Dear Know,

      I need some advice on how to make friends! I have just moved to a new city. I am 13. I don't know anybody here and I want to make some friends. What's the best way? Where can I meet people?

                                                                                                                           Yours,

                                                                                                                                Tony

Dear Tony,

     There are lots of things you can do. First, you can ride your bike in your neighbourhood and try to find some kids. When you find some, you can go up and talk to them. You should also let your parents know that you want to make friends because they can help you. Maybe you can ask your parents to take you to the library or some places where there are lots of kids. You could try joining an art class or a sports club. These are all great ways to meet people. You can also try making friends at churches (教堂) if you go to churches on Sundays. Try to be active wherever you are, but just be yourself and don't try so hard. It takes time and patience. I hope you will find a best friend soon!

                                                                                                                 Yours,

                                                                                                                         Know

    Exam time is the most stressful period of the year. You have worked all school term on your classes and now it's the time to prove what you have learned. With so much at stake (处于成败关头), it is easy to get stressed about your exams. However, with the right amount of hard work and focus you can pass your tests easily.

    When I was in school, I used to get very stressed over my exams. So did my friends. Some people stopped eating and others ate too much! Some gave up and others burned themselves out! The most important thing to remember when studying is not to feel frightened! Take the middle path -- stay calm, eat healthy and get a rest. Pushing yourself too hard is just as dangerous as not studying enough. A tired, overworked brain is just as useless as a lazy, empty one!

    So, what should you do ?Arrange a time each day for study and a time for relaxation .You may have less time to relax than usual, but you still need to let your brain rest for a few moments. Get plenty of sleep .If you are tired, information will not stick in our memory. Finally eat healthy foods that fuel （给……加油）your body and mind.

    It is bad to think too much about your exams. Some students may think that the rest of their life depends on them .That's not true. Instead, just view the exams as another difficulty you will overcome. You have overcome all kinds of difficulties in you life so far. With the right amount of work and focus, you will pass your exams with flying colours! High school is right around the corner!

    It's normal for you to feel shy and nervous when you are in the new environment. It's natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. If you think you are too shy and want to be a little more active, try the following advice.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There is no need to hide it. When people get to know you are a shy person, they may understand you better. It will also help you feel easier in talks.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you smile, people will think you're friendly and want to talk with you. Remember that all people have feelings and most people will stay away from an angry-looking face.

You shouldn't keep quiet at a party all the time. If you find it hard to start a talk, you can say something nice about people around you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It must be very helpful for you to start a talk! And after you begin to talk to someone or smile at someone for the first time, remember to say "I did it!" to yourself.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Think about more ways to enjoy the party and have fun. Don't waste time worrying about your look or whether all people like you or not.

    If you keep trying the advice, you may not be shy in the new environment one day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A: I want some students for the sports game.

What can you do, Bill? Can you do the high jump?

B: No, I can't. But I can do the long jump.

A: You can do the long jump! Good. OK, what can you do, Jennifer?

C: I can skate and I can run the 100-meter race.

A: You can! Great, Jennifer. Can you play football?

C: No, I can't. Victor can play football.

A: Victor, can you play football?

D: Yeah, I can't skate or play tennis, but I can play football.

A different kind of alarm clock

    When Matty Sallin, 24, was studying art and technology at New York University, he got an interesting task for the final exam：Create something for the ordinary family. He decided to create an alarm clock.

    "To get up in time, many people have to use an alarm clock every morning. But the sound of the clock is extremely noisy and unpleasant." he says. So before he started to design the new clock, he asked different people what they'd like to wake up to in the morning. A lot of them said, "The smell of bacon(培根)."

    So Sallin and his two classmates invented a new kind of alarm clock: a wooden box with a pig face and a digital clock that uses the smell of cooking bacon to wake people up. He explains, "There's no danger of burning, because I built it carefully, It uses special light bulbs(灯泡) instead of a fire for cooking and turns off automatically after ten minutes. "Just a few easy steps are required to set the "alarm".

    "What you do is to put a few pieces of bacon meat inside the box the night before, then you set the alarm," says Sallin. "If you set the alarm for 8：00, it will turn on at 7:50 and slow cook for ten minutes under the bulbs. Then the bulbs turn off and a fan blows the smell out through the nose of the pig."

    "So the pleasant smell of bacon will wake you up. There will be no more noisy alarms," says Sallin. "Then you can open the door on the side and pull the bacon out and eat it."

    When Sallin was a kid, he spent a lot of time making drawings of inventions. "I wanted to make a lift in my back yard and a special tree house," he says. "But I never really thought I'd become an inventor！"

    Sallin got an A for his alarm clock and went on to invent other things-but people continue to email him every day asking where they can buy his alarm clack. If he decides to produce and sell his special alarm clock, maybe he can build a successful business out of it.

I'm Michael from America. Now I am in China and celebrating the Spring Festival with Li Lei's family. It's New Year's Eve (除夕). What are we doing?

At 10:00 am

Li Lei's grandfather is making red lanterns. People always hang them at the gate. In China, red means good luck. His parents are getting ready for lunch.

At 5:00 pm

Li Lei's mother and aunt are making jiaozi—a kind of dumplings. His two cousins are playing games, Li Lei is making some New Year cards. I am writing an email to my parents on the Internet. I tell them about the festival.

At 8:00 pm

We are sitting at a big table and having a family dinner. It's really delicious. We are also watching the Spring Festival Gala (春节联欢晚会).