Dear Sonia,

    I'm writing this letter in the classroom. It's snowing outside and I'm sitting by the window.

    Some of the boys are playing on the playground. They are throwing snowballs to each other. Some girls are building a snowman, and some are chasing each other around the tree in front of the classroom. They are leaving footprints everywhere. Our teacher is shouting something loudly to them. In the classroom, some girls are drawing pictures.

     What are you doing?

                                                                                                                                                                           Yours,

                                                                                                                                                                            Tina

     There are two days we shouldn't worry about in our life. One is yesterday,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Yesterday is gone forever.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So it is useless to worry about it.  We cannot control tomorrow.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} maybe something good or bad. No matter tomorrow is sunny or cloudy, the sun will rise as usual.  So we have only one day left. What is it?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Today is the most important for everyone. It is the only day for us to fight for ourselves. We can control it. We can choose what to do and what not to do. We can choose how to do it. Treasure Today,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Susie Sunbeam was not her real name; that was Susan Brown. But every one called her Susie Sunbeam because of her such a sweet, smiling face.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Her grandfather first gave her this name, and it seemed to fit the little girl so nicely that soon it took the place of her own.

    Even when a baby, Susie laughed from morning till night. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    When she had learned to walk, she loved to go about the house and get things for her mother, and in this way save her as many steps as she could. She would sit by her mother's side for an hour at a time, and ask her ever so many questions, or she would take her new book and read

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} She never used an unkind word, but tried to do whatever would please her playmates best.

    One day, a poor little girl with a very ragged dress was going by and Susie heard some children teasing her and making fun of her. She at once ran out to the gate, and asked the poor little girl to come in. "What are you crying for?" Susie asked. "Because they all laughed at me," she said.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She cheered her up with kind words, and gave her a nice dress and a pair of shoes.

    This brought real joy and gladness to the poor child.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Datong is one of China's 24 famous historic and cultural cities. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Although I had only three days to travel in this city, the beautiful places still made my trip happy and exciting.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So on the first day, in the morning, I visited Yungang Grottoes. There were some great artworks so I took many photos of them. And in the afternoon, I went to some of Datong's temples—Huayan Temple, Shanhua Templeand Hanging Temple. Hanging Temple is also called Xuankong Temple, which is one of the world's top 10 oldest and most dangerous buildings. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    On the second day, I visited some museums in Datong. There are a lot of museums and they are free for travelers. I enjoyed the folk arts there like Shulaibao. It is really popular in Datong.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I like Shanxi Daoxiao noodles best and it is one of the most popular street food in China.

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.

    There are four students talking about their favourite {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Michael likes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} because it's important and interesting. Lisa likes English and her English teacher is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} {#blank#}4{#/blank#} likes history and he has two history classes every week. Amelia loves art because of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.