After you get back home from a trip, one of the most pleasant things is sharing your stories with people. And that's what we'd like you to do. Our magazine's “True Stories” section is for your strange experiences, heart-warming tales and funny stories on your trip. So if you have good stories, please write to us!

    If your story is chosen as the best one, you will win the nine-day trip across North America, including a seven-night trip along the California coast. For more information, please call 800-227-2826, or e-mail us at TrueStories@hotmail.com.

    Besides, you need to remember a few things if you want to write a story:

    Keep the story brief (简短的) and lively (within 250 words).

    Please send your story as the body of your e-mail, not as an attachment (附件).

    Most of the stories we print have photos, so send pictures, but try not to go crazy. Send only the best one(s).

    Please send your photos as an attachment, not embedded in (把……嵌入) the body of your e-mail.

    We don't mind if you or your friends are in the pictures, as long as you tell us who or what is in the photos.

    We need to be able to get in touch with you, so tell us your phone number and home address.

    Do you like travelling? How can you make your trip interesting? Here's some advice.

    Read!

    Before you leave, you should find some information about the place, such as geography, history and people. You can understand the place better by reading.

    Take photos!

    If you want to take some photos, remember to choose the most special sights. Don't choose the sight you can see in other places. For example, Qingdao and Ningbo arc coastal（海滨的）cities, so don't only take photos of the sea.

You should talk photos of something else, too.

    Taste!

    You'd better taste some specials in the area. Food in some places is very delicious. So why not taste it? Maybe you have just one chance to taste it in your life.

    Write!

    When you visit a place, you should take a pen and a notebook, so you can write down that you see and what you think during the trip.

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    Do you know Kumamon (熊本熊)? He is the most popular bear in Japan. With the big black body, red cheek (脸颊)and wide-open eyes, Kumamon always looks surprised. It makes him very lovely. And people of different ages love him.

    熊本熊和真正的熊一样高。 He is the mascot (吉祥物) of a place called Kumamoto in Japan. Before the lovely mascot appeared in 2010, few people knew about this place. But now it is very famous and lots of people come to visit it every year.

    Kumamon has his website, blog and facebook page, so people can know what he is doing every day. People can also see him on over 10000 things, like shirts, bags and candy boxes.

    Why is Kumamon so popular? First, he has a cute look. Second, people can find him on so many things that they can hardly forget him. Third, he is very funny. And there are a lot of photos and videos about him on the Internet. They make people laugh a lot. People think he is not just a mascot, but more like a person. 

左栏是在外国学习期间中国留学生常遇到的五个问题的主题描述，右栏是常遇到的五个问题的具体描述，请为左栏的每个主题选择一个合适的描述。

    A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

    Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It isn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.

    Even so, travel isn't difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can lead you where you want to go.

    People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

    Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped(逃跑)from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.

    Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.

    Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower, little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimetres.

    Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made arctic(北极的)ice melt.

    Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

    Confidence(自信) is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude (态度). A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful(成功的). But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions(建议):

    Speak loud

    When you are not confident, you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.

    Play sports 

    Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. Astrong body helps you be full of confidence.

    Encourage(鼓励) yourself

    Write down a list(目录) of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

    Get rid of fear

    Fear(恐惧) comes along with failure(失败). But it's easy to overcome (克服) if you know that failure is part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

    Pick up a hobby

    If you like singing, sing as much as you can.  In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding(杰出的). And it will make you happy and confident.