Reading is a very important skill. 阅读也是一种提高你的英语的好方法。However, to make sure what you read isn't too difficult, it's important to know what makes texts difficult and how you can improve your understanding of them. Here are some suggestions.

    ①Understand the purpose of your reading. The way you read depends on the purpose of your reading. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer holidays.

    ② Find background information. Find something out about the topic you are going to read.

    The more background information you have, the easier it'll be to understand the text.

    ③Increase your vocabulary（词汇）. The more vocabulary you have, the easier your reading will be.

    ④ Use your dictionary correctly. A common mistake is to read everything very slowly and carefully, looking up each unknown word. Sometimes this is necessary, for example, when reading exam questions. However, it takes a long time and can be very boring; it can even make understanding more difficult!

    If you've followed the above advice and still can't understand a text, then it's simply too hard for you. Stop reading and ask someone to help you. 没有人想要放弃。However, you'll just be wasting your time if you continue to work at a text that's beyond you.

    Can you create( 创造)your own T-shirt? Let me tell you it's easy! In the modern world, designing a personal T-shirt with your own message or favorite image(图像) is nowa piece of cake.

    At first, you can use a digital camera to take some photos. Also, you can download beautiful pictures from the Internet. Of course, you can also draw your favorite pictures by yourself. In a word, you can use your imagination.

    Then, buy some heat-sensitive iron-on transfer paper(感热的可熨的摹写纸) and print(打印) your picture or text using a standard ink jet printer(喷墨打印机). You can print black or colors or even buy other special paper.

    Put the paper onto a clean T-shirt that you bought from the shops, then just use an electric clothes iron(熨斗) and in a few minutes you can make your own T-shirt.You must be confident and proud in this kind of T-shirt.

    The way we spend our time can be. divided into three groups，or jars(罐子).These would be the necessary tasks jar, the voluntary tasks jar and the happiness jar.

    Every day，we spend time filling the necessary tasks jar. We fill this jar with useful things，like making money，doing housework，buying food and paying bills. We then fill another jar with voluntary tasks like taking children to activities and cooking family meals. Those jars are very important，but we may not enjoy them. If we don't fill them each day，our family won't run properly.

    However, we often forget to fill the third jar—the happiness jar. This is the jar that we fill with activities that make us happy. Is your happiness jar sometimes empty at the end of the day? We all have days like that. Between doing all the necessary, and voluntary tasks，time flies by on some days，and before we know it，it is time for bed.

    That is why each day we try to fill our happiness jar. Most days，I fill mine by going to the ballroom dance(社交舞)class. Playing music is another way that I fill my happiness jar. This week，I was happy to take part in an orchestra(管弦乐队)practice at my church(教堂).At the end of the evening, my happiness jar was full.

    Consider how your time is spent. Try to find ways to achieve a balance. At the end of the day，hopefully we've done all we can to make sure that our happiness jar is filled.

    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).

Information Card

    One day, the father of a very rich family took his son on a trip to the countryside. He wanted to show his son that how poor people there were. They spent a few days and nights on the farm. After they came back from their trip, the father asked his son, "How did you like our trip?"

    "It was great, Dad."

    "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

    "Oh yeah," said the son.

    "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

    "I see that we have one dog and they have four. We have beautiful lights in our garden, and they have the stars at night. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that have no ends. We have servants(仆人) who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, and they grow theirs. We have fences to protect us, and they have friends to protect them."

    "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are," said the son. The boy's father didn't know what to say then.