When the weather is hot, you go to a lake or an ocean. When you are near a lake or an Ocean, you feel cool. Why? The sun makes the earth hot, but it cannot make the water very hot. Although the air over the earth becomes hot, the air over the water is still cool. The hot air over the earth goes up. Then the cool air over the water moves in and takes the place of the hot air.

    Then you may ask, "Why is the ocean full of salt?" Scientists will say that the salt comes from the rocks. When the rocks get very hot or very cold, they crack (爆裂). Rain falls into the cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. And then you may doubt, "But the ocean does not get more salty every year. Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.

    We know a lot about our world. But there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious about them.

   Americais a mobile society. Friendship between Americans can be close and real, yet disappearssoon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmasgreetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while, then no more,If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up thefriendship.

   Thiscan be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendship betweenus flows more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimesdeeply into both families.

   Americansare ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays and theirhome life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept theirhospitality (好客) easily.

   Anotherdifficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they includeus warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness tous if it requires a great deal of time.This is usually the opposite of thepractice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes,we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet afriend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends.Americans, however, express their welcome at home. But they truly cannot managethe time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They willprobably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. Andthey expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes,the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves to be treatedhospitably.

   ForAmericans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to theirhomes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accepttheir hospitality at home!

What does wishing mean to you?

Do you like to make wishes? In the west, an old tradition is to make wishes with 1 . Because water is so important to life. People felt it was a 2 from the gods. So, they started throwing coins into wishing wells or fountains(喷泉). They must say their wishes out loud. This way, they believe the spirits(精灵) of the water will 3 the wishes and make them come true.

Disney's film Wish(《星愿》) 4 in November, 2023. It's about a girl and the wishing star. In the film,17-year-old Asha makes a wish to the sky.

In Australia, where I'm from, we like to make wishes in 5 ways. Playing outside, you see a dandelion(蒲公英). Pick one up and 6 its seeds away, then make a wish! Or you could throw a coin into a wishing well or fountain to make a wish. And of course, no one 7 making a wish on their birthday.

I would sometimes make wishes at Christmas. One year, I left cookies and milk for Santa Claus and wrote a note to him: "Dear Santa, please tell my dad to stop smoking. It is 8 for his health." On Christmas Day, I saw the reply from "Santa". He wrote: "Dear Maddy, thank you for the cookies and milk. As for your dad stopping smoking, that is something he has to do for himself." Can you guess who wrote it?

I felt a bit 9 that Santa couldn't help my dad. But it 10 me something important: only the person himself or herself can really make the wish come true.

Confidence(自信) is very important in daily life. It is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} to develop a health y attitude(态度). If people are more confident, they are {#blank#}2{#/blank#} happier. And they can have more chances to be successful. Here are some {#blank#}3{#/blank#} to be more confident. 

★ Speak loud. When you are not confident, you can't do well {#blank#}4{#/blank#} you want to do. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The high voice can help you become more confident. 

★Play sports. Physical exercise makes you tired but strong. A strong body helps you be full{#blank#}6{#/blank#} confidence. 

★Encourage yourself. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Give yourself praise(表扬) for the good things you have {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. 

★Pick up a hobby. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} you like singing, sing as much as you can. In some ways, a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} can make you excellent. And it will make you happy and confident. 

Secret of the best stone

Do you love skipping stones (打水漂) across the water? Then, you should know the best skipping stone is flat, but no heavier than a tennis ball, is also good. 

That's because…

When a heavier stone hits the water, a bigger part of it goes under the water so it gets a stronger push from the water. 

*Top tips:

1. Find the right stone. 

2. Flat, calm water is best, like a lake or pool. 

3. Turn the stone around quickly when you throw it. Don't throw hard. Instead, try to throw the stone quickly. 

4. The best angle (角度) to skip the stone is 20 degrees. （Picture 1）

*The best way to hold a stone:

Hold the stone between your thumb and middle finger. Put your index finger around the edge of the stone. (Picture 2)

*The biggest number of skips of a stone on the water is 88. (Picture 3)

 Picture 1                Picture 2              Picture 3