Life is full of chances and challenges. For students, _________ we don’t study hard, we will fall _________ other students. At first, I didn’t know _________ the “exam” meant. Later, I knew an exam was a _________ of competition. In competitions, there were always _________ and losers. As I grew up, I got to know competitions well. In one’s life, there must be competitions, so people could _________.

Each time I saw children _________ games, and heard their laughter, I _______ I were that age again. However, I remembered my parents’ words----you must work very hard _________ have a good future. So I __________ up my pen and began to study hard again.

I was still not __________ what competitions really meant.One day,I was __________ an English-speaking competition. When I went to the stage(舞台)I saw other students looking at me kindly. I suddenly knew what the competition was. It was not as cruel __________ my teacher and parents told me. In fact, competitions were important and necessary.

It’s natural that parents love their children. But the way many Chinese parents educate their children is not the best.

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Many children in China are looked after by their grandfathers and grandmothers because their parents are busy. But children need to spend as much time as possible with their parents.

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Most Chinese parents want their children to succeed, only to save face with their friends and relatives. So they often compare their children with others. Parents often say, “You see somebody else is studying hard, look at what good grades they have and what awards they have won.” Comparing children is the worst thing. For many children, it will only bring them much disappointment.

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Parents should knock at the doors when they go into their children’s rooms. Parents should communicate with their children and respect their rights (权利) and decisions. Children who are not respected also do not know how to respect others.

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Many children are asked to do what their parents expect, even though they do not like it, such as learning to play the piano, or going to study in a foreign country. It should be decided by the children themselves.

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Many parents think school performance is everything. In fact, the integrated (综合的) ability is important. It will have a lifelong effect (影响) on children.

Are you still doing the “V” for victory sign? It’s out. The latest popular hand gesture(手势) is putting both your hands together to make a heart shape. It is called a “hand heart”.

Many young pop stars in the USA do this in their photos. “The ‘hand heart’ gesture means something between ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’,” said Taylor Swift, the country singer. “You can send a sweet and simple message without saying a word.” Swift often does it at her concerts. And some people think she makes this gesture popular.

Justin Bieber and his superstar friends did the “hand heart” and put the photos online.They did it to help out three children, whose parents died from a car accident.

In some Asian countries, the “hand heart” is popular too, but in a different way. People there put their hands above their heads and make a bigger heart shape with their arms. It means “I love you”.

Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28th. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people still remember and respect（尊重）him for his contribution（贡献）to the education today.

Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up.As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn’t give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children fromnoblefamilies could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.

Today, people still follow Confucius lessons. He told us that we all have something important to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities（品质）and follow them.”

He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. All study but no thinking makes people puzzled（困惑的）. All thinking but no study makes people lazy.

Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. “A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.

“May we all be blessed with longevity. Though miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.”(但愿人长久，千里共婵娟) Wrote by Su Shi, a poet during the Song Dynasty, in his well-known poem. He wrote this poem for his brother Su Zhe.

The moon is at its brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar(阴历). On this day, people celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. It has been enjoying great popularity all over the country.

In ancient China, that day was a harvest(收获) festival because crops(庄稼) were harvested during that period. It was a time for relaxation and celebration.

Just like Thanksgiving in western countries, families also try to get together for the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Usually, no matter how far away or how busy they are, people will try to return home for the celebration.

The Mid-Autumn has its own special food just as other traditional Chinese holidays. People eat moon cakes with their family. The round shape of the cake makes it look like the full moon. The full moon and moon cakes stand for family reunion(团聚).

With the beautiful moon up in the sky, people sit together, enjoy the full moon, eat moon cakes and fruit, share the stories, and express the best wishes for the family members who live far away.

81. 假如你是李华，你的外国朋友Tom这个春节要去一位中国朋友家中做客。请你写一封邮件给Tom一些建议，告诉他在拜访中国家庭，餐桌礼仪等方面有哪些能做和不适合做的。

I’m glad to receive your e-mail._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua