【推荐1】

One day, I took an underground to work, I saw something that made me very sad. On the tube (underground in London), a mother kept looking at her phone screen and playing a game with her daughter sitting beside her. The little girl, about 5 years old, was talking to her mother about her day, repeating the next stop’s name cheerfully, praising her mother’s long nails—trying to draw her mother’s attention. Her mother just nodded and mumbled “Mm, hm” with her eyes glued to the screen, busy passing the levels of the game. I watched the girl give a final try to at least get her mum to look at her, but it was no use. Then the little girl turned silent. It was a shame the mother didn’t notice that.

It broke my heart and got me wondering—what kind of game would make the mother forget she has the most beautiful thing in the world, the human she created, the person she loves with all her heart? What it meant when she couldn’t look into her daughter’s eyes and even stop to listen to the girl?

Some parents are almost like the teenagers, always on their phones with mindless games or going through Facebook. Perhaps parents have many things to deal with, but sometimes they are everything to their kids.

This is not an isolated example. I’ve seen too many such examples. I might not be a parent myself, and probably still have a long way before becoming one, but I know what I saw isn’t right.

The scene used to be seen among teenagers very often when parents complained how their children were crazy about their mobile phones. Look how the situation has changed! The parents have become “technology slaves”, that is to say, they can’t control themselves while using mobile phones. Now some middle-aged parents hold the best iPhones or Samsung phones, which are probably the only two brands they know. They are playing the simple games with so expensive mobile phones. I’m uncertain whether to laugh or to cry. But my hope is that this storm passes.

【推荐2】Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people only think about climbing while others avoid climbing. But one thing is true that all people come across mountains in their lives.

When I was little, my family moved to a small town. It was built at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while walking through the green woods of this mountain, I saw a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Could this be the way to the top? I made a decision to find out the mystery behind those steps. I climbed and climbed till it was getting dark, but I wasn’t even close to the top.

The voice of reason (理智) told me to hurry back home and try again the next day. I ran back home in the dark, trying not to get too scared. I didn’t tell anyone about what I found that night. I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of the mountain we lived on. Could there be a prince, treasures or ghosts up there?

Ah…such childhood fantasies (幻想)! Those were the days when we dared to dream. We dared to do crazy things! Now I’m grown up, and life has shown me a beating (惨败) at times.

I did live on a mountain in a town as I wrote, but I created this childhood fantasy to make my days so much more fun as a kid. The challenges we face in life are like mountains we need to climb. Dreaming about what’s at the top of the mountain makes us think about what we want out of life. Tomorrow is another day, and still, we must climb.

Hi! Your name and address are on the Friendship Page. I would like to be your friend. My name is Simon. I am twelve years old. How old are you? I am 163 cm tall. I have short black hair and brown eyes. My hobby is playing chess.

    1    . They are from Beijing. My parents own a Chinese restaurant(餐馆) in Newcastle. I have a brother.     2    . He is 23. He works as a doctor in London. How many people are there in your family? What do they do?     

I am in Grade 7 at Walker School. It is close to my house,     3    . I am keen on(热衷于) sports. I enjoy playing football in winter and tennis in summer.     4    . I want to be an engineer.

Here is a photo of me and some school friends. I am in the middle. Li Jie, please tell me all about yourself.

【推荐2】My favourite sport is basketball because it is very exciting. I like basketball cause the NBA stars play very well. Basketball is very cheap and it is a good port for our health. We can grow taller if we play basketball often. Also it keeps me fit. I play basketball three times a week. I often play it in my school. I often play it with my friends. I feel very happy when I play basketball at school with my classmates. Sometimes I play basketball in the playground near my home. Basketball is very easy to play. If you play basketball very well, you may become a famous basketball star in the future.

【推荐1】What will the school life be like in the future? Here are four students’ ideas.

【推荐2】“The springs (泉) are a part of our life. ” says a 60¬year¬old man in Jinan. His family usually uses spring water to cook and make tea.

There are many springs in Jinan such as Fairy Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Agate Spring and Lute Spring. Fairy Spring’s name comes from a folk tale (民间传说). It was said that nine fairies (仙女) bathed in the spring and loved it so much that they were reluctant to leave. Black Tiger Spring makes big sound when water flows (流动) past the tiger-head-shaped stones.

Of all these springs in Jinan, Baotu Spring is the most famous spring. And it only takes people about 20 minutes to walk there from Qushuiting Street. Along the road, we can see people selling big-bowl tea for about 2 yuan a cup. We can also see people playing chess and chatting near the Baotu Spring Park.

A worker says, “The springs are nature’s gift to Jinan. They not only provide clean water for us, but also water the beautiful plants around them. We hope more people can come here and enjoy them.”