Many teenagers (青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite usual for brothers and sisters to fight with each other, and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.

      It is very important to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when teenagers are not with their friends, they usually   A   a lot of time talking with them on the phone. This communication is very important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss things. Today some things are difficult to discuss with their family members.

      However, parents often try to choose their children's friends for them. Some parents may even   B   their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?

      ·Who chooses your friends?

      ·Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

      ·Have you got a good friend your parents don't like?

      Your answers are welcome.

    Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like? This article will describe a typical (典型的) high school and its students.

    A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students. Every student is given a locker. When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather loan(租借) than buy them. Students must pay back if they lost any of them.

    American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough. Sometimes their parents drive them to school. When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students earn passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver's exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.

    Each day, students take six or seven classes. They must take science, math, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, fashion design and other classes. In some schools students are required to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because each teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.

    The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students are involved in after-school activities. These activities include sports-especially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, photograph or student government.

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    Imagine this: your parents go away on business, but you have to stay at home alone. Would life be as easy as when your parents are around? Would it be a perfect holiday for you?

    "I can fill an empty stomach with tomato and egg soup, but that's all. I think many of my classmates are the same. We wouldn't know what to do, or how to look after ourselves," said Zheng Chenyu. "And I'd forget something important. I'd probably watch television and burn the soup."

    "As soon as I leave home, I'll learn to cook. But now parents do almost everything for us.

    We're very lazy," she said.

    Most teenagers have only time for their homework. They don't learn any life skills until theygo to college.

    However, Sima Yige doesn't think so.

    "I think I'd be all right. I wouldn't just eat sandwiches or fruit. I know how to cook, some simple dishes because my mum showed me," the 13-year-old boy said. In his opinion, many teenagers depend too much on their parents, and there is much more to learn than cooking, like tidying up your room or even dressing yourself properly.

    For most teenagers it wouldn't be a holiday at all.

    May: I'm 35. I like shopping, but shopping with young children is not an easy thing. I have to look after them while I'm shopping. Shopping with my husband is not fun, either. I only go shopping with my husband when I need to buy something for him. If I look at dress for myself, he always says something like "the queue is too long" or "you don't need to buy that right now". I often go shopping with my friends. It's fun. I like shopping alone, too.

    Lisa: I'm 26. I like shopping very much, but I never go shopping at weekends. There are too many people in the shops. I don't like shopping with other people. It usually takes me a lot of time to choose things because I never buy the first things I see. I always look around other shops to find the clothes with the best price. I'm good at finding the best deals. I don't like buying food in small shops and street markets. I think food in the supermarket is fresher and cheaper. So I usually shop there.

Information Card

    Last summer holiday I went to Taiwan with my parents. Taiwan is really beautiful! The weather is good. It is always warm and humid(潮湿的) because the sea is around Taiwan. In the north, there is winter, but in the south, there's no winter and you can enjoy sunshine(阳光). The typhoon(台风) season is from June to September.

    There are many mountains in Taiwan. Ali Mountain is one of the biggest mountains there. We went to climb Ali Mountain one afternoon. There are many trees in the forest there. They are very tall and many of them are really old.

    Sun Moon Lake is the largest natural lake in Taiwan. In the lake there are many kinds of fishes.

    We also went to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. There are many kinds of foods in the small towns near the sea. A kind of dumplings with shrimps(虾) in them is my favourite.

    Taiwan is a beautiful island. I love it! I took many photos there. Would you love to see them?

    Nobody likes to do chores, especially kids. How can you make your kids get into a good habit of doing their chores? Try making chores fun for them.

    Play some music: Music makes everything seem like a party, doesn't it? ③Play your kid's favorite music that they can dance to while they are doing their chores.

    Make it a treasure hunt(寻宝): It's a good way when you would like your kids to clean the house. Let them know that you hide(隐藏) a ＄5 bill someplace. If they find it, they can keep it.

    Change often: If your kids keep doing the   ①     chores for months, they may feel    ②   (无聊的，厌烦的). Teaching them a new task(任务) is fun for both you and the kids. They will feel more grown-up when they get a new task.

    Do it together: It's never fun to be the only one working and watch everyone else relaxing. ④If everyone takes part in(参加) doing chores, your kids will finish them faster and have more fun.