My name is Chen Lan. My home is in Gulangyu. Where is Gulangyu, do you know? It is in Xiamen. It is near the sea (海). Gulangyu is a small place(地方), but it is very nice and clean. There are no cars, buses or bikes. People only walk. So it is very quiet (安静的). My house is in the center of Gulangyu. Behind my house there is a big old tree. My grandfather tells me the tree is very old. There are many birds in the tree. We call it a "bird tree". My house is near the sea. The sea is big and blue. There are many fish in the sea.After school, I often go there and catch fish with my friends. It is very interesting. I like eating and catching fish.

    The Chinese are very generous with money when it comes to educating their children. Some parents send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the US or Australia, regardless(不管) of how much this costs.  Many also want their children to take after-school activities where they either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is, so parents often spend a great deal of money on education. Even poor parents buy a computer for their son or daughter.

    However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents should know their children's different skills.  They will usually be good in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children lack(缺乏) confidence.

    The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take tests and how to study well. They are not teaching them the most important skills that can be helpful to their growth. These skills can also build their confidence.

    Parents can help achieve this by teaching their children practical skills like cooking, sewing and other housework.

    Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking needs patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give a child a lot of satisfaction and confidence.

    An old machine, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child as a toy may make him curious. If he spends hours looking at it, and trying to mend it, your child might become an engineer when he grows up. It is better to do such than teach a child to read a book. These activities can teach them  to think, and to use their minds.

    How Chinese parents should {#blank#}1{#/blank#} their children

    Note-taking is a skill that can help you do well in all your schoolwork. It can make you confident(自信的)when you are studying. But unluckily, most students don't know how to take notes.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If your teacher writes notes on the blackboard, that's great. You can copy them or write down the most important facts of all in class. Different teachers do things differently. For example, some teachers may focus on（关注）lots of dates and facts in class, but they only write the important ones on the blackboard. Other teachers may not write anything down, but they may say something important again and again.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Don't be afraid to ask your teacher to repeat what you miss. If your teacher speaks too fast and you can't follow what he is saying, you can ask him after class.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Comparing your notes with your classmates' can be good for your learning. It can also help you and your classmates correct some mistakes.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Note-taking also needs organization. Keep notes for each subject in one notebook, so that you can find everything easily when a test comes.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you decide to recopy your notes every evening, you'll surely have less time to watch TV. But you'll save time in the coming test.

There are many humanistic monuments (人文古迹) and natural scenic spots (景点 ) in textbooks. Children are always interested in them, and they want to go there in person. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This kind of tour allows parents and children to deepen their understanding of the scenes (场景) mentioned in the textbooks. 

Many families have taken part in the textbook tour. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can understand the cultural background and experience the historical period in the textbooks. For example, in Fuzhou, parents and children can watch lively shows and visit the museums to learn more about the famous writer Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty. In addition, they can learn about the local customs. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The textbook tour is a connection between "reading thousands of books" and "travelling thousands of miles". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, the textbook tour further increases children's pride in them other land. It also helps them learn about the excellent traditional culture of China. 

The rise of the textbook tour is a great chance for the connection between culture and tourism. For example, the Wen chuan government holds some activities on the birthday of Dayu. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This spreads local culture and provides an unforgettable experience for tourists. As the text book tour becomes a new fashion, the government should offer warm services to achieve a win-win situation for both scenic spots and tourists.

A. This further makes their journey colorful.

B. That's why the textbook tour has become popular these days.

C. They follow the stories in the textbooks and choose places to travel.

D. Cultural workers teach "Dayu culture" to tourists in these activities.

E. Through the practice, children can have a deeper understanding of the textbooks.

F. Textbooks can broaden my horizons.

Confidence is very important in your daily life.It can help you develop a healthy attitude.A study shows that confident people are much happier.They may have more chances to succeed.But how do you become more confident? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Speak louder

When you are not confident, you are more likely to speak in a low voice and others can hardly hear you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Aloud voice can help you build up your confidence.

Encourage yourself

Write down a list of things that you've done well during the day - for example, finishing tasks on time, telling a joke that made everyone laugh, etc.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Get rid of fear

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.But it's easy to overcome fear if you understand that failure is a part of life.Don't hide your head just because of your mistakes.Try to start again and believe you can do a better job.

If you like singing, sing as much as you can.A hobby can make you outstanding.It will also make you happy and confident. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

We're going to enter a higher grade. It's important for us to make enough preparations for the coming term. In this term, my goal(目标) is to learn a new foreign language.

There are many languages in the world. Although I can learn English at school, I still want to learn more by myself at the same time.

As for me, watching English movies is more helpful. I am going to learn useful words and authentic expressions ( 地 道 的 表 达) through different kinds of English movies. It's also a good way to improve my listening and writing skills.

I'm not very good at pronunciation, but it is important to new learners of a foreign language. I plan to   ▲   through the Internet and practise spoken English on some apps.

Good plans can help us both in study and in life. Each of us should make a study plan to reach our goals.

任务⒈阅读短文，选择最佳答案。

Why does the writer want to learn a foreign language on his own? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

A. Because he wants to learn more.

B. Because he is good at language learning.

C. Because he can't learn English well at school.

D. Because he wants to learn something important.

(中考新设问·短语还原) Which can be put in"{#blank#}1{#/blank#}" in Paragraph 4?

A. learn about ways of writing

B. check some English emails

C. talk with foreign teachers

D. buy some English books

任务⒉再次阅读以上短文，完成表格。