Whether you're a child, teenager, young adult or are middle-aged, respect for your parents is an important value. Your parents are the people who raised you, devoting time, energy and money to your development.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}No matter your age, there are 5 ways to show respect.

    ● Respect their belongings.

    One important way to show respect is to show regard for the things important to your parents. For younger children, this may mean not touching jewelry or other valuable things. For grown children, respect may mean returning a borrowed tool in good condition and on time. Lack of respect for a parent's belongings is a violation of personal boundaries.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}And never borrow things without asking first. 

    ● Punctuality .

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Therefore, always be on time. For teenagers, showing up on time means coming home by curfew（宵禁）.Adult children should show up on time for family dinners or events, or to pick a parent up for a medical appointment. Call if you're going to be late because parents worry about children, no matter their age.

    ● {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other special days is a sign that you honor your parents. Make plans to take them to lunch or dinner or bake a cake or cookies. Most parents don't expect expensive gifts, but a handmade gift is always appreciated .A phone call from a grown child who lives too far for a visit is a welcome sign of respect.

    ● Be kind.

    Kind words and affection are simple ways to show respect. Tell your parents you love them. Listen and allow your parents to speak without interruption. Show a sincere interest in what your parents have to say. Be patient with your parents and don't rush them. Never talk back or be rude or disrespectful. Acknowledge your parents' achievements.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

                                                                                                         Celebrate!

Pinatas(彩饰陶罐)

    In Mexico, children often get pinatas on their birthday．Their parents put chocolates and other sweets inside the pinata and hang it on a tree．Then the children hit the pinata with a stick. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Noodles

    In China，people often celebrate birthdays by eating with family or friends，and the last dish of the meal is always noodles. The noodles are long and thin. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can't cut them. In Chinese culture，long noodles mean you will have a long life.

Business birthdays

    A business birthday shows that a company is successful．Many businesses in the USA celebrate important birthdays, like 10, 50 or 150 years．{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sometimes they make TV advertisements．It is a good chance to advertise the business.

Name days

    As well as a birthday, many people in Southern Europe also celebrate their name day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} People have big parties and open their houses to anybody who wants to come．People bring small gifts，often flowers or a box of sweets．

Islamic New Year

    In Muslim(穆斯林) countries across the world，people celebrate Eid. Eid means festival or celebration．During Eid，people visit family and friends，as well as people who are sick or in hospital．{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Children receive toys，too．Children often wear special traditional clothes during the Eid celebrations.

A．You have to eat them in one piece.

B．They go out for a meal to celebrate.

C．Companies hold parties and send cards.

D．They give presents, such as sweets and food.

E．It breaks and the sweets fall out on to the ground.

F．This is one of the two important festivals in this country.

G．In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.

Advice for High School Students

    As a person who is graduating from high school very soon, I have some suggestions for students in high school or students who are soon going to be high school students.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} I am sure others can benefit from reading them and will not make similar mistakes like me.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Do not value first impression highly. Don't dismiss a person or an idea too early just because you immediately get a bad impression. You will miss many opportunities because of that.

    Although something seems bad at the first impression, it does not mean it is bad all the time. Try to give everything a fair chance.

    Don't try to please everybody. There is no way you can please everybody or get everybody to agree with you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is a huge waste of time.

    Have respect for authority. No matter how much you may dislike them, just remember that teachers and parents care about you and they are only doing their jobs.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't argue with them and just obey them.

    Realize a high school is not the real world. The real world isn't a closed environment. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} What is rewarded in high school such as popularity and agreement is different from what is rewarded in the real world. If high school isn't working out for you, you may find yourself better at handling the real world.

A. Do not be too quick to judge.

B. So just learn to say the word “No” a lot.

C. Listen to their advice and consider it carefully.

D. Many of these are based on regrets that I have.

E. Bad habits are hard to break and remain with you for a long time.

F. Don't spend any effort trying to please others who will never like you.

G. It is a free society where people accept responsibility for their actions.

Jessica: What are you doing now?

Susan: I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (listen) to the news.

Jessica: Is there anything urgent? If not, I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (real) want to have a talk with you.

Susan: No, there isn't. What's wrong?

Jessica: I think your grandma is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} nice person, but I can't help {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (think) that she doesn't like me.

Susan: Oh, she likes you. She is just old-fashioned and has her own way of doing things.

Jessica: But every time I clean the kitchen, she comes in {#blank#}5{#/blank#} me and cleans it again. Then she complains that the house is not tidy. I can't deal with this.

Susan: Just let her do it and ignore (忽视) her. She thinks if you don't get on your hands and knees {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (clean) the floor, the floor won't be clean.

Jessica: What a silly thing to say! What's a mop (拖把) for? And what's wrong with my cooking?

Susan: Nothing. I love your cooking.

Jessica: Then why does she complain about it? This morning she suggested that I {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (go) to cooking school to learn {#blank#}8{#/blank#} to cook.

Susan: Jessica, just ignore her. She only wants to make sure {#blank#}9{#/blank#} we can take care of ourselves.

Jessica: Don't we?

Susan: Yes, we do. I'm sorry that she makes you suffer {#blank#}10{#/blank#} stress, but I wish you'd learn to get along with her. Remember, she's an elder.

Jessica: Don't worry. When things get tense (紧张的), I just remind myself that she's your grandma, and I keep my temper (脾气) under control and my mouth shut.

    How old is "old"? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Two hundred years ago, you were old at 35. That was the average life then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span(长度) increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

    So, how old is old? The answer is one you've heard many times, from all sorts of people. "You are as old (or young) as you feel!" The calendar(日历) simply tells you how many years you have lived. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Once an unknown author wrote," {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Nobody grows old by living a number of years; people grow old by giving up their goals."

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Alice Brophy, when she was with the New York City commission for the Aging, said, "It upsets me when people say, 'Gee, you look young for your age!' What does that mean? Is there some model that you're supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80"

    There are many wrong ideas about aging. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Here are some of the more common ones. For example, most older people are in poor health, or older people are unable to change.

A. It's extremely terrible to be grown old.

B. Youth is not a time of life but it is a state of mind.

C. These ideas stereotype(固化) people on the basis of age.

D. Old is a point of view.

E. Older people are stubborn, unable to change.

F. The answer has changed over the years.

G. Your body tells you how well you've lived.

How to write an email?

    While many people are accessible by email, sometimes it is difficult to determine how exactly to write an email to them. Here are some tips for you to follow.

    Write an appropriate subject line. The subject line should tell the recipient (接收者) immediately what the email is about. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Remember that your wording also has to be brief.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is best to be more formal rather than informal, so when writing to someone you have never met or written to before, a "Dear Jane Smith" is appropriate. When addressing someone whom you are a little familiar with, a "Dr. Smith" is okay until they tell you to address them by their first name, in which case a simple "Jane" will be okay.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Within the first two sentences of your email, your recipient should know exactly why you are writing to him. Sometimes an introduction may have to precede (先于) the sentence that states why you are writing, and sometimes it has to follow.

    Use appropriate language. You may be used to using informal language in certain social settings. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even when dealing with colleagues or friends you are familiar with, do not immediately fall back on informal language.

    Keep it simple. People may get dozens and even hundreds of emails a day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In that way, they can save much of their time when reading emails.

A. Use proper greetings.

B. Express your ideas clearly.

C. State your purpose at the beginning.

D. Be as specific as possible when writing the subject.

E. However, an email may not be the best place to use such language.

F. It is important to check the language to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes.

G. It is always easier for them if you keep your email as short and brief as possible.