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    Members of an international organization are called the Global Greeters. They offer travelers the chance to get to know a city as well as local people do.

    Unlike the professional guides(专业导游), the volunteer greeters act more like neighbours. They take visitors to visit the city–either on foot or public traffic—to discover favourite neighbourhoods, cafes and parks.

    All the programs work a little differently, but the basics(基本项目) are the same. The tours are free and last anywhere for two or four hours. Volunteers can be all ages, and their ages and interests try to match the travelers.

    New York City(USA)

    Big Apple Greeter is the pioneer “welcome visitor” program founded in 1992 by New Yorker Lynn Brooks. More than 300 volunteers now can welcome guests from all over the world in 22 languages. Greeters explain the New York City subway and bus systems and show guests around one or more of their favourite neighbourhoods. Like many greeter organizations, Big Apple accepts online donations to help with its daily costs.

    Houston(USA)

    Houston Greeters will organize activities such as golf, biking or an outing to an Astros game(太空人队的比赛). Another activity is to arrange a tour in need of a particular interest.

    Chicago(USA)

    Chicago Greeters help visitors visit one of the city's many famous neighbourhoods. The group organizes walks through Ukrainian Village on the Near North Side and Andersonville, home to Scandinavian restaurants and shops and Middle Eastern bakeries. Guides will also organize tours around themes such as fashion, film or public art.

    France

    In France, English speaking volunteers for Parisien d'un Jour lead visitors through hidden corners of Paris, often ending with a lively discussion on a café balcony. Guides in Lyon organize walks around themes such as shopping, markets and sports.

    "I first saw Beijing Opera in London in 1993, and it just shocked me. It was really amazing," says Ghaffar Pounazar.

    The 32-year-old British gave up his work in London and came to a Beijing Opera school. Since then, Ghaffar Pourazar has worked hard on this art.

    On stage, the Beijing Opera actors not only act, they also sing and dance while performing some difficult movements(动作).       ①         When Pourazar first got to China. He couldn't speak any Chinese, and he knew nothing about Beijing Opera. As the oldest student in the Beijing Opera school, he learned more slowly than his classmates, but he didn't give up. Now, he can perform Beijing Opera like a professional(专业人士).

    But Beijing Opera is not as popular as it was before. The young Chinese now spend more time on the Internet. This makes Pourazar very sad. "I used to get really angry at what was happening to Beijing Opera and at the Chinese people. This is part of your culture. You created this amazing thing. but now you are forgetting it, throwing it away."

Pourazar has decided what to do.        ②     Now he is performing a Beijing Opera that is about the Monkey King in two languages, Chinese and English. The Monkey King is a hero in a Chinese story. Chinese people love him very much. In the Beijing Opera, Pourazar acts the Monkey King.

    Not only adults(成年人) but also teenagers have problems in their life. Here is a survey showing the main problems of teenagers.

    They feel stressed because they have too much homework to do both at school and at home. They have a lot of exams to take. And parents usually send them to different classes at weekends. They don't have their own time to do what they are interested in.

    Now more and more teenagers are getting short-sighted. They often read in bed or keep reading for a long time without having a rest. Some are crazy about playing computer games. Some spend too much time   (watch) TV. Another serious problem among teenagers is that many of them are becoming fat. They eat too much junk food and take little exercise.

    I think teenagers should think of ways to deal with (处理) the problems. They should make a plan for study and hobbies and find time to relax as much as possible.

    Stephen Hawking was born in England in 1942. He's one of the most famous scientists on space and time in the world. He is called the King of the Universe.

    He studied math and science at Oxford University, then he became seriously ill, which made him unable to speak or breathe without the help of machines.

    He went on to study at Cambridge University after graduating from Oxford University. In 1965, he got a Doctor's Degree of philosophy（哲学）. Because of his serious illness, it was difficult for him to draw diagrams or to write. So he started to think in pictures. With this new way of thinking, he is respected by people in the world. Then in 1988, he wrote his first important book, A Brief History of Time. It was sold more than 5.5 million copies in over 33 different languages. He was once invited to China to give lectures（做演讲）. His self-confidence and humouous conversations impressed us deeply.