I remember when I was growing up ,my mom always said ,“Half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others .” It's so true .Friends allow us to enjoy the taste of our success and our joys and comfort us in our challenging moments. They provide a mirror for us to learn more about ourselves .I've always looked at friends as the family members.They enrich our lives .As Robert Louis Steven once said,"A friend is a present which you give yourself."

To be a good friend，①成为一个好的听众是很重要的.Hear what your friend says first rather than making conclusions（结论）quickly. Sometimes it is useful to repeated their words back to them， it can help them to realize whether their words were what they wanted to say.

Patience is also important in being a good friend. You know the old golden rule, “Care for others they way you would like them to care for you.”The support of a friend during a difficult time could make the difference between success and failure. ② Encouragement and confidence are the best gifts that can change a person's life.

We should choose our friends carefully, because they can have a huge effect on our life. As someone told me“The attitudes of your friends are like the button(按钮) on a lift. They will either take you up or down.

    Xia Ming was worried about his study, so he wrote a letter to a magazine.

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A. Two readers read the letter from the magazine and here are their answers.

B. I'm sure you can do better.

C. Most of my classmates are much better than me.

D. But I can't get good grades.

E. When you are feeling bored, just smile and take a deep breath(深呼吸)

    A cold is the most common illness among us.这里有一些建议来防止感冒。

    Drink lots of hot water. This is an effective way to stop a cold. You'd better take at least 8 to 10 glasses a day.

    Check your temperature often. If your temperature is lower than 102 degrees F, don't care much about it. With your body temperature being higher than normal, it will be difficult for the viruses (病毒)to grow. In other words, having a low-grade fever (up to 102°F) is your body's way to protect itself from viruses.

    Make your sore throat feel better. Chicken soup or any kind of sour soup you like, is an excellent choice.

    Gel enough rest and slay warm. You should get enough sleep. Make sure to keep yourself warm and dry because you may feel cold at that time. If you are starting to sweat a lot, change your clothes immediately. You do not allow your sweat to just dry especially on your chest and back. As much as possible, wear cotton-made clothes to allow your skin to breathe and make you feel more comfortable.

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.

    The summer holiday is coming. Try to take some time off from school and have fun. Here are some ideas for planning your summer holiday.

    First of all, joining a club is a good idea! You can join a music club, a sports club or an art club, it's good for your future and the teachers in the club can give you some good advice (建议). You can also make some new friends.

    Doing something good for society (社会) is also great. There are many volunteer programs(志愿者项目) for you to choose, such as looking after the____①___or the young, cleaning the streets, planting trees or keeping the traffic(交通) in order. You know that students can also make the world better.

    Did you ever live with another family? You can join in a program___②____"Meeting a New Family" .Two families exchange their children for some time so that they can learn how to get on well with others.

Summer camps are still popular today. An English summer camp can be a good one. You can not only make friends but also learn English.