Dear Know,

      I need some advice on how to make friends! I have just moved to a new city. I am 13. I don't know anybody here and I want to make some friends. What's the best way? Where can I meet people?

                                                                                                                           Yours,

                                                                                                                                Tony

Dear Tony,

     There are lots of things you can do. First, you can ride your bike in your neighbourhood and try to find some kids. When you find some, you can go up and talk to them. You should also let your parents know that you want to make friends because they can help you. Maybe you can ask your parents to take you to the library or some places where there are lots of kids. You could try joining an art class or a sports club. These are all great ways to meet people. You can also try making friends at churches (教堂) if you go to churches on Sundays. Try to be active wherever you are, but just be yourself and don't try so hard. It takes time and patience. I hope you will find a best friend soon!

                                                                                                                 Yours,

                                                                                                                         Know

    The seasons in Australia are not like ours. When it is winter in china, it is summer there. June, July and August are the winter months; September, October and November are spring, the summer is in January, February and December, and March, April and May are the autumn months.

    A very large part of this country has no rain at all. The east coast (海岸地区) has rain all year, and there are no dry months there. The southeast winds blows (吹) here all the year. They bring rain from the sea. There is not much rain on the west side. The southeastern part of Australia has summer rain from the southeast winds. They only blow here in summer.

    The southwestern part of Australia has winter rain. The west winds blow over the southwest in winter only. In the north of Australia, there is no rain in winter. The rain comes in summer. The northwest winds bring it.

    What do you do when you come across a problem while doing your homework? Andy would take out his smart phone, open a special app and searched the problem. Answers soon appeared on the screen.

    Nowadays, many students do homework with the help of the Internet like Andy. They search for information online, use apps or discuss through social networks like QQ and WeChat.

    “It's convenient.” Andy said. “You also learn by seeing how others work them out.”

    “It also improves students' abilities.” said John, another student. He said it's true for new types of homework.

    John's Chinese teacher often asks students to give speeches on great authors. When it comes to John's turn, he usually searches online, picks out certain stories and makes PowerPoint presentations.

    “I've become skilled at finding information online and using Microsoft Office,” Wang said.

    However, many students think this trend (趋势) also brings up problems. Some students just copy the answers online without thinking. They become lazy.

    A head teacher in Andy and John's school said that knowing how to use the Internet is important. The key is to have good self-control.

    “No matter how difficult the problem is, think about it independently (独立地) first,” the teacher said. “Be sure to understand the reasons behind the answers, or you won't make progress. If you don't have confidence about your self-control, ask your parents for help.”

    Getting Help on Screen

    When school was over for Christmas，Pedro and Emmett talked about Santa Claus．Emmett said that he tried to be good and wanted a toy car．Christmas morning arrived and there was a new bicycle just as Pedro wanted．Also there was some fruit and a toy car．Pedro couldn't wait to go to Emmett's house to show him．

    “Pedro，Santa Claus didn't come”Emmett said．Pedro could see the tears(眼泪)in his eyes．Pedro without thinking，said，“Emmett，Santa came．He thought you were spending the night with me，and he left your toy Car at my house．I was just bringing it to you．”

    Emmett smiled happily．He hugged(拥抱)Pedro，and Pedro hugged back．At nine years old，at that moment，Pedro once again learned there really was a Santa Claus．With love，everyone could be Santa Claus for anyone．

    One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual. Yet it was not a normal day. What's so special about April 22? The answer is because it is Earth Day. People all over the world celebrate this important day. The idea of having a special day to celebrate the Earth began in 1960s. Life was very different then. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Most people had no idea how dirty our air and water were.

    On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. This showed that people really want to do something for the environment. Since then laws have been passed   to protect the air, water, land, and animals. The vehicles(汽车) such as cars and buses you ride  in must pass tests to make sure they don't cause too much pollution. Thanks to it, cars today give out about half as many bad chemicals as they did in the past. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's a good thing because they have got a lot of help. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil on the river even caught fire! Today, the river is cleaner. It no longer burns. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Now the celebration has spread to other countries. More than 175 countries take part each year.

    In 2007, people in China paid much attention to this big problem. People were throwing away one million plastic bags( 塑料袋) a day! People had "Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week." They wanted everyone to see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags. In 2008, China passed new laws against them.

    Every April 22, millions of people get together to clean and protect the Earth. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Our job is to put this knowledge to work. You can help keep our planet healthy, too!