Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you.

    Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p.m. and end at about 11 p.m. Ask you hosts(主办人) what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine(酒) as a gift.

    Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks. If you want to be very polite, say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember—It's not polite to ask how much things cost.

    In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests(客人).

    You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.

    Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. British and American people like to say “thank you, thank you, thank you” all the time!

    Hello, I am Linda. I am from Class 1, Grade 7. My Chinese teacher is Miss Zhou. She comes from Shanghai. She is very thin. She likes reading. My math teacher is Mr. Chen. He is strong. He is good at swimming and running. My English teacher is Miss Li. She has long hair. She is friendly. She likes playing the piano. Mr. Wang teaches us PE. He is very tall. He likes playing basketball and volleyball very much. He often plays volleyball with us on the playground.

Do you think everyone enjoys their weekends？Old Henry {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（do） not. 

Last month，he {#blank#}2{#/blank#} （go） for a walk with Wangwang，his cute dog. It was a nice day and Old Henry was happy. He{#blank#}3{#/blank#}（sit） on a bench and watched Wangwang play with a {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（friend）black cat. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（year） before，when Wangwang was young， {#blank#}6{#/blank#} （he） wife was also there. They always walked on the weekend. 

Then it was time {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（go） home. Old Henry {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（look） for his dog. "Wangwang! " But Wangwang wasn't there. 

Now Old Henry is very sad. He {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（have） no dog and no family. He doesn't want to do {#blank#}10{#/blank#}（something）. 

I'm living in a small village in the countryside. My wife and I run(经营) a cake shop. We live a very peaceful life. Someone might say our simple life is boring. But we love it. We know all the people in the village. I have much time for my hobbies-- gardening, fishing and walking in the countryside. I love the outdoor activities.

 Three years ago, in 2020, I had a really terrible job in a company. I used to work very late in the office from Monday to Thursday. Usually I went home the latest on Thursdays. Luckily I could go home early on Fridays, but I had to bring work home on weekends. Because of the job, I used to smoke and drink too much.

 One day, my wife, a P. E. teacher, decided to leave me. She complained(抱怨) that she seldom saw me. She also said that I had become not humorous but serious since having the job. This made me realize what was really important to me. We talked and decided to start a new and happy life together. Last year,I gave up the job. Of course, I also gave up smoking and drinking and took up new hobbies.

When I was a little girl, I was very shy. I used to be afraid of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (speak) in public, so I always kept quiet. I never answered teachers' questions. I just listened to them {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(quiet). 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, one day, things changed a lot. I listened to my Chinese teacher Ms. Song very carefully {#blank#}4{#/blank#} usual. Suddenly, she asked the whole class {#blank#}5{#/blank#} question which was quite easy. Ms. Song looked around, and then her eyes were on me. She asked me {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(answer) it. I stood up slowly and was {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(able) to say a word. "Come on! Believe in {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(you). You are the best!" said Ms. Song. I looked at Ms. Song in the eyes, and I could feel her encouragements. I {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(take) courage(勇气) from it and answered the question correctly. Ms. Song gave me a big smile and so did my {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(classmate). From then on, I started to answer the teachers' questions in class. 

Since then, whenever I meet challenges, I always say to myself, "You're the best. "

Molly and her friend Bella play in the playground. They should take turns (轮流) on the swing (秋千). Molly counts to 100 when Bella is on the swing. Bella doesn't get off the swing. "Bella! I count to 100. It's my turn!" says Molly. "You count too fast. It's still my turn," Bella says. Molly is unhappy. She wants a turn on the swing, but her teacher always wants them to try to solve the problem (解决问题) first. What can she try? She decides to try using an "I message". That means (意味着) telling the other person how you're feeling, and what he can do to make it better.

"Bella, I feel sad because we should take turns after 100 seconds (秒). Will you please get off?" Molly asks. Finally, Bella gets off the swing. Molly is happy because she solves her problem successfully (成功地)!