Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, "Friends are God's way of taking care of us." But how do you find real friendship and keep it?

    The American writer--Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seeds（种子）and take care of it to make it grow.

    First, you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints(抱怨) and do his or her best to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your life.

    But things cannot always be happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, talk to him or her honestly. If he or she doesn't want to talk, you can write a letter.

    There are some steps to be friends again.

    Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend did wrong and explain why you did this or that; Don't forget that friendship is the most important thing in your life.

    One fine winter day some ants were working in the field . They were very busy . Just then a grasshopper (蚱蜢) passed by . “ Good day ， kind ants . ”said the grasshopper . “ I am very hungry . Won't you lend (借给) me a little food ?( A)  我没有东西吃了。I  will pay you before the next autumn .” “ Have you no food of your own ? ( B) Why didn't you gather any food during the summer ? You know there was much food in the field this summer . What were you doing then ?” asked an old ant . The grasshopper answered ， “ I( C )       ( sing ) all day and night during the summer . And I  had no time to gather any food .” “ Well， then，”said the ant .“   （D）   You only played and did not work during the summer . We'll never lend you any food .” （E） And the ants went on working .

    The first people who drank tea were the Chinese. The bush grew wild all over the south of China. Chinese people liked the taste, and found that the drink could refresh (使恢复精力)them. The new drink reached England in 1657. It was sold at one of the coffee houses. Only the very rich people could afford (买得起) to drink.

    Now, people drink tea all around the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea. In China people always have tea together with their friends. They may drink tea at any time of the day. They only put tea leaves in their cups. They prefer the tea with nothing else in it. In the USA people drink tea at breakfast or after meals. They usually use tea bags to make their tea. Making tea with bags is faster and easier than making it with tea leaves in teapots.

    Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English, afternoon tea and beautiful china tea cups. It's believed that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. She invited some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o'clock. This meal included cakes, sandwiches and tea. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions (社交活动). Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

    Today more and more students like going shopping on the Internet. Do you have any ideas about it? Here are four girls' ideas.

    Sandy, twelve

    I like new skirts and jeans. At the weekend I usually go to the shops on the Internet. When I see my favourite things, I can pay for them by my credit card(信用卡).

    Kitty, thirteen

    I think it is very easy and cheap to buy things on the Internet. I only need to stay at home and choose the things I like. I can get them quickly without going out. It doesn't take too much time.

    Wendy, eleven

    I'm not good at computers. I never do the shopping on the Internet. I don't think it is interesting. When l want something, I ask my parents to buy it for me in the shopping mall.

    Shirley, twelve

Shopping on the Internet is not good. I can only see some pictures about the things. I don't believe the notes near the pictures.

    My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren't too many travellers in October.

    We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn't understand the bus routes, and my wife didn't like travelling on the underground. She said it made her feel sick.

    We went to look at the places which all visitors visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, of course, was going to the theatre. We didn't have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is very bad. We didn't think so. It's true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals.

    In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked(预订) again for this year. We're going to take an umbrella. I'm sure we'll need it sometimes.