Tears come out of my eyes when I talk to my parents on the phone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This is what I want to know most. I have supper at 5 o'clock in the dining room. Now it is the busiest time for my parents. Dad works from seven o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock in the evening, so all the housework is left to my mum. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Every day she gets up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and then works till dark.

    I promise her to study hard in the university because I am her hope. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I just want her to promise me that she can take care of herself and my dad because they are just like the blood in my body.

    In my family, everyone is equal. We are very happy to have meals together. Mum says that the happiest time for Dad and her is to see my sister and me come back home. We play cards in the room, watch TV and do anything we like, with Dad and Mum preparing delicious food in the kitchen. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I forget all the difficulties and unhappiness at that time. The only thing I would like to do is to enjoy the time with my parents.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Love your parents as they love us. Give them a call, telling them you love them and miss them.

    When we are talking to someone, we tend to change someone else's mind to our way of thinking. And we may often find it difficult to do that. So here are five tips on how to change someone's mind.

    The first one is never to turn the conversation into an argument. It should be a conversation where you show your opinions and the facts that you've collected. By showing them the facts, we want to tell other people that we are right. But emotionally, they may not totally agree with what you say. So when you are trying to change someone's mind, try to keep it as a conversation and not an argument.

    The second tip is never to say that you are wrong. If someone makes a statement that you think is wrong, it's better to point it out by saying, “I thought otherwise but I might be wrong, let's look at the facts.” The key is to say that you might be wrong, not that you are wrong. This opens up the other person to look at the data again and shows them that you're not bullheaded (顽固的) and that you're not going to change your opinion. You're showing them that you are open to new ideas and this is super important in changing someone else's mind to your way of thinking.

    Tip number three is to get the other person saying yes as fast as possible. You may begin your conversation on hobbies that you guys have, something that they're crazy about, something that gets them saying yes. Because the more that you get them to say yes now, the more likely they are to say yes in the future. A conversation like this will get them to start to like you and maybe even more open up to ideas that you have. It builds up trust between the two of you.

    Tip number four is to let the other person do a great amount of talking. If you let them talk more, you're going to show that you actually care about their opinions and ideas, which will earn their respect in the end. By listening to them, you're going to create a friendly relationship and build trust. So when you express your opinions, they will also show a willingness to listen. Never interrupt them when they are talking. Just listen patienly with an open mind, encourage them to talk even more and more so that when it's your tum to talk, they'll listen and say nothing.

    The last tip is to let the other person feel like the idea was theirs. It's wiser to make suggestions and let someone else come to the conclusion, then they have a sense of pride that it's their idea. Giving someone the data and letting them come to the conclusion let them feel like it is their idea and they are proud of it.

    Title: How to change someone else's mind

    It's very common for students' marks to fall. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sometimes it is only because the exams get harder.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} He or she will be able to help you with the subjects you find difficult. Stop comparing yourself with other people. It does not matter if other students get higher marks than you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Before each exam, you should go through you notes from class. You should remember the most important things you have written in a shorten form.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You will be surprised when you find you remember so much. It may take hard work and your marks may not improve straight. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Soon they should begin to climb again.

    Once upon a time, there was a strange bird. He lived in a tree near the bank of a river. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One day, one of the two heads saw a delicious fruit on a tree. He picked it and started eating the fruit. "It is one of the most delicious fruits I have ever eaten," he said.

    The other head said, "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}" The first head laughed and said, "You know that we have only one stomach. It makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. Moreover, I'm the one who found the fruit. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}"

    Later that day, the other head found a tree having poisonous (有毒的) fruits. He took a poisonous fruit and told the first head, "I will eat this fruit."

    The first head shouted, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you eat it, both of us will die."

The other head replied, "Shut up! I'm the one who found the fruit. I have the right to eat it."

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end, both of them lost their lives.

A. So I have the right to eat it.

B. The first head started crying, but the other head still ate the poisonous fruit.

C. Let me also taste the delicious fruit.

D. The bird had two heads, but they shared one stomach.

E. What do you think of the bird with two heads?

F. Please don't eat this poisonous fruit.

G. The bird looks very beautiful and cute.

    Benjamin Banneker was born a few months before another great American—George Washington. Benjamin was black, but he was not a slave (奴隶). He and his mother and his grandmother were free. Benjamin's grandmother came from England. In America she got a job and worked for many years to pay for her boat trip across the ocean. After working many years, she saved enough money to buy a farm. Benjamin lived with her for a while. She taught him to read, write and do arithmetic (算术).

    Benjamin's neighbours knew that he was clever. They were not surprised when he built a large wooden clock. He made each piece after studying a small pocket watch. The clock made him famous, for it was one of the first clocks built in America. People from other places began to send hard problems of all kinds to Benjamin to settle.

    Thomas Jefferson heard of Benjamin Banneker's ability to settle hard problems. He asked Banneker to help build the city that was to be the capital of the United States—Washington, D.C. Banneker worked hard on the plans for the city. He marked where the streets and buildings—the Capitol (美国国会大厦), the White House, and many other places should be built.

    Later, L' Enfant, the Frenchman who had designed the new city, had a quarrel, and went back to France in anger. He took all of the plans away. The workmen couldn't build without any plans to follow.

    For a while it seemed that the plans for the capital might have to be changed, but Benjamin Banneker remembered the plans he had helped draw. He drew each again as he had built each piece of his clock.

    If it weren't for Benjamin Banneker, Washington,

    D.C might look very different from the way it does today.

    How to build good relationships with people from other cultures? Actually, it is important to learn some communication skill. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Learn about the culture in advance. A little knowledge can go a long way. So if you have time before going abroad or meeting with someone from another culture, try to take time to learn the basic "do's and don'ts" of that culture. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's very convenient.

    Be respectful and tolerant. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Signs of these may appear when you communicate with people from other cultures. However, it is not the time to judge people based on these differences during basic communication. Instead, respect them for what they are, and tolerate them.

    Speak clearly and slowly. But do not shout at others even if they don't understand you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead, it can be seen as a rude behavior. What's more, even if there are difficulties in communicating with people from other cultures, do not treat other people as though they are stupid.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In some cultures, looking another person in the eye when you speak is seen as a sign of honesty and interest. However, in other cultures, it may be disrespectful.