Jack's friend Sally isn't fine these days.

    One day she asks Jack for help. And she tells (告诉) Jack about her eating habits. For breakfast, she always eats some bread. For lunch, she always has some chicken. She likes eating ice-cream and a hamburger in the evening.

 “They're not healthy for you, Sally,” Jack says.

 “I know, but I like them,” Sally says.

 “What about vegetables? Do you like eating carrots?” Jack asks.

 “No, I don't,” Sally says.

 “Sally, don't eat ice-cream. You must eat some vegetables and fruit. They are good for you.” Jack says.

 “I think you're right,” Sally says.

    In the next days, Sally always eats vegetables and fruit. And she is well now.

    “Give it back to me!” Zhu Han shouted at his mum angrily. She had just grabbed(抓取) his cell phone, saying that he should stop playing and go to sleep.

    “I told her it was 9 o'clock and I'd finished my homework, but she didn't listen,” said the 15-year-old boy. “I really couldn't understand her!”

     Do you sometimes feel the same way? A China Youth Daily report said that, according to a survey on 1,500 students, 61% of the students said they felt they weren't able to communicate(交流) with their parents. Besides, 37% of them said they never shared their worries with their parents.

    One of the most important reasons is that students and parents don't have much common ground(共同点). The different ages always lead to different interests.

    Peng Yu, a psychological professor(心理学教授) pointed out another reason. He said when entering puberty(青春期), teenagers begin to have their own thoughts(思想) and want their parents to treat them like adults(成人). But parents don't follow the change.

    He suggested that children should first understand that their parents do everything out of love. “With this in mind, students should try to talk with their parents calmly and often enough,” he said.

    Huang Xinlin, 14, agreed with the advice. She talks with her mum during supper every day and she also helps do the housework. “We talk about everything and even make jokes while sharing housework,” Huang said happily. “We are like friends.”

    Besides the spelling of the word, there are, clearly, many differences between American and British humor.

    There is a common belief in the U.K. that Americans don't understand irony (讽刺). This is of course not true. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Irony may show up in American comedies(喜剧), but people there don't use it as much as the British do in daily life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It actually runs in the blood of the British people. They use it as much as prepositions(介词) in everyday conversations, as a way of playing with their friends and laughing at their enemies, as well as themselves. This may sometimes make people unhappy if the listeners are not used to it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} After Americans use irony, they will clearly say that they are "only kidding". They feel the need to make a joke clearer so that it will not make other people uncomfortable.

    Humor is tied so much to culture. American jokes are more clear and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may result from the fact that British culture is more reserved(矜持的) than American culture.

    However, we still find that certain American comedies have made huge success in Britain and vice versa(反之亦然). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Do you like visiting parks? The following three may be the ones you are interested in.

    Hyde Park，the biggest royal park of the UK，lies in the center of London，next to Green Park.It was built to be a royal park in 1536. About one hundred years later, the park was open to the public. Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park is famous all over the world. Anyone can make a speech there on Sunday afternoons.

    Central Park is a man­made park in the center of Manhattan, New York. It was built in 1858 and in 1873 it was open to the public. With 21 playgrounds and 2 zoos, Central Park is a wonderful place for children to have fun．

    Banff National Park，the largest park in Alberta, Canada, was open in 1885.The park is as large as 6, 641 km2. Whether by car, boat, bus, bike or on foot, you can enjoy the mountains, lakes, as well as the plants and wild animals. The most famous is its ski areas in the park，which attracts millions of people to come every winter.

                                 Information Card

A.     B.     C.     D.     E.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}I usually go to school on foot every week day. And I get to school at 6: 45 am. I have four classes in the morning, I have lunch at school, but I don't like school lunch. In the afternoon, I have three classes. I'm busy but I'm very happy!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We have many rules in our school. We can't talk in the library or eat in the classroom. And we can't be late for school. We must clean our classroom every day. Besides, we need to say hello to our teachers when we meet them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is warm and sunny today. Little Sarah is visiting the zoo with her parents. Sarah likes pandas best. She thinks they're cute and lovely. So she goes to the panda house first. She sees a baby panda and says happily, "Hello, little baby!"

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Last weekend, my classmates and I went to the Children's Park. We took some photos at the gate. Then we went into the park. Some of us started to fly a kite, some played games on the grass, and others went boating on the lake. We had a lot of fun!

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}There is a big library near my school. It is our city library. You can find many kinds of books there. I like science, so I like going there on weekends to read science books. There are always lots of children reading books there.

    Fires do happen. If there is a fire, you might not have much time to decide what to do. Being prepared and knowing what to do early can save your life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Your family should practice this getting﹣out plan.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  If you have such a meeting place outside, you can quickly make sure that everyone is out of the house.

    You should also remember that smoke is usually far more dangerous than the fire. A person can die after just a few minutes in a smoke filled room.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Finally, before you open any doors, always feel the door lock first. If the door lock is hot, fire must be on the other side of the door.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} You will have to find another way out. These are simple suggestions.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.