I started playing the piano when I was about eight or nine. But when I got to university, I stopped playing it. I just didn't have enough time and there were so many other things to do.

—Eliza

    When I was little, I thought I should play the guitar like my dad. But later I decided to try something else. I chose the violin. I want to be a musician when I grow up, but my dad says it's difficult to make a living from music. But I don't want to be a doctor like him. It's so boring.

—Robin

    Nobody likes living near someone like me because when I practice, I make a lot of noise! I''m sorry for that but I have to keep practicing. I have drum lessons every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, and I practice the drums every evening. I love playing them and now I play in a fantastic band.

—Lisa

    I''ve played the guitar as long as I can remember. I used to play in a subway station to make some money. Now I keep on playing it when I'm free, but I work as a cook in a restaurant to make a living.

—Carmen

    Susan is a Chinese girl. She lives in Beijing with her parents. It's eight o'clock in the morning. The1is sunny. But it's still very cold. Susan is2English in her room. She learns English for an hour every day. She wants to learn it well so she studies very3. Susan's father is reading a newspaper.4father usually reads newspapers in the morning. Where is Susan's mother? She is5breakfast for them in the kitchen. She prepares (准备) some hot milk. She thinks hot milk can make them6in winter.

    What is Susan's friend Tony doing now? Tony is not Chinese, He comes from another (另一个)7. America. It's in the evening in America now. The weather is8. It rains a lot this week. Tony is9at the table with his family. They are having dinner. Tony eats much chicken and some carrots. He also drinks some orange10

    Do you have friends from other countries? Do you know what they are doing now?

    My name is Peter. I'm from New York and I am in Qingdao with my parents and my sister Lily now. My sister is eleven and I am twelve. We are in the same school. We go to school from Monday to Friday. Our parents are busy working and they don't have time to drive us to school. So we often go to school by bus. Sometimes we also ride a bike to school. We have four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. My favorite subject is math. Science is my sister's favorite.

    I like sports. I like playing soccer and basketball very much. But I don't have much time to play them on weekdays. I help my sister with her math on Mondays, go shopping with my mother on Wednesdays, and practice Chinese on Friday afternoons. My Chinese friends help me with my Chinese. But on Saturdays and Sundays I can play sports, watch TV and surf the Internet.

    It is Sunday afternoon. Mary goes shopping with her mother. Her mother wants to buy some food for supper. Mary wants to buy a T-shirt and some school things. They come to a shop.

     "What does your shop sell?" Mary asks. "A lot of things," the girl in the shop says. "You can buy food, drinks, clothes and school things in our shop."

    Mary and her mother go into the shop. There are many people in the shop. Mary finds a nice white T-shirt.

    "How much is the T-shirt?" Mary asks the girl in the shop.

    "It's eighty yuan."

    "That's too dear. Do you have a cheap one?"

    "What about the green one? It looks nice. And it's only thirty yuan."

    "OK, thanks a lot." "You are welcome."

    After that, Mary buys some school things too. Her mother buys a lot of food, like bread, cakes, meat and fish. They get home very late.