E. Call the bus company and ask for the better service.

    Chinese are very generous when they begin to educate their children. No caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the USA or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a good start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend a large number of money on education. Even poor parents will buy a computer for their child.

    However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents can see that their children are skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize is that today's children lack (缺乏) self-respect and self-confidence.

The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.

    Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. These activities are teaching a child not only to read, but also to think. And that is more important.

    Running two miles on the playground isn't a fun thing to do for most students. But students in Miss Brown's class at Mark Twain School in the USA gladly put on their running shoes. They wanted to raise money to help a dog in need.

    Miss Brown told her students about Peter, a dog who had a hard start in life. At less than a year old, Peter's owners found out that he was not healthy. Something was wrong with his body. Medicine could help but it was very expensive. For Peter to have a better life, he needed surgery (外科手术). But his owners couldn't afford that. Finally, they had to leave Peter at the animal hospital.

    "I love dogs and when I hear about Peter, I felt so sad for him," says student Tony.

    Miss Brown's class decided to hold a Jog-a-Thon to raise money for Peter's surgery.

    "At first I felt like the Jog-a-Thon was just to get us to exercise," says Mike "but then I wanted to help this dog."

    "I just wanted to make a difference in Peter's life," adds student Chance Wood.

    News of the Jog-a-Thon spread throughout the school. Before long, five other classes also took part in the event. "I started receiving money from all kinds of people in our school community," says Miss Brown. "We raised $3,180.64 in all."

    There are many times we need to give gifts. Keep these tips in mind as you're thinking about what gift you'll give.

    Gift giving dos

    Leave the price label in the bag if it is an expensive gift so that others can see how much they need to give back. Remember to hold the gift in both hands to give gifts.

    Gift giving don'ts

    Don't worry about what card to take with the gift. Cards are seldom used in China, so a Chinese wouldn't expect a card along with a gift.

    Choosing the right gift

    Gifts for family

    When you're meeting your partner's family, a gift is expected, food or fruit baskets are good if you have no idea what to give. If your hometown is known for a special food, buy some to take as gifts.

    Gifts for friends

    You can spend less money on friends than you do on family. Books, wallets, key rings and special foods like chocolate or coffee are good enough.

    Gifts for business partners

    When you're starting a business relationship, a tasteful gift will be better. Pens from your company or with the receiver's name is a practical gift. Local snacks from your area is a great gift too.

    Gifts to avoid(避免)

    You should remember not choose anything because of the cultural symbolism(文化象征) or the word shares a similar pronunciation to some bad things. Clocks, in Chinese, to give a clock has the same pronunciation as the phrase "songzhong". Umbrellas and shoes are not good gifts in China.

    In all, a thoughtful gift is great when you want to thank a friend, say goodbye to someone or meet families.