China has a very long history. It has many great traditional skills that have a wide influence (影响). Here we mainly talk about kites.

    The earliest mention of a kite in ancient China dates back to the 5th century BC. It was made of wood and used as a rescue signal (求救信号).

    At the time between 770 and 221 BC, Chinese kites were actually called "muyuan". They were first invented in Shandong Province for military purposes (军事目的). The kites were used to send important messages during the Chu-Han War. During the Tang Dynasty, kites were made of lighter materials, such as bamboo, silk and paper. At that time, people began to fly kites for other purposes. It was believed that letting go of the kite could remove bad luck and illness.

    Today, kite-flying is an interesting and healthy activity in China. There are large kite-flying festivals held throughout the country, and kite makers can show off their skills during the festivals.

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is the color of most growing plants, too.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet finished or plants that are not ripe.

For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in war (战争) .By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today——a person who is new in a job.

About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west Old—timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities in the east. The greenhorn didn't have the skills that he would need to live in the hard, rough country.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundred.

A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution (革命) is the name which was given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural (农业的) scientists who had green thumbs.

    It's hard to make friends if you stay at home all the time, so get out of the house and do things that will put you in touch with(接触)other people. It's easier to make friends with them when you find you like the same things as other people.

Don't be afraid to show people what you're really good at. You can talk about the things you like and do best. People will be interested in you if they, hear something interesting about you.

    Look at people in your eyes when you talk to them. That way, they'll find it easier to talk to you, or people may think you're not interested in them and may stop being interested in you.

    Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about "me, me, me” You can ask people lots of questions and show that you are interested in their answers.

    Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like, respect(尊敬)and admire(羡慕). You shouldn't just make friends with those people you will meet them easily. Try to be friendly with all kinds of people. That way, you'll have a bigger group of people to choose from. Then you'll be easier to make friends with other people.

How do you feel when a teacher says it's time for a test? Do you get worried about it? Look at the next test skills （技巧）!

☆Go to class on time and do your homework carefully.

In this way, you will learn the lessons, such as Chinese, English, maths, and so on. You won't have so many worries.

☆Relax and go to bed on time.

After you finish your lessons in the afternoon, you need to relax in the evening and sleep well at night.

☆Get ready well.

You may take paper, a pen, pencils, an eraser, a watch, and books or a dictionary with you.

☆Read the questions carefully.

You must read the questions carefully before you answer them, or you will make mistakes.

☆Breathe （呼吸） deeply.

When you feel worried, put your pencil down on the table, close your eyes, breathe deeply and count numbers to 10. In this way, you will feel relaxed and you can do well in the test.

Problems between parents and children are common. If you need to improve your relationship with your parents, you are not alone. To develop a better relationship with your parents, you should change how you think and do things. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Act first. Don't wait for your parents to try to improve the relationship. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Be thankful to your parents. Think about everything that your parents have done for you. You are sure to feel thankful to them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Give them a nice gift or do some housework without being asked. They will be happy with you for these actions.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Talk to your parents about things that you care about and your feelings about these things. Often talk to them, and your parents can understand you better. If so, it's easy for them to discuss things that you are interested in and develop the relationship.

Accept that your parents are different. They grow up in a different situation with different technologies. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try to remind them of any problem in their relationships with their parents because of these differences.

Use these ways when you talk to your parents to improve your relationship with them.

青春期是人生发展的重要阶段，成为更好的自己是每一位青少年的孜孜追求。学校英文报刊发起"成为更好的自己"的征文活动，主题涉及"与人相处"、"生活方式"、"学习习惯"、"兴趣爱好"、"独立自主"等方面。请你结合自身经历，谈谈如何成为更好的自己。内容包括：(1)从上述几个方面任选2项，谈谈自己的经历和计划；(2)呼吁大家珍惜当下，把握青春，做更好的自己；

作文要求：(1)不能照抄原文不得在作文中出现学校的真实名称和考生的真实姓名；(2)语句连贯，词数 80个左右。作文的开头已经给出，不计入总词数，也不必抄写在答题卡上。

At the stage of puberty, I am going to make myself better.