Do you ever feel like you are just rushing from one subject to another? When things happen so fast, maybe you can't understand clearly what you are doing or learning, so it is imporant to stop yourself to think about what you have been doing or learning.

    Self-reflection(反省) means slowing down and calming (使平静) yourself, including calming your mind. By calming down and going slowly, you give your brain a chance to think about what it has already received. Some people prefer to do self-reflection only in their mind. Others keep a diary. What's more, taking notes is also OK. Each method works, depending on your own personal learning. You can follow the steps to do self-reflection.

    First, choose the proper time to do it. School textbooks are divided into units of study. This makes it easier to begin self-reflection. Look for time when you complete a unti of study. Sometimes you know the unit is over because there is some kind of test. Use these natural breaks to stop and do self-reflection.

    Then, find a quiet place and take out your reflection diary. Write down some notes on the new things that you learned in the unit. Let your mind think about the notes you have written and make some connections.

    Finally, think about things that you are not sure of. Maybe you learned a new way to work out a mathhhh problem, but you're not sure when to use it. Writing down your questions will help you remember to look for answer the next time you are working with the same topic.

Successful students always know self-reflection is important. If you have never taken the time to do self-reflectio, try it now.

    Gift giving is different from culture to culture and person to person.

    When giving gifts, sometimes color is important. For example, for many Chinese people around the world, red is a lucky color, and people often like to wrap gifts in this color. However, did you know that in Korea, red is a color of death? That is why you should not wrap（包装） your gifts in this color if you are giving a gift to a Korean person. What about western countries? In western countries, the color of wrapping paper is not really important. But color does matter when giving flowers, especially roses. You should not give red roses to a western person you don't know very well because they are a symbol of love. You could give yellow roses instead as these are a symbol of friendship. You could also send pink roses as gifts to say thank you.

    What other things should you remember when giving gifts to someone from a different culture? Well, one thing you should keep in mind is the person's religion(宗教). When choosing a gift for a Muslim (穆斯林) or Jewish friend, you should never get food including pork, or things made from pigskin. Another thing that you should not get for a Muslim person is alcohol (酒).

The Importance of Plants

Hello, everyone! It's no secret that plants{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) very important for humans, animals and the environment we live in. Now, let me introduce the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(important) of plants to you as follows. 

 First of all, for people, plants can give {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(we) basic needs. We can use plants in many {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(way). We can get a lot of food from plants. Some plants can change {#blank#}5{#/blank#} medicine and clothes. What's more, they are also important for {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(animal). Many animals live in the forest and they eat fruit from plants. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(final), trees and other plants help clean the air. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} we can breathe the fresh air every day. They can also cover the soil to stop the wind and water from {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(carry) the soil away. 

In {#blank#}10{#/blank#} word, plants are so important to us. We should protect them and try our best to plant more plants. 

The Arctic Region（北极地区）is one of the coldest place in the world. It is cold all the year round. Spring comes from May to June. The ice and1 begin to melt. The plants begin to grow and the animals look for2 . The summer comes from July to August. The temperature in summer can get only -8℃. It should be the warmest3 here. Autumn comes from September to October and it lasts4 .5 comes quickly from November to April next year. Winter is the6 and coldest season of a year. And the Arctic Region is filled with ice and snow everywhere. At this time there is no7 . So it looks like night in winter.

Are there any people living in such a8 place? Yes, they are Eskimos. It is9 for them to live there, but they live happily with a long10 .

My name is Eric Black. Black is my 1 name. I'm from New York. Now, I 2 in Beijing with my parents. I study in the International Language（语言）School and learn 3 in it. Every day, I get up 4 at 6:10, because I need to go to school by bus. I can't 5 Chinese very well so I study very hard. Sometimes it is 6 for my classmates to understand me.

I make some friends at school. Li Ming is my new friend. His English is good. He often helps me learn Chinese. He is 7 . He usually goes to school on foot because it's good for his 8 . After school, we 9 many topics（话题）, like weather, sports and food. I'm a member of the Music Club. I like 10 Chinese songs. And Li Ming is in ping-pong club.

We have great fun at school!

 Students all over the world like sports. There are many kinds of sports. Many students like to play them. 

 In China, students like playing ping-pong best. They often play it after class. They like basketball and volleyball, too. But they are busy at school, so they don't often play sports. 

 In the USA, students play sports every day. They often play basketball. But soccer is their favourite sport. They like swimming and running, too. They think sports are great. 

 In the UK,      ▲      . Watching football games on TV is their favorite. They often play sports with their family or friends on Saturdays and Sundays. They like sports very much. 

 Playing sports is good for our health and it can make us happy. Let's do sports!