Talking is how you spread your thoughts, ideas, and experiences to people around you.谈论别人并不总是错的。But when you say bad things, tell stories that you're not sure are true, or spread others' secret information, you're spreading gossip（流言蜚语）.For example, you saw your classmate Jake go into the head teacher's office, so you started telling others you thought Jake's in big trouble. Then everyone was talking about how Jake was in trouble. But in fact, he went to the head teacher's office just because his mum was there to take him to see a doctor.

That's how gossip works. It starts small and often blows up into something different from the truth. Even if it was true that Jake was in big trouble, it was wrong to tell everyone about it. Try to avoid talking about things that will make another person feel uncomfortable.

Of course, sometimes it's OK to talk about another person, especially if it is about dangerous actions. What if a classmate brings a pocketknife to school or your friend tells you she's not eating        she loses 10 pounds? In cases like that, you need to tell a parent or your teacher. Telling a grown-up who can help is not gossiping.

The best way to avoid being a member of the gossip group in your school is to stay away from kids who gossip. If you happen to hear a gossip, don't repeat it, and don't listen to it, either. When someone trusts you with a personal secret, keep it to yourself.

【推荐2】Students these days often have a lot of worries. Sometimes they have problems (A)________ their schoolwork and their friends. What can they do about this? (D) Some people believe the worst thing is to do nothing. Laura Mills, a teenager (B)________ London, agrees. “Problems and worries are normal in life,” says Laura. “But I think talking to someone helps a lot. (C) Unless we talk to someone, we’ll certainly feel worse.“

The competition among students today is very strong. In my class, every student is very hard-working. But the funny thing is that they like to make efforts secretly.

Last week, my friend looked very tired. When I went to look through his exercise book, I found that he actually finished more pages than most of us. We had no idea when he wrote it. During a lunch break, while we were in bed, I found that he was secretly doing his homework!

After knowing that, our whole class started to study secretly without telling each other. We all pretended (假装) that we hadn’t done anything but worked hard behind each other’s backs. Although our schoolwork improved, we did not have the same pleasure and satisfaction of learning together as before.

Is it really a good thing to compete in this way? Schoolwork takes up most of our time, but our lives shouldn’t just focus on one thing. We also need love, relaxation and trust in each other. Have you been in a similar situation? What do you think?

Many books have been written about the art of giving. But what about the art of receiving? Sometimes receiving a gift can be difficult, especially when someone buys you a gift you don’t want.

“I remember when I was about twelve years old, my parents bought me a purple wallet,” laughs Guo Xiaojing. “It really made me feel embarrassed, because to be honest, I thought the wallet was really ugly! Still, I pretended that I liked it because I knew it would make my parents happy.”

Han Ling agrees. “That sounds like my grandparents. A few years ago, my grandparents gave me an orange sweater for my birthday. I used to wear it every time I visited their house, but when I left their house, I took it off! Of course, this made me feel guilty（内疚的）. It was a very nice thought, but my grandparents and I have different tastes! I think it’s hard to buy clothes or other personal things for people.”

To make things easier, some people would rather just give money. In some cultures, however, receiving money can make people uncomfortable. “When someone gives me money, it just makes me think they are being lazy”, says John Wilson.“In England, we have a saying: It’s the thought that counts. When someone gives me money, I feel they didn’t think at all. I prefer to receive a gift that has some thought behind it. I don’t mind if it’s something I don’t need. If someone has thought about a gift for me, it always makes me happy.”

Different people have very different thoughts on this subject!

So maybe the art of receiving is even more difficult than the art of giving. What do you think?

“USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?” We often hear such discussions. As China opens its door, it is a dream for many Chinese students to study abroad. They want to learn about the outside world.

It’s true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Their foreign language skills will be improved and it may be easier to find jobs.

But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language.

Students must also learn to live without parents’ care and deal with all kinds of things they haven’t had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad sinking into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well. Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden（负担）to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth?

We know that there are many famous people who get success in great things through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there, but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think again.

What will the schools of the future look like? 5G smart campuses (校园) are being built all over the world. They help students learn more effectively, as well as bring convenience (方便) to teachers.

The University of British Columbia has created Canada’s first 5G smart campus. The school worked with a technology company to build a 5G network across its campus. Their researchers can use the network to test 5G software.   

At Staffordshire University in the UK, many students enjoy talking to Beacon and asking it questions. Beacon is an AI robot which can chat with you. It is like a personal assistant for students at school. They can ask it questions, such as whether or not one of their classes is cancelled.

5G smart campus will be a big help for students who take online classes. Many people live in poor areas where there are no schools. But with 5G, this will change. With virtual (虚拟) reality systems, students will be able to see places like the Great Wall without leaving their classrooms.

In Australia, for example, many students live far away from schools. They use cameras to talk to their teachers online, but sometimes it’s a poor experience because of unstable (不稳定) connections. With the speed of 5G network, their teachers will be able to teach without worrying about their connection, according to technology radar.

Some Manners in Modern Life

Do you often use a cellphone? Do you take the subway to school every day? These things make our modern life easier. But do you know how we should behave properly while using them? The following suggestions might be helpful.

For cellphone users

◆Keep your voice down when you make a phone call in public. Shouting on the phone may make others feel uncomfortable. And you’d better not use it during an appointment（约会）.

◆Stop sending messages or playing games with your cellphone at a dinner or a party. It’s a good time to communicate with your family and friends.

◆Don’t make or answer a call while driving. It is not only very dangerous for both you and your passengers but also against the law.

For subway passengers

◆You are supposed to wait in line while buying tickets and getting on the subway.

◆You’re not allowed to eat, drink or smoke on the subway. The smell and noise may trouble others. It’s our duty to keep the subway clean and tidy. Besides, smoking is bad for our health.

◆You can’t take pets on the subway. As we all know, animals may spread diseases（疾病）and make the subway dirty.

◆You’d better not lie across the subway seats even if the subway isn’t crowded. Offering your seat to someone who needs it is regarded as good manners.

There is no one like you in the world. So, you should learn to be content (满意的) with yourself.

As we all know, nobody is perfect. So if you are not the most beautiful or the smartest person, it doesn’t matter. If you feel there is room for improving, then try your best to make some changes. If you have tried your best but you still aren’t content with yourself, ask yourself two simple questions. Firstly, are you content with who you are? If the answer is yes, then there is nothing to worry about. If you are OK with yourself and you have done your best in everything, you should be content with yourself. Secondly, do you give yourself enough time to improve? You know improving takes time.

Self-confidence (自信) is also very important. If you’re confident, you will be OK with who you are. However, here are some suggestions if you are not confident. First, find out your talents (才能) and try to use them. Second, don’t always compare (比较) yourself with others. Third, forgive (原谅) yourself for some mistakes you may have made.

【推荐3】Have you ever complained (抱怨) why life is so tiring? Does the sky sometimes seem dark to you? Are your studies sometimes not successful? Well, friends, cheer up and smile all the time. If you see the world with your warm heart, you’ll find that the whole world smiles to you.

While in school, sometimes you are tired of your lessons, but have you ever noticed the happy smile on your teacher’s face when you did a good job?

One day it is fine. But just before you want to go out, it suddenly starts to rain. Maybe you would feel very sad and start complaining about the weather. But dear friends, why don’t you sit down and listen to the free concert that the nature offers you? And with the rain in time, crops in the fields will grow better and better and farmers will have a good harvest.

Although everyone wants to succeed in what he tries to do, sometimes he has to face failure bravely. I think failure is not terrible, and the terrible thing is that we are afraid of it and give up hope. When we face failure, we must be confident in ourselves, draw a useful lesson from it and try our best to finish what we have decided to do. As a popular saying goes, “Failure is the mother of success.”

Attitude (态度) decides everything. With an optimistic (乐观的) attitude life is easy and pleasant. Let’s smile to whatever we meet and the whole world will smile to us.