Mr Li: Sam, did you enjoy your first Spring Festival in China?

Sam: Yes, I did. During this festival, many family members get together.

Mr Li: Yes. I hear that at Thanksgiving Americans also get together for a special meal. It sounds similar.

Sam: Yes. It's similar. During these holidays, both the Chinese and Americans come home and have a big dinner. It's great fun.

Mr Li: What do you think are the main differences between the Spring Festival and Thanksgiving?

Sam: Well, we take part in different activities and eat different kinds of food. In China, people usually set off fireworks and eat dumplings. In the US, we usually watch a Thanksgiving parade and an American football game on TV. We also eat turkey.

Mr Li: That's interesting.

   In many high schools，there are strict rules about using mobile phones. If your phone rings in class，for example，the teacher will be very angry.
   Every mobile phone has a ringtone (铃声). It tells you that someone is calling you. Now，there is a ringtone called “mosquitotone (蚊子铃声)”. Using it，students can receive calls and text messages (短信) in class but the teacher will not realize what is happening. How?
   Mosquitotone has a special sound. Only children and teenagers can hear it. As we get older，we are unable to hear some sounds with high frequencies (频率). As a result，a child or teenager can hear the mosquitotone ringtone, but it's_inaudible_to someone 20 or older.
   But sometimes，people over 20 can hear the ringtone. One British student's phone uses mosquitotone. In class，the student's phone rang. The 32­year­old teacher looked at the student and became unhappy. “I heard that. You know the rule：no mobile phone in class.”
   Not all the students are interested in mosquitotone. Jerry Jones，a high school student of 17，says，“Using mosquitotone too often is bad for our hearing. I may use it for pleasure，but not in class. It's unfair to the teachers！”
   What do parents think of mosquitotone？“I think it is perfect for places like movie theaters，” says Connie Neeson,44.“Think about it. Yon're watching a film and someone's mobile phone rings. Mosquitotone is good because many people don't hear it. However，it also has a bad influence on their study if students use it in class.”

    The homestay(寄宿家庭) provides English language students with the good chance to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of an American home.

    What to Expect

    The host will provide places to live in and meals. Rooms will be cleaned every day. And the host is there to offer help and advice on your physical and mental(精神的) health.

    Living Area

    Host families are mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Most hosts don't live in Zone 1 because much of central New York is the trading centre. Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger houses in uncrowded areas. But it's very convenient to travel to the centre of New York by subway.

    Meal Plans

    It's important to know that few American families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your breakfast mainly includes fruit juice, bread and coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold neat are not part of the breakfast. Dinners are usually made up of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desserts, fruit and coffee.

    Friends

    If you wish to invite a friend to visit you, you must ask your host for permission(许可)fir because some families feel uncomfortable when there are strangers at their home.

People often say," Dogs are man's best friend." But cat lovers may not agree. Cats are becoming more popular in China. So, if you want to keep a cat as your pet, here are some things that you should know.

 Cats are great pets if you' re busy. They are great for small homes, because they don't need a lot of space(空间). They are quiet, too. sometimes they meow. Those cute sounds often mean your cat wants food, or it is saying hello.

What do pet cats eat? Those cats usually eat pet food. But in the wild, (野外) cats are carnivores, that means they only eat meat. Cats need more protein than dogs.

When you call your cat's name, it turns its head or does nothing at all. You may think your cat doesn't know its name. In fact, your cat knows its name. But most of the time, it just want to ignore (忽略) you and" be cool".

Cats are great pets if you know more about them. Don't you think so?

Where do our happy feelings come from? It's dopamine (多巴胺) that works as a star in our brains. It is often called the "feel﹣good" chemical (化学物质). When there's an ongoing dance party in our minds, dopamine is the DJ playing music of happiness. 

Dopamine is important not only because it controls our feelings, but also it plays a big role in different parts of our brains and bodies. As for brains, it influences our motivation (动机) and affects our learning and memory to help us keep knowledge for a longer time. As for bodies, it controls our body movement and helps us do actions more quickly, correctly and smoothly. Thanks to dopamine, we are encouraged to explore and learn more fun things, make more plans and want to achieve more goals. 

What can we do to make dopamine come out? It's interesting that everyday activities like exercise and even listening to music can help our brain to make it. Also, when we experience something enjoyable, like eating tasty food or reaching a goal, our brain releases dopamine. Besides, scientists have also found that dopamine isn't just about personal pleasure, but also does something with social interactions. When we talk with others, share a laugh or a bond with friends, our brains will also release dopamine. Dopamine keeps us feeling that it is enjoyable to be with others. 

However, too much or too little dopamine can be knotty, which means the brain's dance is not easy. If there's too much, it might make us feel too excited. If there's too little, it can make us feel a bit sad. Therefore, we should try our best to keep a balanced diet and do regular exercise, which is really important for a healthy and happy brain. 

So, if we find ourselves in a happy moment the next time, we should know that it's not just our heart dancing with joy, but also a wonderful dance of dopamine creating a beautiful ballet of happiness in our brain. Enjoy the dance, taste the joy, and let the chemistry of happiness lift the spirits to right heights!