Special homework was given to the students in Grade Four at a primary school in Foshan, Guangdong this April, that is to say the children must11100 million grains(颗粒) of rice. A maths teacher Miss Chang asked her students to2the homework in two days. If some .students3to finish in time, they would go on counting the, rice at the weekend. Some parents thought: that if it took a4to count .three grains, if would fake more than a year to count 100 million grains of rice.

    5, others thought it was a good idea. A parent surnamed, (姓) Lin said it could,6 students to use their brains. “I will7my daughter to count 100 or 1,000 grains of rice first, and then8them and multiply (乘以) the figure to, reach 100 million grains of rice, So she will have a clear9of the number 100 million," she said. "The special homework could10help develop children's patience," Lin added.

    Some Internet users also praised the special: homework for encouraging children to11 new ways to do their homework.

    Miss Chang said earlier this week that she hoped the, students could learn knowledge12practical activities. She said she was13 that 10 of her more than 40 students had finished the special homework by using cups or other14to count the rice. The homework helps students develop their abilities to15problems. It's good for them.

How to be a friend of yourself?

We often pay attention to developing relationships with others. However, we forget the basic step: being friends of ourselves. How can we have good relationships with others if we don't even have good relationships with ourselves?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

First, forgive(原谅) yourself. It's true that you are not perfect, and neither is everybody else. It's normal for everyone to make mistakes.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Second, accept things you can't change. There are many things you cannot change, such as your background and past.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you face the things you can't change, just smile and move on.

Third, focus on(聚焦于) your achievements. You can try making a list of your achievements, which do not have to be big things. There are a lot of small but important achievements in our life.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Last but not least, stop comparing yourself with others. You are unique.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your success is not determined(决定) by other people. Instead, it is determined by your own life purpose.

    Obesity (肥胖症) is becoming a problem in our busy society, almost one in three American adults is now considered to be obese. Children obesity is also at an all-time high.

    Obesity means being very overweight. If you are obese, you have too much body-fat. If you eat more food than your body can use, this will make you put on weight. Food that your body does not need will be stored (储存) as fat by your body.

    The following are the major factors (因素) that increase the risk of obesity.

    What you eat plays a major role in weight gain. Eating a lot of fattening food such as hamburgers, sweet drinks, ice creams and other sweet food can increase the risk of becoming obese.

    If you do not do enough exercise, you will put on weight as the food you eat is not being used to make energy for physical activities.

    The chances of your being obese are greater if your parents are obese.

    There are many psychological (心理的) factors that cause people to eat too much. People who are worried, unhappy or bored will often eat to make themselves feel better. This is known as comfort eating.

    Age is another factor, as you tend (趋于) to be less active when you get older. When you get older, you need to eat less, and if you do not eat less, you will put on weight.

    Obesity can cause many health problems such as heart problems, high blood pressure and many other serious medical conditions.

How do you feel when a teacher says it's time for a test? Do you get worried about it? Look at the next test skills （技巧）!

☆Go to class on time and do your homework carefully.

In this way, you will learn the lessons, such as Chinese, English, maths, and so on. You won't have so many worries.

☆Relax and go to bed on time.

After you finish your lessons in the afternoon, you need to relax in the evening and sleep well at night.

☆Get ready well.

You may take paper, a pen, pencils, an eraser, a watch, and books or a dictionary with you.

☆Read the questions carefully.

You must read the questions carefully before you answer them, or you will make mistakes.

☆Breathe （呼吸） deeply.

When you feel worried, put your pencil down on the table, close your eyes, breathe deeply and count numbers to 10. In this way, you will feel relaxed and you can do well in the test.

How to lower costs and improve the living quality?

There are numerous products posted on social media, and you might believe an electric toothbrush, Luna facial cleaning massager, a flight ticket to. Phuket and so on will bring you a better life. But for many graduates or those who have worked for only one or two years, your income cannot keep pace with（跟上） expense. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some tips:

Keep running or doing yoga

It seems to be a challenge to afford a fitness center costing over 10,000 yuan in annual fees or for a personal trainer. But you can buy a pair of sneakers or a yoga mat instead. Running in a park regularly or doing yoga at home using free online resources is definitely a type of quality life. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Go to museums or libraries

Chasing young good-looking stars, watching their films and buying expensive tickets for their concerts are popular with many young people. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You seem to fail to take into account（考虑到） a variety of exhibitions and resources updated frequently in major cities. Why not have a try? What you need to do is to choose themes that you are interested in, make an online appointment in advance and then enjoy your weekend.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}For some young people, the easy access and the discounts of online shopping make it really attractive. Sometimes what you buy online is not what you really need and the demands are created by the producers. For example, many young people buy new clothing that they don't wear. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Money is not the only thing that can drive your quality of living, but your optimistic attitude towards life and self-disciplined way of life are.

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!" .