and mysterious country with a long history. It is one of the four oldest civilizations(文明) in the world.

    Home to more than 1.2 billion people, India is the country with the second largest population in the world. The country is also the birthplace of many famous people. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is a great poet. His poems use fresh and beautiful language to describe nature and his love for India. Many Chinese children learn his works at school.

    Besides, fast economic development is making India a rising power. India is strong in the information technology (IT) industry. By the end of 2012, 2.5 million Indian people were working at its IT companies. One third of them worked in Bangalore. The city is called the Silicon Valley(硅谷) of India. It is the centre of the IT industry in India. IT products from India are common in people's lives. If you buy a computer, some of the software may have been made in India.

    Many young people love Bollywood films. Most of these films tell stories with a happy ending. They have exciting music and dance. Some of the best ones are Slum-dog Millionaire (2008) and 3 idiots (2009). Yoga comes from ancient India. It helps people deal with their stress. It is said that curry was made in India more than 5,000 years ago. Traditional Indian curry is spicy. Indian people usually have curry with rice. Curry soup is also one of their favourites.

    It's easy to just get fast food when you're hungry, but it can also be unhealthy and expensive. So I made my own food at home using healthy recipes(菜谱).

Trying new things

    I tried some zucchini noodles.  Zucchini isn't my all-time favorite, but I was surprised by how good this tasted.

Shaking up(重组) breakfast

    Two more days until my healthy diet was over and I felt really good about myself. For breakfast, I had a banana sandwich. Don't let the term "sandwich" fool you. The banana actually works as the "bread".

At-home burrito

    I found an easy burrito recipe. I needed black beans, garlic, tomatoes, lettuce and some other vegetables. What a great recipe for vegetables!