I'm Maria. I am American. I study at Shanghai International School now. I usually get up at 6:30 in the morning and then I take a shower. I go to school at 7:30. We have the first class at 8:10 in the morning. At 12:00,I eat lunch at school. Hamburgers are my favorite food. We finish school at 3:30 in the afternoon. After school,I either go to the library or play tennis with my friends. I never watch TV on school days. I go to bed at 9:00 in the evening.

Mike is my father. He gets up early every day,at about 5:30. And then he runs for half an hour. After a quick breakfast,he goes to work. He works on the computer at home. He usually works until(直到) about 12:00. He always has a big lunch. After lunch,he continues(继续) to work on the computer until about 6:00. In the evening,he always takes a walk after dinner. 

This is Jack's Day. He's a young DJ. He works at a radio station. He thinks that's great.

I'm Mary. I am 1 middle school student in New York City. There are many clubs in our school. I can play the piano,2 I join the music club. I also join the 3 club. It is a new club in our school and it is really 4. Every Tuesday, we meet in an Italian restaurant after school. Mr. Green teaches us5 pizza. He is Italian, but he can 6 Chinese very well. He is good with us. He often tells us stories about pizza. We 7 like him very much.

When we go to the club, we need to take a big T-shirt and a hat 8 us. We must keep 9 when we make pizza. If you like it, come and 10 us.

Dear Li Feng,

My name is Tony. I live in Sydney, Australia. Now I'm fourteen years old. And my birthday is on the second of December.

At school I like playing soccer and tennis. My favorite subject is science because it's interesting. I don't like history. I think it's boring. I play the guitar very well, and I'm in the school rock band. In the afternoon we play soccer. We go home at 4:00 pm. After dinner I do my homework and play the computer. I usually go to bed at nine o'clock in the evening. On weekends I like swimming with my friends. It's relaxing. Do you like sports? What sports do you like to play? Please write to me.

Yours,

Tony

    Is it safe to talk on the phone while driving? It's reported that many accidents are caused by 1 that are driving while making phone calls. Now some people want to 2 if driving while talking on the phone is dangerous.3 a car accident happens, the police will ask whether the driver is 4 a mobile phone. They 5  the information in a report. The information is saved, and later they can 6 it.

    Why do mobile phones cause accidents? Drivers sometimes 7 to watch the road carefully when they are using their mobile phones. Not looking at the road can be 8, because drivers can't focus on(集中注意力)9 is going on around them. Now, the police has made rules 10 using mobile phones while driving.

①Small talk refers to an informal (非正式的), polite conversation that often focuses on unimportant topics. Small talk topics are good conversation starters between people who don't know each other well. You should know what things to talk about and what to avoid.

②If you are looking for some good conversation starters, here are a few topics to consider.

③The weather is a good topic that everyone can discuss. Practice making small talk about the weather the next time you find yourself in the middle of a silence. It may open up other topics.

④People like to talk about their hobbies and are likely to be interested in yours. If you don't have any hobbies, consider trying something new. Not only will you have something to talk about, but having a hobby will give you a chance to meet others with similar interests.

⑤People like to hear about vacations. If you travel, be ready to answer questions and give your opinions about the places you have visited. Ask others about their favorite spots and what they recommend. Many people like to help others and will be happy to share their experiences.

⑥Once you know a few good conversation starters, it's also helpful to recognize what type of small talk topics you're better off avoiding.

⑦The problem with talking about polities is that you never know who in the crowd may have strong opinions. Stay away from this topic if you don't want to risk ending up in the middle of a heated conversation.

③Death is a heavy topic that should be avoided during small talk. When you are in the company of strangers, do not bring up emotional (情感的) topics.

⑨In addition, avoid questions related to appearance. Do not ask anyone if they have lost weight. You never know the reason for weight gain or loss and, as a result, you could be left in an uncomfortable situation.

At sixty, my husband retired (退休) from a high-stress and challenging job. We have been  (happy) married for thirty-five years. But I have to say that my husband's transition (过渡) to retirement was one of  (big) challenges in our life. For the first time, he felt lost. How would he find purpose and make  living that could allow for a healthier lifestyle?

During the last Christmas, I bought him one yoga card. I found the magic of yoga a few years earlier and wanted to share  him. He was thankful, but the gift card  (hide) in his wallet. One evening over dinner, after completing al the housework, he said something surprising, "I think I may use that yoga card and take a yoga class for  (begin)." Then, I realized yoga was really  (help) to him. The transition taught him how  (make) a great change in life. He would soon learn that yoga is not about competing, but showing up without judgment (评价). I hoped the lessons would make him feel relaxed.

Well, things have changed since then. My husband has always been a gentle man, but ever since he decided to take a yoga class, he  (become) much gentler. And all our grown children now throw a yoga mat (垫) in their back seat.  Dad and Mom do it, it must be worth a try.

Hi, boys and girls. My name is Gina and I am an (America) girl. I am twelve years old now. Please look at the photo. is the girl in it? Oh, she is my sister and(she) name is Amy. She is eight years old. She can do a lot of things. She can play the piano and the violin. She can also sing and dance. And she wants to be a musician when she (grow) up. She is also good at drawing pictures, she doesn't do well in math. So I often help her it. Amy is a good student. She never gets up late in the morning. She goes to school on foot every day and it takes her about ten minutes (get) there. She has seven(lesson) at school every day. At about half past five, she goes back home. She usually does her homework first.

She sometimes practices playingguitar in the evening. Now it's half past eight; she (study) for a math test next Monday.

I like my sister very much. Do you want to make friends with her?

A: Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me the way to Jinhua Children's ?

B: Of course. Walk along the street and turn left at the crossing. It's next to Aiqing Memorial Hall.

A: Well, thanks a lot.

B: My pleasure.

A: Hey, Mike! I am thinking about volunteering at the local kitchen on Sunday. Want to join?

B: Oh, I've never done it before. What should I do?

A: You just prepare and serve hot meals to people who can't it, like homeless people.

B: Wow! It's really a good way to spend my weekend.

A: And something as  as picking up trash can be very meaningful.

B: I'm pleased to and get involved in volunteer work!

I'm a bit of an airplane fan. For the past few years, I (have) many model planes on my desk at work. You can imagine my joy when I had the chance to experience the first flight of C919 jet yesterday. Luckily, I got one just before the tickets (sell) out.

Before boarding, I found that almost every one of the 160  (passenger) walked around the plane to celebrate this historic moment. They got  (excited) than ever before and some began to take a selfie(自拍).  happy they were!

The excitement continued on board as the C919 took off. A special breakfast was served: Shanghai noodles, some White Rabbit milk a special dessert with a "World's First C919" logo on it. It was pretty short flight, about 2.5 hours from Shanghai to Chengdu. Soon we landed at our destination, and we cheered (loud). Almost everyone seemed overjoyed to have taken part such a proud moment for China.

Now I'm looking forward to (see) what new planes COMAC (中国商飞公司) has planned for the future. I can't wait to see them take on Airbus and Boeing!