If you think you're too shy and want to be a little braver, try the following. You can make it.

             There's no need to hide it. When they get to know you're a shy kid, they'll understand you better. This also helps you feel easier in talks.

              When you smile, people think you're friendly and easy to talk with. Remember that other people have feelings, too, and ①most people will stay away from an angry-looking face.

      Take one small step at a time. If you find it hard to start talks, say something nice about people around you.         Doesn't it make you want to keep talking to that person?

      Turn your attention elsewhere.         ②Don't waste(浪费) time worrying about your looks or whether people like you or not Don't lose heart Each time after you say “hi” or smile at someone for the first time, say “I did it!” to yourself.        

Keep trying and one day you'll never be shy when you talk to others.

Thumbs Down to Texting （屈指发短信）

       Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?

       Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling in our thumbs. Our thumbs were not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many sick people with RSI. She says we need to see how much time we are spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10–15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.

       As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI. Among them, most are university students and teenagers, as they do not know the risks of spending so much time using computer, video games and mobile phones. If we don't do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.

    I have a lot of problems recently. First, I'm not happy in class. I'm so shy that I'm afraid of speaking in class. Secondly, I argued with my best friend. I'm very worried because I have few friends. I don't want to lose her. Thirdly, I feel nervous as the middle exams are coming. And even I can't sleep well at night.

    Yesterday, my mother took me to the doctor. I told the doctor my problems and he gave me some advice. He asked me to make more friends who look friendly and play games in my free time, so that I'm not shy. He also said, "if you don't want to lose your best friend, you should talk with her. Tell her what you think and you are the best friends again." Because I can't sleep well, he asked me to eat some food that is good for sleep. And he asked me to relax. I'm trying to follow his advice.

    Recently, a very simple question became widely spread online: What should China be proud of ?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Lanlan, whose real name is Negar Kordi, is from Canada. She came to China five years ago and is a student at Ningbo University, Now she has 120, 000 fans on the Internet and the number is still growing.

    Lanlan loves China and Chinese.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}And that's why she is so well received among Chinese net friends. The following is China in her eyes.

    “It is the easiest country in which to find a job. If you are not too lazy, it is really very simple to find a job in China. I believe there're more job chances here than that in any other country in the world.”

    “{#blank#}3{#/blank#}About 400 million Chinese are studying English. If they can speak good English in the future, China will have the greatest number of English speakers of any non-English speaking country.”

    “The speed of Chinese trains is fast. From Ningbo to Beijing, the train runs 1,365 kilometers for seven hours and the ticket fare is only 596 yuan.”

    “Its public security is great.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I have traveled in many countries, and I think China really is very safe.”

    “There are much more things China should be proud of. Many Chinese people often criticize (批评) China. At first, I believed that they didn't like China or that loved Western countries. But later, I realized that they just set a very high standard for China.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}” China must be much better than

other countries.”

A. The foreign language level is surprising.

B. This country of 1.4 billion people makes me feel safe.

C. A foreign girl living in China gave a very touching answer.

D. They believe that it's not enough to be number one in the world.

E. She believes China will be the strongest country in the world in future.

Information Card

   Hi, I'm a girl. My name is Ann. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is A-N-N, Ann. This is my family photo. Look! This is my grandpa, Bill. It's BAI-L-L, Bill. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This is my father. His name is David. My father has no brother.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} I call her Aunt Mary. That is my mother and her name is Emma. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} And she has a red jacket. Those are my two brothers. They are Mike and Mark. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Mike has a purple pencil box. Mark's pencil box is blue. Yellow is my favorite color and I have a yellow schoolbag. And I'm 8.