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 Stephen Williams   Friday, June 21

  Today I went to the beach. It was my first day at the ocean for many years. The sound and smell of the ocean brought back memories of the great family vacations when I was a child. We always went to the beach for a week in the summer. I remembered playing for hours in the sand with my sister and crying when I couldn’t have any ice cream. Oh, and I remembered finding a huge jellyfish on the beach, and running away because I was scared! Amazing, really, the things you remember from your childhood.

 Comments

  Yeah, I remember going for long walks in the countryside. I guess I was only eight or nine. In the winter, my mom made soup, and I can still remember the wonderful smell! When we got home, I always went straight to sleep…

 Carla, Mexico

 What a great story! I remember going to the beach, too – on Christmas Day! My family lived in Australia when I was young. I remember waking up early. After we opened our presents, we always went to the beach and had a barbecue.

 Leung, Hong Kong

  The best memory I have is playing my first video game, Super Mario. I remember thinking that it was amazing, It was my tenth birthday and I still remember opening the box.

 Daisuke, Japan

Dear Sir,

    I would like to recommend Liu Hua for this year's Youth Service Award.

    Liu Hua is a clever girl. She is very good at drawing and she often teaches children how to draw after school.

    Liu Hua is kind and friendly. She comes to our community center every day. She does a lot of things for the center. Sometimes she comes to the center at the weekends to teach English. All the members of the community center like her very much.

    Last month, Liu Hua broke her arm while playing tennis, but she did not stop coming to the center. She said that she felt happy to help others.

    Many members think that Liu Hua should get an award for her hard work. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Xiao Hong

A Recommendation {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    In most parts of the world, many students help their schools make less pollution(污染). They join “environment(环境) clubs ”. (1)In an environment club, people work together to make our environment clean. Here are some things students often do.

    No garbage(垃圾) lunches. How much do you throw away after lunch? Environment clubs ask students to bring their lunches in bags and the bags can be used again. If the classes make the least garbage, we will report them to the whole school!

No car day. On a no car day, nobody comes to school in a car—not the students and not the teachers! Cars give pollution to our air, so remember: Walk, jump, bike or run. Use your legs! It's lots of fun!

    Turn off the water! Did you know that some toilets(厕所) can waste(浪费) 20 to 40 m³ of water an hour? In a year, that would fill a small river! In environment clubs, students mend(修理) those broken toilets.

    We love our environment. (2)Everyone should take _______ to make our environment ______. Let's work together.

    Basketball players are usually very tall. Because they need to put the ball into the basket. Other sports players may be shorter than them.

    Short people often have better balance (平衡) than tall people, so they don't fall  over very often. In some sports， the players must have good balance, for example, table tennis, they don't need to have long legs to run fast! Some of the fast runners in the world are not very tall.  Some people are tall and some are short. The tallest man in the world is 2.41 meters tall. Today young people in many countries grow taller than their parents.This is because they eat better than their parents. Good food can help children grow.

    We all believe we listen well and yet many times we feel others are not listening to us. However, listening goes in both directions -- you may believe you are listening well, but how often have you completely forgotten what was said to you? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Make eye contact.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When people talk, they put out visual clues that add to the conversation and meaning of their word.

    Stop talking.

    You can't listen, talk and at the same time completely receive the meaning of the other person's words.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    React without words.

    Let the other person know you are listening through physical reactions, such as head nods, smiles, frowns and eye contact. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Behave as an effective listener. The more you continue to behave as a listener, the more you will be an effective listener.

A. Act as a listener.

B. Make eye contact with the person who is talking to you.

C. There are a few ways to become a more effective listener.

D. Wait your turn and take in what has been said to you before you make a reply.

E. These may also help to let the speaker know whether you are fully understanding his words.

    A young man entered the last interview of a company. The director learnt that the young man's academic (学业的) grades were very good. "Did you get any scholarships (奖学金) in school?" the director asked. "None." The young man answered. "Did your father pay for your school fees?" the director asked. "My father died when I was one year old, so my mother paid my school fees." The young man answered.

    "Where did your mother work?" the director asked. "My mother washed clothes." The young man said. The director looked at the young man's hands. He had a pair of smooth and perfect hands.

    "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" the director asked. "Never." The young man answered. "I have a request," the director said. When you go back today, wash your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

    The young man felt that his chance of getting the job was high. When he went back. He happily asked his mother to let him wash her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings. She showed her hands to the kid. The young man washed his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell when he did that. It was the first time he had noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled (有皱纹的).He realized it was this pair of hands that helped him pay the fees.

    The next morning, the young man went to the director's office. "I washed my mother's hands, and I know that without my mother, I would not be the person I am today." He said.

    "This is what I am looking for," the director said. "I want a person who can appreciate (感激) the help of others to get things done. You will be a member of our company.