“Cool” is a word with many meanings, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} As the world change, the word has many different meanings.
“Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car on the street, maybe you will say, “It's cool.” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can use “cool” instead of many words. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall(瀑布) they had visited.On one student's paper was just one sentence,“ It's so cool.”{#blank#}4{#/blank#} But the story also shows a scarcity(缺乏) of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I can. And I think they are also very cool.

    Do you ever feel like you are just rushing from one subject to another? When things happen so fast, maybe you can't understand clearly what you are doing or learning, so it is imporant to stop yourself to think about what you have been doing or learning.

    Self-reflection(反省) means slowing down and calming (使平静) yourself, including calming your mind. By calming down and going slowly, you give your brain a chance to think about what it has already received. Some people prefer to do self-reflection only in their mind. Others keep a diary. What's more, taking notes is also OK. Each method works, depending on your own personal learning. You can follow the steps to do self-reflection.

    First, choose the proper time to do it. School textbooks are divided into units of study. This makes it easier to begin self-reflection. Look for time when you complete a unti of study. Sometimes you know the unit is over because there is some kind of test. Use these natural breaks to stop and do self-reflection.

    Then, find a quiet place and take out your reflection diary. Write down some notes on the new things that you learned in the unit. Let your mind think about the notes you have written and make some connections.

    Finally, think about things that you are not sure of. Maybe you learned a new way to work out a mathhhh problem, but you're not sure when to use it. Writing down your questions will help you remember to look for answer the next time you are working with the same topic.

Successful students always know self-reflection is important. If you have never taken the time to do self-reflectio, try it now.

Dear Mike,

    Greetings from Los Angeles! Thank you for your postcard. Yes, your mother and I can visit you at Christmas. We thought to stay at home on Christmas Day, but now we are going to stay with you. And Jack isn't going to school then.

    The weather in Los Angeles is cold, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes we like the snow.

    We are going to buy plane tickets tomorrow because your mother wants to take a plane and she thinks it is fast. We will get to your city on December 18th. Our plan is to stay with you for two weeks. Is that all right with you？

    We are going to take our favourite recipes(食谱), so we can have a nice Christmas dinner on Christmas Day.

    See you soon.

Love,

Dad

Americans spend their weekends in different ways. But usually they choose the same aim— to rest, to enjoy the time with their family and friends.

    Some Americans hold parties on Saturday night.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then they won't get up until 9, 10 even 11 o'clock next morning. As soon as they get up, they will go to the nearest corner ship to buy the daily newspaper.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  It will help them to decide what to do on Sunday afternoon.

Before going out on Sunday, they will have a meal, which is called " brunch"—"br" from "breakfast" and "unch" from" lunch".{#blank#}3{#/blank#} After brunch some Americans may have a picnic with their family or friends. They will take many things with them, such as fresh vegetables, seafood, drinks, table cloth and so on. Usually they drive to a beautiful park, a lake or the seaside.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is the biggest meal of the week and all family members try to present(出席).

    Weekends are to be welcome everywhere.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. lisa is a young singer. She loves kids and she is planning to do something for them. She has a lot of free time during the week.

B. Sam loves animals. He takes good care of his two dogs at home and he has a two-day weekend every week.

C. Judy often volunteers with many of her friends. She likes talking with people and is always full of energy.

She is usually free after three in the afternoon.

D. Ann is 20 years old. She will graduate from a medical college this July. She's looking for a chance to be a volunteer.

E. Helen is an English teacher in a city school. She always pays attention to improving rural children's English. She is never afraid of any difficulty in life.

A. Beijing

    For travelers in China, Beijing is a must, as it is a political and cultural center and it offers many scenic attractions. Foods are very popular with tourists as well, such as authentic(真正的) Beijing roast duck and instant—boiled mutton.

B. Shanghai

    You know what? Shanghai is one of the developed cities in China. It is a commercial(商业的) and industrial(工业的) city. Tourists will be satisfied with what the city supplies, from various snacks and cakes to handcrafts and textiles. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit the city.

C. Suzhou and Hangzhou

    Suzhou and Hangzbou are two cities near Shanghai. They were once described by Italian traveler Marco Polo as the most beautiful and prosperous(繁荣的) cities in the world. Both of them are called" Paradise(天堂) on Earth" .

D. Xi'an

    Xi'an is the capital of Shanxi Province. It dates back over 2,000 years as an ancient capital which served as the capital for many dynasties in the Chinese history. It is also the starting pointing of the famous ancient Silk Road. The life—size terra cotta soldiers and horses of the Qin Dynasty are described as the" Eighth Wonder of the world".

E. Harbin

    If you want to travel in winter, Harbin is particularly good for sightseeing in January and February. If you have never seen any snow, you play enjoy the ice festival and even go skiing and skating in this world of snow.

F. Kunming

   Kunming is regarded as "Scenic City of Eternal Spring" because of its year round spring weather. You may find almost every kind of Asian flowers there.