We all long for friendship, but how to make a friend? “The best time to make a friend is before you need one.” Joy Steven said. The following are some tips for you.

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    Friends usually begin with strangers. Getting in touch with other people is the first step to make a friend. Friends can't be made in empty air. Best friends take time to make.

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    Friends understand each other when talking. Many unpleasant personal quarrels can be avoided if you will take the time to understand others' feelings and points of view.

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    Touching is a warm form of communication between friends. When you see best friends communicating, you will notice them stand close together, touch each other comfortably and listen to each other. Sometimes a friendly touch is more powerful than words.

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Praise is a powerful tool to make a friend. Honest praise can affect your friends' lives. So try to praise your friends, including your general ones.

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Trust and loyalty go hand in hand for friends. Friends can share secrets with you, because good friends never break confidence and are loyal forever.

    In America, boys and girls like watching TV. Some children spend six hours a day at school and four to six hours a day in front of the TV sets. Some children even watch TV for eight hours or more on Saturday.

    Television is like books and films. A child can learn both good things and bad things from it.  Some TV programs help children to understand the news, the people and places in other countries. With TV, children do not have to go to the movies. They can listen to interesting music or watch a game at home. But some programs are bad for children, so parents sometimes should help them to find other interesting and useful things to do.

    Alex Smith， a fifteen-year-old boy， studied in an American boarding school (寄宿学校). In this school， students could go into town after school in the afternoon{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One afternoon， Alex walked to the town. He looked about at the shops and then went to a cinema{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It was eight o'clock. He was a little worried， He walked back to the school as fast as possible.

    When he arrived， he ran quickly to the main entrance (入口). It was locked. He looked up at the window of his dormitory(寑室). It was on the third floor. The window was open{#blank#}3{#/blank#}But the door was also locked. Then he saw another open window on the first floor. It was the window of the teachers' office{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Alex quickly climbed into the room. Just then， he heard someone opened the door. He had to hide under the sofa at once. One minute later， a teacher came in{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Under the sofa Alex had to lie on the floor.

    What do you think of your Chinese? It's good or bad? If you think you are good at Chinese, you can take part in a ⑴_________. The competition is Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. ⑵ The competition has been popular among teenagers since(自从……以来) last summer.

    Today teenagers are using computers and smart phones. Many of them lose themselves in digital products such as electronic dictionaries and computers to help with their study. Overuse of these tools will make students too lazy to think and write. Some students even forget the hand writing of Chinese characters. Teachers and parents have been very worried about it. What can they do?

    Such worries ⑶_________ (bring) about the popular TV show, Chinese Characters Dictation Competition, where middle school students stand on the stage to write down Chinese characters. Over two hundred students from forty-six schools competed. 

    Chen Keyu, a Grade 8 boy beat the other competitors. Can you be the next winner?

A. By plane   B. By bike   C. By boat   D. By subway

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Wow! I am in a beautiful village. There're two rivers around the village. The restaurant is between the two rivers. How can I get there?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Look at the map. We can see a park. It's far from here. We can take the bus to get there. Let me see which bus we shall take. Oh, there aren't any bus stops near here. Look! A subway station! Let's go!

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}I love Beijing. I want to see different Hutongs, I don't want to take the bus or subway. I can borrow a bike. I can go around the city by bike by myself. That's great.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Guilin is famous for its water and mountains. I will visit it. It's about 3,000 kilometers away from here. It's so far.

    We are living in a colourful world with green trees, red flowers and the blue sky. Everything has its colour. Our moods also have different colours. I am a middle school student. Yesterday, I didn't want to get up early for school, but I was woken up by mum at 6:00 a.m. At that time my mood was like grey fog. I felt tired and sleepy.

    At noon, I helped a blind man cross the road on my way home. The blind man thanked me a lot. I felt very happy and the mood was like the red sun. It made me warm and sweet.

    In the maths class, my red mood changed to black, because I failed the exam. When I got the exam paper, I couldn't stop crying. But Mr Li told me to keep on studying hard.

    After school, I walked home and thought about Mr Li's words. I felt comfortable and energetic.

    The mood was like the blue sky, sunny and peaceful.