When you sleep somewhere else, like at a summer camp or a friend's house, you know you're there for a fun time. But for some kids, when they are away from home they feel sad. They start to miss- their own beds, their own parents, and all the things at home. It's called being homesick (想家的). Do you want to feel less homesick? Here's how.

    Spend more time doing fun things. The more fun things you do, the less time you'll have to feel homesick. So try to take part in activities and soon you might start to have a good time.

    You can make a plan to call your mum or dad. For a one-night visit, maybe you can call once that night, and again in the morning. In the camp, you might set a regular day and time for a phone call home.  You can also send emails or short messages to keep in touch with family members and friends. If you're going to be away for a while, you might even write a letter! When you get in touch with someone, make sure to tell them about the fun things you're doing!

    Sometimes, just tell someone that you're feeling homesick. This will help you feel better. Maybe you can tell a friend that you feel homesick. And both of you can do something fun, such as telling jokes. If you're at a camp, a camp counselor (顾问) would be a good person to talk to. He or she might have some ideas to help you feel better.

    Beijing Opera used to sound strange to Dou Yi. The 14-year-old Beijinger said whenever she came across Beijing Opera on TV. she changed the channel(频道).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    But since Dou entered the Xuanwu branch school of Beijing No.15 Middle School, she has been studying Beijing Opera in music class every week.

    Dou and her classmates listen to Beijing Opera and learn the basics(基础知识) from professional actors.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    “We laugh sometimes because the tunes(声调) are really hard to learn. ” said Dou.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    “After all. I am no longer a layman(外行). ”she said.

    Since 2008, schools around the country have been teaching students Beijing Opera.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Clearly. Dou's school has been taking the job seriously.

    Yang Ning, 14, is Dou's classmate. She has been studying Beijing Opera since she was 8.She is a member of the school's Beijing Opera club.

    Yang said she had learned a lot from Beijing Opera.

    “I learn a lot of history from the operas. ”she said.“ I've also found out about many ancient poems. since there are so many of them in the operas.”

    Yang doesn't think everyone can learn to sing Beijing Opera well. But she does say that it's helpful for all people to learn about it.

    “The more you learn about it, the more you understand it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} It would be a great pity if it did！” she said.

    My name is Chen Jie. And my English name is Betty. I'm from China and I'm Chinese. I'm 13 years old. I'm m Class 4 Grade 7 at Jinsha No. 2 Middle School. It's a big school with 60 classes. There are four buildings in our school: two classroom buildings, an office building and a library. I like swimming and playing basketball. I can play tennis but I can't play table tennis. There are three people in my family. They are my father, mother and me. My father is a teacher in No. 1 Middle School. My mother is a manager in a hotel. I love them. My family is a small one, but a happy one.