Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head start in life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.

    Parents can see that their children's skills differ. Some children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.

    Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in

    life. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully step by step. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.

    Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to repair them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And that is more important.

A. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.

B. The more cost in education, the better the result will be.

C. Cooking requires patience and time.

D. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children are badly off for self-respect and self-confidence.

E. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is.

F. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind.

G. Thus, the more the children use the computer, the better the result will be.

How to stay in a good mood

    It's typical to feel your mood starting to become bad. If you want to be able to stay in a good mood, then you have to form these habits that will keep you feeling happy.

    ⒈Don't take love for granted.

    If you're lucky enough to have a special someone, then you should make your time together meaningful. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Make time to spend time with your special someone. Being around your loved one has been proven to make people happier.

    ⒉Get regular exercise.

    Regular exercise is one of the most important habits that you need to form {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can go running three times a week and walk the other four. Just make sure to be as active as you can every day.

    ⒊Spend time with your friends.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Of course, don't always hang out with friends when you have a free moment. Make sure you do make time to see friends at least once or twice a week, if you can.

    ⒋Get enough sleep.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One of the easiest ways to stay in a good mood is to be well-rested. Waking up feeling full of energy will make you feel much more ready to face the day and much more excited about everything ahead of you.

    ⒌{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you want to stay in a good mood, then you have to make sure that you eat three healthy and diverse meals every day. Start off with a healthy breakfast, and don't skip this meal no matter what things happen. Have light snacks throughout the day, like yogurt or fruit, to keep you energetic.

A. Have a healthy eating schedule.

B. Make sure that you sleep for 7-8 hours a day.

C. Do begin with a healthy breakfast in the morning.

D. Hanging out with friends will keep you feeling alive

E. Don't stop doing the things you love with the person you love.

F. However, you don't have to do the same boring old thing every day.

G. Once you start exercising, do the same sports at the regular time every day.

    Success seems to find Maya Moore everywhere she goes. But life hasn't been a bed of roses for Maya and her biggest supporter, her mother.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Maya discovered her love of basketball in 1997 at the age of 8. That was the year the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) began holding games. The young girl watched WNBA star Cynthia Cooper play in Olympics.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Three years later her mother, Kathryn, was offered a better job in North Carolina. Kathryn decided to make the move from Missouri because North Carolina provided greater basketball opportunities. Sadly, in under two months the company downsized, and Kathryn lost her job. She remembers, “{#blank#}3{#/blank#}” Maya says the difficulties brought them closer, and she praises her mom. “She's more than a teammate. I know she's going to be on my side.”

    About a year later, mother and daughter moved to Georgia, where Maya continued to play basketball. In high school she had the opportunity to play basketball against some of the nation's best players.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Maya led her team to 125 victories and three state championships. During this time, she was named the national player of the year twice.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Maya and her mother approached the college decision like they did everything. With careful consideration, Maya chose the University of Connecticut.

A. It was a bad time.

B. It really a competitive skill.

C. The competition improved her skills.

D. You can't succeed without too much payment.

E. The path to success required a lot of hard work.

F. Maya dreamed to compete in the Olympics one day.

G. Universities compared to invite her to join their teams.

    Everybody gets stressed time to time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some ways of dealing with stress like screaming or hitting someone don't solve much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

    Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:

    ⑴Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relatives. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

    ⑵Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⑶Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.

    ⑷Be positive. Most stress won't last long. Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.

    These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a hard time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the difficult situation.

B. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.

C. Different people feel stress in different ways.

D. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.

E. You need to figure out what the problem is.

F. And don't forget about your friends.

G. Then, find a way to calm down.

Avoid Internet Addiction

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many people suffer from addition to the Internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them. How can we prevent ourselves from going online too much?

    Admit you have an addition. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Realize more and more people in the world are becoming addicted. You are not the only one with this problem. Do not be embarrassed; find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.

    Limit your computer time. Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. Before using your computer, decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Try using the computer at the library. You won't be as attracted to look at certain websites and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So you won't be as attracted to be on the Internet as at home.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way. Keep up with the local events in your neighborhood. There may be talks, films, concerts and sports events etc. Find some, as long as it is not on the Internet, and get involved.

A. You will be happier if you use the Internet less.

B. There is no use avoiding the truth.

C. Also, it is a good place to get some good books and magazines to read.

D. Get a hobby or an interest.

E. Internet addition affects a lot of people.

F. Get your family to remind you if you've been on a long time.

G. Try to reduce the amount of time by 5minutes each time.

    Although most parents don't like doing it after a long and exhausting workday, reading bedtime stories does make a positive influence on your child's emotional and mental health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It helps to develop children's imagination.

    Reading bedtime stories can develop your children's ability to form pictures or ideas in their mind. A healthy imagination makes their minds work well and teaches them to think quickly yet effectively. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    It improves children's language.

    Reading also improves your children's language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They'll most likely use those words in the stories you read right after they hear them. Listening to many stories helps kids to express their opinions better.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Reading books makes people more learned. When children hear the stories you tell, they learn grammar and vocabulary, for example. It helps them be successful in school as they already know a lot from your stories. What's more, every story has its moral aspect and tells them what's good and what's bad.

    These reasons leave no chances of doubting whether to read bedtime stories to your children or not. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They will thank you in future, I promise.

A. It makes children knowledgeable.

B. It fosters children's affection for reading.

C. Take a look at the best benefits of it and you'll never be lazy to do that.

D. So however tired you are, find time to read bedtime stories to your children.

E. Bedtime stories create just unforgettable moments.

F. They remember most words you say and enlarge their vocabulary.

G. They'll be successful in many aspects thanks to a wonderful imagination.