In learning English, one should first pay attention to listening and speaking. They are the groundwork of reading and writing. You'd better (try) your best to speak while you do much listening. Don't be afraid of making (mistake). But be careful not to let them keep you from (improve) your English. While you are doing this, a good way is to keep a diary or write notes or letters. Then if you can, ask some others to go what you have written and tell you what are wrong. Many mistakes in your speaking will be (easy) found when you write. Through correcting the mistakes, you can do (well) in learning English. If you are slow in speaking, don't worry. One of the (use) ways is reading either aloud or to yourself. The important thing is (choose) something interesting to read. It mustn't be too difficult for you. When you are reading in this way, don't stop to look the words in a dictionary. You should try to guess their meanings when they have nothing important to do the sentence. You can do that some other time.
How often does one hear children wishing they were grown-ups or old people wishing they were young again? Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. What's more, life is always giving new things to the child—things that older people have lost their interest in because they are too well-known. But a child has his pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is repeatedly being told not to do something, or being punished for what he has wrongly done.
When a young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes and his room, but has to work hard if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
Do you have a problem that seems impossible to solve? Wu Yu, a smart English teacher in Guizhou, thinks the best way to help is to get suggestions from others.
Wu Yu teaches Grade 8 in Guiyang Yunyan No. 2 Middle School. She asked the students to write their troubles down in English. The students were each given a problem at random (任意地). Students found the ideas interesting and useful. Liu Dashuang, 14, said, "It helps me with problems, and when I help others successfully, I feel happy."
Zhang Chengwei, 14, boy: "My best friend thinks I don't want to be his friend any more. I don't know why!"Suggestions from Liu Manli, 14, girl: Talk with your friend.
Wei Zixing, 14, boy: " I want to be the same as him!"Suggestions from Li Lala, 14, girl: If you're not good-looking, you can then work on other things. Study hard and be the top student, or tell jokes and be really funny.
Gong Ling, 14, girl: "I'm not very good at Chinese. I do my homework twice, but I still fail. Am I born to be a poor Chinese learner?"Suggestions from He Yinjuanzi, 14, girl: Doing homework is not the only way to improve your Chinese.
A. My friend is more handsome and popular than me.
B. Then each student had to give a suggestion to the problem they were given.
C. Tell him that you will always be his best friend.
D. Let's see the problems the students had and the suggestions they gave.
E. Try reading your favourite Chinese novels and you can learn more useful words.
F. You don't want to be his friend any more if he still thinks like this.
