When people travel abroad(国外), they sometimes stay in the homes of the local people. This is a homestay.

    I am living with an old English couple, in the west of London. They have a clean four-bedroom house. This is a new house. It has two bathrooms and a garden with many beautiful flowers. I have a bedroom of my own.

   There are some shopping centres and a restaurant near the house, and the house is close to an underground station. It takes about 30 minutes to take an underground to the centre of London.

    I think a homestay may be a good choice for you if it is your first time to visit abroad. The local people are friendly and helpful. If you want to celebrate the holidays with them, you will get to know more about their culture and customs.

    Young people like pop music but not many of them like classical music. In fact, classical music is very pleasing to your ears. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some classical pieces are so good that you will still love it after a long time.

    The main musical instruments in classical music are the violin and piano. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is small but a musician can play it very loudly or softly. The piano is also a great musical instrument. It is very big and heavy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The violin or piano can be played with all the other musical instruments.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't think that there are no singers in classical music. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Their voices are as beautiful as the sound of a musical instrument. The next time you hear a piano or violin playing, close your eyes and listen if it is the most beautiful sound in the world.

A.We call this kind of music a violin or piano concerto.

B.In fact, singers of classical music can sing very high notes.

C.Its sound has the widest range among all musical instruments.

D.You need to listen to a piece of classical music a few times before you fall in love with it.

E.The violin is called the "King of Musical Instruments" because its sound is very beautiful.

    Our feelings influence almost every decision we make. Instead of living a boring life, positive (积极的) feelings can help us a lot. The pity is that sometimes become victims of feelings.

    In one of my latest books, I compare people's ability to controls (控制) on a media player. Just like the controls can help you enjoy wonderful songs, these methods will be choices for you to manage feelings successfully.

⒈Pause.

    Take time to stop and think before you speak or act. Of course, you may feel sorry if you like doing something without thinking-like sending an angry email or posting something bad on social media. If you feel your feelings getting out of control, pause. If possible, go for a short walk. Once you've calmed down, decide how you want to move forward.

⒉Volume control

    Have you ever noticed that when speaking with someone, your style or tone is a mirror (镜子) of the person's you are speaking to? If you stay calm or quiet, they'll follow you. Shout or scream, and they'll do just like you. If a discussion starts to become worse, try to change it by softening your tone or lowering your voice.

⒊Record

    If you want to learn more about another person's thoughts, recording, one way of careful listening, may help. You don't need to reply at once; you're listening to understand. Through careful listening, you often see things you didn't see before and can even discover misunderstandings you didn't know. Don't judge or offer advice before you know more about others and the topic.

    Sometimes, our decisions are affected by our feelings. If you keep positive feelings, you can {#blank#}1{#/blank#} living a boring life. Some methods can help you {#blank#}2{#/blank#} in controlling your feelings. First, doing without thinking may make you {#blank#}3{#/blank#}what you've said or done. It's wise of you to pause when your feelings become bad. Second, when speaking with someone, the other person usually offers you a reply in the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} style or tone. So controlling volume is very important.  What's more, recording is one way of careful listening, with the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of learning more about another person's thoughts. Follow this way, you can judge or offer suggestions.

Dear Jack,

    How are you? How was your weekend?

    I had a great weekend. My mother taught me to make noodles. We made delicious noodles together. I cleaned my room and washed my clothes. I also helped my father wash his car. I went to the library on Sunday with my friend Jerry. We had a good time in the library.

    Next weekend, I'm going to visit my grandparents. They live in a village. It's two hours away from my house. We are going to take a bus there. My grandparents like eating fruit. So I will bring them some apples and bananas. I'm going to climb a mountain with my cousin Tom. It will be fun. The English test is coming. So I'm going to study for the test.

    Did you have a good weekend? What are you going to do next weekend?

Write back soon.

Susan

    When you are sick, you can hardly go to places, see friends or do sports—it's not fun at all. So follow these steps to get better quickly.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Unhealthy food can make you even sicker. Eat healthy food like fruit and vegetables when you are sick.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can use a soft, warm blanket(毛毯) and stay in bed. Drink hot water or soup to help you keep warm.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Medicine can help the body when you are sick. If your doctor gives you some medicine, be sure to take it.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need 8 or 9 hours of sleep or more, so be sure to get enough sleep at night.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Go outside on a nice day to get more fresh air. Take a book with you and do some reading when you enjoy the sunshine.