When you start a new school, go to a party or try to know a person, you often need to break the ice in order to start a friendly conversation. Breaking the ice means saying or doing something to stop feeling shy or uncomfortable around someone you don't know well. Almost everyone feels uncomfortable or shy when people meet for the first time. If you feel like this, the following ① tips can help you out.

Smile ② Whenyou smile, people think you're friendly and easy to talk to. They are also very likely to smile back and help you feel more comfortable about starting a conversation.

Be positive  Everybody likes being around happy people. Always look on the bright side of life and see everything positively（积极地）.

Be a good listener.   Don't control the conversation and don't just talk about yourself. ③ 仔细听别人讲，并且问一些关于他们自己的问题。They'll think you're worth talking to.

Be easy-going  ④ Some people may be so shy that they can't break the ice. Don't avoid being around new people just because you feel uncomfortable. If you face a situation again and again, you'll get used to it.

Li Ming's Summer Holiday

    Summer holiday is from July to August in China .It ' s a long time for me to do all kinds of things .I like visiting some places of interest .And I like travelling by train .It takes me too much time ,but it saves money .Sometimes I stay at home and do my homework ,sometimes I help my parents do some house work .When my parents are free ,we often go to the park or the zoo ,and we have a good time there .I have a good summer holiday .

Wang Tao's Summer Holiday

    My summer holiday of this year was very enjoyable. I went to the countryside to spend my summer holidays with my grandparents. It is very beautiful there. There are green plants, clear rivers, lovely animals and kind people. I spent two weeks helping my grandfather do some farm work there. Besides, I helped the children in the neighborhoods with their lessons. I helped them read English to improve their spoken English. Their parents thanked me for this and thought highly of me. I realized that knowledge is greatly needed in the countryside.

    Having a cheetah as a pet in the house?Does it sound scary to you?But for a family in South Africa，one cheetah is treated as a VIP(Very Important Person)in the house．

    The big cheetah is named Jolie，after the film star Angelina Jolie{#blank#}1{#/blank#}She can often be found eating from the kitchen table，taking a short sleep on the sofa，or even sleeping on Lucy and Jeff's bed．The big cat also sleeps and plays with the Browns'other pet，the more usual one-a sheepdog(牧羊犬){#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Having a cheetah as a pet is unusual．At first，Mrs．Brown wasn't willing to keep a cheetah as a pet．She said，"{#blank#}3{#/blank#}But we are now happy that we did it she is part of the family．"

Just like her name，four-year-old Jolie has achieved celebrity status(名人地位)in the Browlisl hometown．Fans often come to their home to take pictures of her{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    However．a cheetah is always a cheetah{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"She makes a lot of mess in the house，urinating(小便)everywhere and chewing everything．It's her wild instincts(本能)，"said Mrs．Brown．

    There might be some problems of having a cheetah as a pet in the house，but some unusual fun must also be waiting ahead．

A．Interestingly，Jolie enjoys all the special attention that is paid to her．

B．I was really pleased to have a cheetah as a pet at the beginning．

C．Though Jolie is now a pet in the house，she still has some wild habits．

D．She is surely the VIP at Lucy and Jeff Brown's home．

E．I was really against the idea of getting a cheetah as a pet．

F．An impossible friendship has happened between these two animals．

    Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world（after water）was invented by accident？Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5, 000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink.  One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world's favorite drinks was invented.

    A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

    It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but in less than 100 years, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

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    Hello, I am Li Hua. My English name is Alice. I am 12. I am in China now. I am a middle school student in No.4 Middle School.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} I have a white jacket and a white phone. My phone number is 567-2634.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Liu Mei is in Shanghai No.1 Middle School. She is 12, too.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}She likes red. She has a red ruler and a red pen. Her phone number is 256-8765. Cindy is an English girl. She is 11. Her favourite color is purple.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Her phone number is 235-3476. Frank is 13. He is in Hangzhou No.5 Middle School.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} He has an orange jacket. He is a nice boy.

    Have you ever been to Ireland? If not, you should think of spending a vacation there. The Republic of Ireland stands in the south of the island. There are about 4, 810, 000 people in the country and the weather is quite wet but warm. Falls of snow in Ireland are most unusual.

    Ireland is full of interesting things to do. You'll find restaurants and cafes everywhere. Most of them have a long list of Irish food and drinks. After your meal, you can take a walk along the shore. The countryside is good for horse riding. Other sports you may want to do are sailing, boating, swimming, fishing and golfing. Ireland is famous for its theaters and festivals. So why don't you stay longer for a party, an opera or a concert? The Irish people are kind and friendly. From mountains to beaches you will find people ready to stop and talk about the weather, the local geography or history and maybe about what you should see next.