My name is Tony, 13 years old from Los Angeles. I often _______ my lunch at school. My mother is a nurse. She thinks most of the _______ the students eat at school are healthy. The cooks make _______ food and I can eat different things every day. I choose my favorite _______. Today I have some noodles, an apple, a cookie and a glass of milk. Milk isn’t my favorite drink. Juice is my favorite, _______ they haven’t got any juice today. I always have a cookie. It isn’t healthy food, but it is my favorite part of my school _______. Apples aren’t my favorite fruit, but they haven’t got any oranges. Sometimes I _______ my apple to my friend Sam. Sam gives me some chocolate for the _______.

My mother makes sure _______ can eat a healthy dinner. She ________ gives me hamburgers, cola, candy, ice cream, and too much meat. She thinks eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, some noodles, rice, fish, cheese and milk is good for me.

There was an old pear tree in a man’s garden. In the past, the tree fruited every year, so the owner got many pears. But now, the tree got old. There were no more pears for the man. So the man decided to cut the tree down. When he walked to the tree with an axe in his hand, the tree said to him, “Please don’t cut me down I brought so many pears for you in the past years. Now I only have a short time to live.”

“I’m sorry I have to do so,” the man said, “because I need something to make a chair.” At that moment, a bird in the old tree said to him, “Don’t cut it down! Every time you go out and your wife feels lonely, she will sit under the tree to enjoy its cool shade, and I sang songs to make her happy. We give much pleasure to your wife when you are away from home.”

The man didn’t listen to the bird and drove it away. When he wanted to cut down the tree, some bees flew out of it and said, “Listen! If you don’t kill this tree, we will give you delicious honey every day. Would you please leave the tree with us?”

The man got moved. He said, “You are so kind to the tree, though it becomes old. Now I see that I shouldn't cut it down. It did so much to me and my wife. Let the tree stay here, and let the bird continue to sing songs here.” With these words, the man left. And the old tree lived there to its last day.

Are your parents often angry with you? Or you always disagree with your parents. Maybe the relationships between you and your parents are terrible. It’s difficult to make your home a happy and healthy place.

    36    

Respect. It’s important to show your respect and care about your parents’ feelings. Though you have disagreements, at least try to understand whatever they are trying to tell you.     37    

Communication. You can communicate with your parents in a polite way. You may not get what you want but explaining your thoughts calmly and rationally may show your parents that you are no longer a kid, not just a kid.

    38     How can your parents build trust in you? It depends on what you do. For example, if you get home late without calling first, next time your parents may not believe you. To earn their trust, you must pay attention to the ways you do things instead of fighting with them.     39    

Spending time together. Some teens find that sharing time together can build trust and communication. Your parents may be interested in going shopping, hanging out and playing cards with you.     40    

Your parents give all their love to you. Why not try these ways actively to own a happy family as you want?

To Have A Not-to-do List

Like most people, you probably have a to-do list to help you finish a task. However, I would also suggest you make a not-to-do list. This list works well with the to-do list and it might be even more important. Let me explain.

This is Mike. He loves video games and plays them every day. But he also has an important exam coming up. So Mike puts studying on his to-do list. That day, Mike picked up the books and studied for half an hour. Then he took a short break and played some games. However, he got so into the game that he played for three hours.

The next day, Mike took on the challenge of studying in a different way. He decided to make a not-to-do list as well. And what he wrote down was: “No video games until 7:00 pm.” Mike went to study, did it for half an hour, and then took a break. However, he didn’t get on his computer like the day before because he didn’t allow himself to play at that time. Instead, he drank a glass of water. Then he returned to studying for three hours more on that day.

Mike realized that having no restrictions was the problem. He was always choosing between work and free time. Because enjoying himself was an easier choice, hardly any work got done as a result. So Mike made a not-to-do list.

Sometimes what you choose not to do matters more than what you decide to do. We shouldn’t just limit our “bad” behaviors but our “good” behaviors as well. For example, practicing the piano could be considered a good habit. But when you have other more important things in the moment, the piano becomes nothing more than a distraction. However, there’s one thing that should never end up on your not-to-do list. That is to learn something new every day.