It’s nice to be invited to birthday parties, but sometimes you have to say no. How do you politely (礼貌地) refuse an invitation?

◆Send it in.

If you get a written (书面的) or e-mail invitation to a party, refusing politely is easy. All you have to do is to give a polite answer.

◆Ask for time to think.

Refusing a face-to-face invitation can be difficult. The polite way is to ask for time to check your calendar. Then, you have time to find a polite answer. Just make sure that if you’ve been invited in person (当面), you’d better refuse it in person. It’s polite.

◆Be thankful.

Even if you have to refuse the invitation, thank him or her for the invitation all the same. If your only reason is a conflicting(相互冲突的) event, tell the host that you will come if the dates are different.

◆Be honest(诚实的).

This may be the most important thing in politely refusing an invitation. You wouldn’t want people to lie(说谎) to you, so it’s correct etiquette(礼节) to give an honest reason. Just say it in a polite way.

My problem:

I have two best friends but they dislike each other (彼此). Every time I want to hang out with both of them, they never want to and get angry with me. When I hang out with one but not the other, the other one will get jealous. I want all of us to be good friends, but I don’t know what to do. Somebody help!

Desi, 11, Illinois

Advice:

First you need to ask both of them why they don’t like each other. You should do something to make them like each other again. You can invite both of them to your house at the same time, without telling them that the other one will be there, too. Leave them alone (单独地) for about 30 minutes. See if they can talk to each other. Hope this helps!

Loren, 11, New York

If they are really your best friends, you should let them know that you like both of them. And they should try to act nicely towards each other, because they have the same friend—you!

Laura, 14, Carolina

Tom was a farmer. He worked on the farm all day, but     26     he went to the town market to sell fruit and vegetables. One day, a terrible sound attracted (吸引) his attention in the town market. He saw a young cow for sale. The       27     was white and yellow. It was looking at Tom in fear（害怕）. Tom walked up and     28     its head gently (轻柔的). Just at that time they both seemed to have known each other     29     a long time. How amazing! Tom bought it at once and called it Amba.

From then on, Tom and Amba got on well with each other. But some friends told him that it was dangerous to have     30     a close relationship with an animal.

One afternoon, Tom was walking     31     the forest with Amba. Suddenly, Amba stopped walking and kept pushing Tom with its head. Tom was very     32     and looked around. There was a big snake in front of him. It was beautiful but poisonous (有毒的).     33     Amba stepped on the snake’s tail with its foot and at the same     34     Tom picked up a stick and hit the snake’s head heavily. Soon the snake died.

Tom was very grateful (感激的) for Amba’s help. When people heard     35    , they were shocked at the cow’s expression of love for Tom. But for Tom, Amba was not a cow but a member of his family.

Hemingway was one of the most famous writers. He was born in America in 1899. His father was a doctor and loved sports very much, and his mother taught music. Among the six children in the family,     36    .

Hemingway had written many books in his life. The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most famous and also my favorite.     37    . The main character in the book is a fisherman.       38    . People think he is a man with bad luck, because he doesn't get a fish in eighty-four days. Every evening, he comes home with his empty (空的) boat.     39    . Although he meets a lot of trouble the old man never gives up.     40    .

One of the world’s most important and lovely animals is quickly disappearing (消失). Can you guess which one it is? It     49     (have) the longest neck among all animals. Yes, it’s the giraffe.

In 1985, there were between 152,000 and 163,000 giraffes, and they     50     (live) in the plains(平原) and forests in Africa, “The number of giraffes has fallen by as much as 40 percent since the 1980s,” says a new reporter on endangered wild animals and plants.

Why are there fewer and fewer giraffes? Because humans     51     (cut) down many trees to build more houses. And they are also killing the animals     52     (get) their meat. A report from the International Union for Conversation of Nature (国际自然保护联盟) says, “ Giraffes     53     (disappear) silently in the near future. And it is time that we do something for the giraffe before it is too late.”

People think giraffes are everywhere. Kids’ books are full of giraffes, and there     54     (be) always giraffes in zoos. But giraffes are in great danger now. Humans     55     (stop) killing off certain endangered wild animals and try hard to help save them.

Do you sometimes find it difficult to communicate (交流) with your parents? The following tips (提示) may help.

Try to start your talk with something fun. This will make talking easier. For example, ask your parents questions about their day: “How is work?” They love this.

Make it clear what you want to tell your parents. If they have an opinion (观点), let them finish, and don’t stop them halfway. Ask them to do the same for you.

Show them your respect (尊敬) by listening to them carefully. Look at them in the eye.

Be honest (诚实的). Honesty builds trust (信任). Life is good when your parents trust you.

If your parents don’t understand, that’s ok. They love you and they are trying. Sometimes you need to explain (解释) things to them again or in a different way.

When you finish the talk, remember to thank them for listening. Say something like “Thanks. That really helped.” It will let them know this is important to you, and make them want to do it more often.

同学们，寒假即将到来，你的上一个寒假是怎样度过的？即将到来的寒假你又打算怎样度过？请根据以下提示和要求，用英语写一篇不少于60字的短文。

提示： 1. Where did you go and what did you do last winter holiday?

2. Where are you going this winter holiday?

3. What are you going to do this winter holiday?

4. In the winter holiday, what can you do to help your parents?

If you help your parents, what will happen?

要求： 1. 语句通顺， 语意连贯；

2. 可适当发挥；

3. 不得出现真实校名人名， 否则不得分。