British people are famous for apologizing (道歉) in almost every situation. 1we are apologizing for asking a question, for our bad weather or we sneeze before others (打喷嚏), we are probably the number-one nation for apologies. We pride ourselves on our polite 2 in public. As a result, we use the word "sorry" quite a lot—even when we don't really 3 it! Usually, if you want to ask someone for the time, you would start by saying "Sorry to bother you. Do you know the time?" If you're five minutes late for an appointment (约会), you would generally4 the person by saying "Sorry, I'm late! We use the word "sorry" in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has slightly 5 over time. The two main dictionary definitions (定义) of "sorry" are: feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or feeling regret because you've done something wrong. Usually, when you want to ask a stranger a question, you 6 with "Sorry to disturb you." In this situation, we aren't saying sorry because we feel sad for that person or because we feel regret. So what does "sorry" really mean? Well, in the British 7, saying "sorry" is a way to be polite, especially to people who you don't know very well. It's also a very8 way to get what you want. 9, an actor asked different people on a rainy day if he could use their mobile phones. When he asked one group of strangers without apologizing first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. 10, when he apologized to another group about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47 per cent successful. So maybe saying "sorry" is not just being polite, but it is also a good method to get what you want too!

In Australia, different people have different ways to have fun. They also have their own ideas about how to pass time.

Most children, about 80%, work hard in school because they have to take lots of exams. After school, they don't want to stay at home reading books any more. Instead, they go out to play.

Some old people get up early in the morning. Then they go to the park to read newspapers. It helps them know what is happening around the world. In the evening, they would like to watch TV at home.

Young people enjoy having relaxing trips on weekends. They go to mountains to have a picnic or go to the forest to camp. They usually start on Friday and spend one or two days outside. On Sunday evening, they start their way back home. Nobody seems to be in a hurry, although a busy week is waiting for them again.

Australians' Ways to Have Fun

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." This is an old English saying. It means that we should go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we will be healthy. We will also be rich and clever. 

Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children of your age need eight hours' sleep every night. If you go to bed late, you can't have enough sleep. Then you can't think carefully and your homework will be wrong. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy!

Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We should sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us sleep well. When the daylight comes, we should get up. This is the time for exercise. If the body is not used, it will become weak. Exercise keeps it strong. 

Exercise helps the blood (血液) to move around inside the body. Blood takes nutrition (营养) to all parts of our bodies. The brains (大脑) in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better!

Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we will die. Get up early in the morning and we can have plenty of clean, fresh air. That will keep us healthy and happy.

Maybe you need to tell bad news to your parents.Maybe you're feeling worried about something.You want to talk with them，but you don't know how to do that.Here are some suggestions （建议） for you.

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Cook，eat，play，or just hang out （闲逛） together.This will give you a chance to have a nice talk.

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Do you want to tell them something important or ask for help？Do you need their advice？It helps if you're clear about what you want.Put it into words.For example： "I need your advice.Can we talk？"

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Are you worried about their reaction （反应）？Are you afraid that they'll be angry？Don't let those feelings stop you.Instead，let your feelings be part of the talk.For example： "I have something to tell you.You might be angry，but I need to tell you."

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If you think you might get nervous when it's time to talk，try practicing.It can help you feel more comfortable （舒服的） when you're talking.

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Find a time when your parents are happy.You can ask， "Can we talk？Is now a good time？" And then，just get started.

Have you heard of the Torch(火把)Festival of the Yi people(彝族)in Bijie, Guizhou Province? Dancing, singing and {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (欢呼), the Yi people and visitors light torches and have fun around the bonfires(篝火). The Yi people across {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (西南)China celebrates the festival on 24th of lunar June every year.

The Yi people have looked up to fire for long. The early Yi people lived in high and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(寒冷的)places in the mountains. For them, fire was an important way to light, warm and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(烹饪)food. They even had a {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (普遍的)saying: "Everything you eat must 'see' fire." For {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(例子), before taking animal meat home, people used to light a small fire outside the door. Then they put the meat over the fire. They do it {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (严肃地). They thought fire had the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (权力，力量) to drive away the filth(污秽).

Today, the festival is more of a social event. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (在......期间) this festival, people show and spread their happiness. It gets more people to understand Yi people's life and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (传统). It attracts(吸引) visitors from all over the world.