Hi, my name is Mei Shan. I study in a high school now. It seems that my life has changed a lot in the past few years. For example, I used to be short but now I am tall. I used to have long hair, but now I have short hair because I have no time to take care of it. I used to be afraid of the sea because I didn't know how to swim, but now I am a good swimmer in our school. As for eating, I used to have meat and eggs but now I like eating more vegetables.

  When I was young, I didn't use to read any books, but now I often read some storybooks. When I was in primary school, I used to play ping-pong with my friends after school, but now I have to go home right now and do my homework. I didn't like math and I used to be terrified of tests, but now I like all the subjects and never mind any tests. In the past, I used to have time to chat with my friends online, but now I am too busy to do it. How I miss my old days!

Try to help your dog relax

    It's a Saturday morning. You rush through breakfast, walk the dog, and then get to soccer practice on time. A few hours later, you return home, only to find that the dog has made your bedroom untidy.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Your favorite sports shoes are in poor condition.

    Before you get angry, stop and think. Your dog wasn't misbehaving (行为不端) just for the fun of it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Some dogs just feel nervous when left alone. It's called separation anxiety (分离焦虑).

    Think of it this way: Dogs can't ask where you're going or when you'll be back. They can't call you on the phone. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Since you're not there, they need to find you. Dogs may suddenly develop separation anxiety. But with practice and patience (耐心), you can teach your dog to be comfortable being left alone.

    Put on your jacket, and then sit back down. Open and close the door, and then sit down. After a while, walk out the door for 10 seconds, then 20, then a minute and so on. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Besides, you can also try the following ways:

    Teach your dog a word or action that you use every time you leave, which tells your dog you'll be back.

    Help comfort (安慰) your dog by leaving a piece of clothing that smells like you.

    Before you leave, give your dog a toy. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    With the Chinese language becoming more and more popular, the UK government planned to help more kids learn Chinese, Do you think it is necessary for British pupils to learn Chinese? Three people from different countries have given their opinions.

    Robert (Canada)

    I studied French for 2 years in high school and German for 4 years in college. I studied Chinese for about 4 months before moving to China. Since I speak Chinese every day, my writing, reading and listening are quite good. I think learning other languages is a great thing. It offers a new and different way of living and looking at our life and the world around us.

    Ted (the UK)

    Learning any language can be valuable, but it is not suitable for everyone. Chinese is a difficult language to learn, and the UK is not good at teaching foreign languages. However, China is a very large and developing market for business people. For them, Chinese is worth learning.

    Larry (the USA)

    I don't think Chinese will be as widely spoken throughout the world as English. It is too time-consuming ( 费时的) to learn as a second language. To learn Chinese, you have to devote yourself to learning how to write and read it. It's too difficult to learn Chinese. But some day Chinese will become more popular, and that is a good thing.

    Different people have different opinions. As for me, being able to speak more than just your native language is a great thing.

    It is necessary for children to help their parents with housework. But most parents may find it difficult to get their children to help with it, because children usually enjoy playing games instead of doing housework. However, I have some good ways to get my children to do housework. Here is an example.

    "Mum, what's next week's housework? Let Kitty and me choose the cards. I can't wait. It's interesting!"

    When my son, 7-year-old Tommy shouted, I began to put all the cards on the sofa. On the cards, I wrote some words like these, "wash the car, take out the rubbish, make the bed, do the dishes, clean the living room, sweep the floor, wash the clothes, take the dog for walks, water the flowers" and so on.

    Kitty and Tommy chose two cards for each day from Monday to Friday. Then they wrote them down on their notebooks. Tommy likes to take the dog for walks best while Kitty enjoys cleaning the living room. Soon the two kids had fun taking away all the cards. And I didn't need to worry about the housework again. Of course, on weekends, I usually do the housework myself and set the children free.

    It was a fine day. Sherlock Holmes invited his best friend Doctor Watson to go camping with him. They found a nice hill and put up their tent. Then they went fishing and climbed the hill. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They began to chat (聊天) happily.

    "Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you can see." said Holmes.

    "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}"Watson replied.

    Holmes asked again, "What does that tell you?"

    Watson thought for a while, "It tells me that there are tons of galaxies (星系) and planets."

    Holmes continued asking, "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}"

    Watson smiled. "It tells me that God is great and powerful. At the same time, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

    "Oh, I think so. Is that all?" asked Holmes.

    "No, as for the weather, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} What does it tell you?" Watson said.

    Holmes laughed. "Someone has stolen our tent."

    My name is Jane White. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}My telephone number is 9876594. This is my good friend, Mary Green. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}She is 12, too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Her telephone number is 8676521. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And we like English very much. Mr. Smith is her English teacher. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} .