All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in tea houses. They prefer their tea plain, with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony(仪式).

    It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drink country is England. In England, the late afternoon is ＂teatime＂. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea-＂iced tea＂. Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

    We are often educated to have the courage, but we also need to understand "fear" correctly. "Fear" also has the meaning of "awe (敬畏)". If a person has no respect (尊敬) or awe, it will surely bring trouble to the family, to the society and the country. So, how should we do?

    Fear life. Life is the only one. The fear of life will make us value life more. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If we don't respect nature, nature will punish us in turn. All kinds of natural disasters (灾害) will come one after another, making us helpless in front of nature. We should learn scientific knowledge and skills to avoid some dangers.

    Fear your parents. Know how to respect parents and thanks for their efforts. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Fear the law. No rules, no standards. Follow the order, rules of the society, schools and public places. Know the law and understand the law. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Whoever breaks the law can't run away from punishment.

    Fear knowledge. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We will keep on progressing, have the awe of teachers, and accept their teaching and education with pleasure.

    One day, a woman took a bus with her son. The boy was about four years old. He ran on the bus and 1 up and down on the seat. There was a man next to them. When he saw it, he was a little 2 and told the boy not to run or jump, because it was very dangerous and it was also impolite (不礼貌). But the3said, "He is just a little kid, we shouldn't be so strict with a child." The man said to the woman, "4 we don't teach the kids now, they will not follow the rules in the future."

    Do you agree with the woman or the man? At 5, we have family rules. For example (例如), we can't6 on school nights. In the school, we also have school rules. We can't listen to music in the classroom. We 7 eat in the classroom. We must wear uniforms8 Monday to Friday. Parents and schools are sometimes strict, but remember, they make rules to help 9. We must 10 these rules.

    The 21st century discoveries about the human brain and its functioning have showed the surprising fact that human abilities are not fixed at birth. In other words, what you are able to do with your life is not fixed when you are born. It is not all in the genes (基 因 ). It is not just nature: nurture (教育, 培育) plays an important part in the moulding (塑造) of what a person is, and what he/she can be.

    Brain plasticity (可塑性) or neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) refers to the amazing ability of the human brain to modify (修改) its structure and functions according to the changes within the body and/or in the outer environment.

    In his book „The Brain that Changes Itself‟ psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., offers an introduction to the great scientists strongly supporting neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've changed. The book describes real life stories of stroke( 中 风 ) patients learning to speak again, and the amazing story of a woman born with half a brain that restructured itself to work as a whole. It is a book that changes the way we think about our brain, its nature, and its potential (潜能).

    The genes we receive from our parents are finite (有限的), no doubt about that. However, our brain's ability to develop is infinite. New brain cells are being born all the time, and to keep them alive and growing, we have to stimulate (刺激) them.

    Here lies the promise of neuroplasticity in the moulding of children into adults who are capable of realizing their potential. For, genius is nothing but a human being who has realized his /her inborn potential! What Mozart, Einstein and da Vinci had was inborn potential plus (和，外加) the right environment.

    All geniuses started life in exactly the same way. They had parents who supported the development of their individual gifts and talents. They had the right environment and stimuli (刺激， 刺激物) that led to the best development of themselves.

    You can think about your child's gifts as the merging (融合的) colours of a rainbow. The possibilities are endless. All children are born with three natural abilities that provide them with the potential to think like a genius: the abilities to think, to learn and to develop their own individual way of thinking and learning.

    Can your child be a genius? Yes, he/she can be, if you give him/her the right environment, the right stimuli and the right guidance.

We know animals have emotions. They can feel fear. We also think they feel love, since they have strong relationships with each other. So are animal emotions s{#blank#}1{#/blank#} to our own? And do animals have a sense of humor?

A Parrot's Joke

Sally's parrot Bongo didn't get along with her o{#blank#}2{#/blank#} parrot, Paco. In fact, Bongo clearly didn't like Paco at all! One day, Sally cooked a chicken for dinner. She started to cut the chicken with a knife. 

"Oh, no! Paco!"Bongo said loudly and laughed. Sally laughed, too, and said, "That chicken is not Paco. ""Oh…no, "said Bongo. This time, she sounded d{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Then the parrot laughed at her own joke.

Yoga Dog

Jean enjoys yoga and so does her dog Buffy. W{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Jean does yoga, Buffy carefully places her toys on Jean's body. If a toy falls, Buffy runs to put it b {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Does this behavior have any real purpose?"She thinks it's funny!"says Jean. 

Animal Laughter

Can dogs "laugh"?Recent research shows that dogs can tell each other when they want to play. They make a special sound a kind of "laugh. "Psychologist (心理学家)Patricia recorded the sound. Then she played it to dogs and s{#blank#}6{#/blank#} their behavior. "All the dogs seemed to like the laugh, "says Patricia. So do animals have a sense of humor? If laughter is a clue, then p{#blank#}7{#/blank#} the answer is "yes!" .

Many people catch a cold in the springtime or fall. Although scientists can send a man to the moon, why can't they find a way to stop the common cold? The 1 is easy. There are actually hundreds of kinds of cold viruses（病毒）out there. You never know which one you will 2 , so there isn't a cure（治疗）for each one. 

When a virus gets into your body, your body works hard to fight against it. When you have a cold, blood（血液）rushes to your nose and makes it stuffy（堵塞的）. You feel 3 because you can't breathe well, but your body is actually "eating" the virus. Your temperature rises and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is 4 the virus. You may feel uncomfortable, but actually your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold. 

Different people do different things to deal with colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might eat chicken soup to feel 5 . Some people take hot baths and drink warm drinks. Other people 6 medicine to stop the uncomfortable feelings of colds. 

There is one interesting thing to note—some scientists say taking medicine when you have a cold is actually 7 for you. The virus stays in you longer because your body doesn't have a way to 8 it and kill it. Bodies can do an amazing job on their own.