With the idea of reducing students’ burden (负担), students’ homework is not as much as it used to be. But doing homework well is also very important to ________ students’ abilities. So how do you do your homework? Here is some advice to help you.

You should remember what your homework is. Almost every teacher ________ the students some homework every day. So you should remember your homework ________. You’d better write it down on a notebook. In this way, you won’t make any mistakes. Developing a good habit is very ________.

You should learn to use studying ________. The students used to ________new words in the dictionary to help them finish the homework. But now more and more students turn to computers or smart phones ________help. The Internet is a good helper for students. But you must control your time online.

You should put your homework in ________. You had better put the difficult homework in front of ________homework. When you begin to do your homework, you are in good state (状态良好). So you are easy to finish the homework. You will find difficult questions are not so difficult as you think, ________ you feel tired, you meet effortless (毫不费力的) homework that you are interested in and you can finish it quickly.

If you follow the advice above, you can finish your homework efficiently (有效地) and on time.

If you have problems describing people, don’t worry! We’ll use popular film characters to help you learn some useful words.

Naive Meaning: If someone is naive, they have little experience and believe good things will always happen. Example: In the film Elf, Buddy is a naive person who grows up with elves (精灵). One day, he goes to New York City but finds things very different there. Director: Jon Favreau	Loyal Meaning: If you’re loyal, you always give support (支持) to a person or a group and help them and act honestly. Example: In the film Toy Story, Woody is loyal to his friends and owner, Andy. He stays with Andy, even when Andy grows up and goes to college. Director: John Lasseter
Demanding Meaning: If someone is demanding, they are not easily satisfied (满意的) or pleased. Example: In the film The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda is very demanding. She always works very hard, and expects others to do the same. Director: David Frankel	Talented Meaning: If you’re talented, you have a natural ability to do something well. Example: In the film McFarland, USA, coach White notices some talented runners in his PE class. He forms a cross-country group that races against other schools. Director: Niki Caro

An American friend has invited you to visit his family. You’ve never been to an American's home before, what should you do? The answer is: When you’re the guest, you should just make yourself at home. That’s American hospitality (好客).

American hospitality begins at home—especially about food. Most Americans agree that good home cooking beats restaurant food. When you are invited for a meal, you might ask, “Can I bring anything?” The host will answer, “No,   just yourself.” For most informal dinners, you can wear any comfortable clothes you like. Arrive on time, or call to tell your hosts if you can’t. During the dinner talk, guests often praise (表扬) the hostess (女主人) for the wonderful meal. Of course, the biggest praise is to eat lots of food!

When you’ve had enough, you might offer to clean the table or wash the dishes. But since you’re the guest, your hosts may not let you. Instead, they may invite everyone to move to the living room for dessert with tea or coffee. There the hosts and the guests may continue to have a talk. After about an hour’s talk, it’s time for you to leave.

If you come to an American’s home, you’d better let the hosts know ahead of time unless you’re very close friends, especially when you want to stay for a few days. Here’s a good rule for guests: Short stays are best. Even relatives, for example, their aunts, uncles or cousins, don’t usually stay for several weeks every time. While you’re staying with an American family, try to keep your living area clean and tidy. Your host family will thank you for your consideration. And they may even invite you back!

Most Americans think they are hospitable people, and they are proud of making guests happy.

In Japan, young people become adults when they are 18. They celebrate the event with a special ceremony (仪式), called Seijin no Hi or Coming of Age.

On this important day in January, boys and girls from the same area and in the same school year, go together to their local hall where they hold the ceremony. The day often starts early for the girls, because they have to dress up for the ceremony. They wear a traditional Japanese dress or Kimono. These are very expensive, so most girls have to hire (租用) or borrow one. Because the dress is very difficult to put on, some girls go to a special place where other women help them. They sometimes spend up to three hours getting dressed and doing their hair and make-up. Most boys wear suits, and some wear a traditional Japanese kimono for men.

When they are ready, the young people take walks with their families. All the girls and boys then go to the local town hall or government office, where more photos are taken. In the hall, they listen to long speeches and sometimes sing songs. Then the local government gives them a special certificate (证书). Finally, they leave and go out to celebrate together.

56. 假设你是李华，你有一位新同学Tom，周末你们打算步行去世纪公园。请根据提示给Tom发一封电子邮件说明前往公园的路线，并简单介绍世纪公园的情况。

Century Park is not far from our school. It is easy to get there. Just go straight________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________