A speaker was giving a speech to his audience (听众) on how to deal with stress. He ________ a glass of water and asked, “How   ________ do you think this glass of water is?”

The answers were different from 20g ________ 500g.

“The weight depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right ________. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance (救护车). It is exactly ________ weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. If we carry our burdens (负担) ________, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, because the burdens are becoming increasingly heavy. What we have to do is to put the glass down, ________ for a while before holding it up again. We have to put down the burdens at times ________ we can be refreshed (恢复精神的) and are able to carry on. So before you ________ back home from work tonight, put the burdens of work down. Don’t carry them back home. You can pick them up tomorrow. ________ burdens you are having now on your shoulders, put them down for a moment if you can. Then you’ll feel relaxed.”

When we buy a house, we all want to have nice neighbours, because most of us think that it is helpful to live with some good neighbours. But what kind of neighbour is good? The answers are different. Here are my answers.

First, it is very important to respect (尊重) each other. If our neighbour tries to know more about our life, how will we feel? He or she may also talk with others about our life. Do you want to live with him or her any more? The answer is “No”. We will feel very unhappy to have this kind of neighbour and move away quickly.

Next, a good neighbour is always ready to give us a hand when we need help. For example, if we are not at home, our good neighbour will watch our house for us.

Finally, a good neighbour should love the environment (环境). He or she never puts rubbish here and there. Good neighhours should keep the place clean, because the good environment can make us comfortable and happy.

I think we all should learn to be good neighbours, and I also hope everyone will have good neighbours and live a happy life.

You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.

In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.

When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good” or “I’m tired”.

One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused . I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.

Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.

To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.

I was also surprised by how hardworking US students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.

The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.

In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by small talk. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries, people often make small talk about the weather: “Nice, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus stops, people may comment about the transport system: “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”

Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.

Before you make friends, you have to decide who you want to be your friends. Most people like to have friends who like to do the same kinds of things as they do. That doesn’t mean you have to be exactly like each other, just that you enjoy some of the same things. If you’re really into sports, you probably will want friends who enjoy playing many of the same games you do. Likewise (同样地), if you love to read books, you will probably enjoy the company of readers.

The quickest way to make a friend is to smile. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to. It may not be easy at first to smile, but remember most people will stay away from a scared (害怕的) or angry-looking face.

One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say something nice about them. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person? Ask your new friends questions about themselves. Who’s their favorite singer, where do they live, what do they do after school are all good questions to start a conversation. Make sure you have something to add to the conversation too. When someone asks you a question, do have an answer for them. There’s nothing that will stop a conversation quicker than a shrug (耸肩) for an answer.

Kids who show an interest in other kids and who are kind and friendly make good friends. Remember, everyone wants to be around people who like to do similar things and people who are nice to them.