Toby's family often goes on ski (滑雪) vacations. They are great fun. The snow is cold and wet, but the sun is warm. Toby loves the 1 of skiing down a mountain. It's always great.

    But there is one thing that Toby doesn't 2about skiing. There are so many things to 3. The most important things are the skis and ski boots (滑雪板和滑雪靴), of course. He also has to wear big socks to keep his feet 4and long underwear (内衣) for his legs. And he can't 5his hat and mittens (连指手套).

    Toby didn't like ski lessons before. He knew it was 6to learn, but he didn't like his teachers. They always gave very boring lessons. Also, the lessons always took very long 7they had to wait for everyone to get ready.

    However, this year Toby was glad to have the8. One time Toby's hat flew off while he was going down the mountain. One of the teachers went and got it9him. The teachers also showed him10to stop faster and turn better. Lessons were not so bad after all!

    Henry is a little fatter than he wants to be.He wants to1. So he is on a diet(节食). He tries2too much and he eats very little sugarbecause it will make him3. He also does exercise every4. He swims very often,5he runs about two kilometres a day. Now heis6than before. Henry's sister, Susan, ishealthier than Henry.7 is also younger and thinner than he is. She does8 every day, too. She doesn't9 muchmeat. But she eats a lot of fruit and10 because she thinks they are better for her health.

Hi, I'm a middle school student. I'm Judy. In my class there are thirty-eight students. How do they go to school every day? Seventeen of them take the bus because they live far from the school. Six students walk. They think walking is good exercise. Fifteen students ride their bikes to school because they like riding bikes very much and their homes are not far from the school. No one goes to school by car. How do you go to school? Haha, I'm one of the fifteen.

On my first round-the-world trip in 2006, I planned everything out in advance. I knew where I was going, staying for how long, and how I would get there. And then half-way through I ditched the plan and went with the flow (随大流) . Over the years, how I plan my travel has changed. Now, I'm a last-minute planner and seldom travel with any plan. 

Traveling without a plan gives you great flexibility (灵活性). Since nothing is booked far in advance, you can turn to something different when you change your mind or something better comes along. I changed my plans to meet a friend on an island in Thailand and stayed for a month. I wouldn't have had that experience if I had kept to my planned schedule. 

"    ★    " — they overplan their trips. Their whole journey is scheduled. Two days here, three days there. I understand why people do that. When time is short, you want to see as much as possible. You don't want to waste a single second. 

Actually, it is better to slow down your pace. Spending more time in one place allows you to get a better feel for the rhythm of life. You can visit at a more relaxed pace, see more than just the attractions, and open up your schedule to the happy accidents of travel. 

When I first made my travel plan, I tried to include everything in it. Then I realized it was unrealistic, and reviewed my plan. I came up with a list of one or two things I want to see each day and spaced everything out. It's an important lesson to learn. I think the best trip plan is to work out the general path you want to take, book the first few nights of your trip, and let your travels unfold from there. This way you are never locked into a certain place if your feelings change.