Thank you for your letter. I am glad to know that everything is going well with you. Thanks also for the photos. Linda looks healthier and taller than before.

It is very hot here now, but sometimes rains. We love the rain very much. We are enjoying our stay here. I am now studying in a bigger school. There are more teachers and students in this school than in my school in England. My teachers and classmates are all very friendly to me.

Time goes so quickly. I am having new experience (经历) all the time. It is difficult to learn Chinese, but I am making progress (进步) with the help of my teachers and classmates.

The summer holiday is coming. Here in Jinan the summer holiday usually lasts about two months. So I’ll be free for over sixty days. I hope you and Linda could come to Jinan for a visit. Then I can show you around the famous “Spring City” in China.

Love to you and Linda.

Yours,

Mike

Have you ever seen snow? Many people in the world have not. Some countries never have snow, some have only a little on the tops of very high mountains. In the north of England, there is quite a lot of snow every winter, but in the south of England, there is usually little.

When a student from a warm country comes to England in autumn for the first time, he feels cold at first. There are often dark clouds, grey sky and cold rain in England in autumn, and most students from warm countries do not like this.

But snow is different. Though it is cold, it is also beautiful. Perhaps, after several dark mornings, the student wakes up one day, and there is a lot of light in his room. He thinks “Is it so late?” and jumps out of bed. But no, it is not very late. He looks out of the window and there is the snow on the ground and on the houses and everywhere. The light of his room comes from clean, beautiful snow.

【推荐2】Welcome to London! Now let me tell you something about this wonderful city. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is the biggest city in Western Europe with over 7 million people. It sits by the River Thames. London has a history of more than 2, 000 years. Because of its long history and different cultures, London is a very famous city in the world. People all over the world are familiar with the city’s red double-decker (双层的) buses and black taxis.

People

The British Empire used to rule around the world, so many people from around the world moved to London. They have brought with them their own languages and cultures. More than 300 different languages are spoken in London.

Culture

London is known for its museums. One important museum is British Museum. It is the oldest public museum in the world. There are two main art museums in London: the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery. Besides, London is also home to arts, such as theater and music. The Globe Theater, which was popular in the late 16th and 17th centuries, was opened for performances of William Shakespeare’s plays.

Tourist attractions

London has many wonderful places to visit. For example, the well-known Clock Tower, a 320-foot-high tower, was called the Big Ben. Another famous London building is Buckingham Palace. The members of royal (皇家的) family of England live there. Besides, Hyde Park is the largest open area in central London.

Jakarta used to be the capital city of Indonesia (印度尼西亚). But in 2019, Indonesia announced plans to move its capital from Jakarta to the province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. That was big news for Indonesia, as any country’s capital is obviously very important. The new capital will be named Nusantara.

The word “capital” comes from the Latin word “caput”, meaning “head”. It is no doubt the “head” of a country. The central government is located there, as well as important institutions (机构). The leaders of a country usually work and live in the capital as well.

In English-language news reports, when you read “relations between Beijing and Moscow”, it actually means “relations between China and Russia”. That’s how important the capital is—it is a symbol of a country, showing its national power.

Therefore, it is important to choose a good place for a county’s capital. In many countries, the capital is the richest city. This is because when a city becomes a major business center, it takes on a more important place on the world stage. London, for example, has been the economic center of Britain for nearly 2,000 years, so people naturally chose it as the capital.

Sometimes, capitals are chosen for safety reasons. For example, Brazil’s capital used to be Rio de Janeiro, which is a coastal (沿海的) city. Later the capital moved to the inland city of Brasilia, partly because coastal cities can be attacked (攻击) more easily.

As for Indonesia, the new capital was chosen in order to achieve balanced development in different areas. Kalimantan is an underdeveloped area. By becoming the new capital. it can be expected faster economic growth.

【推荐1】“Are you listening, Simon?” Simon’s teacher asked. Simon smiled and shook his head. He hardly listened in class. Talking was so much better. He just wanted to be heard.

That evening, Simon felt a little bit sick. His throat really hurt. He had ice cream and hot chocolate to make it feel better. The next morning, when he opened his mouth to say “Good morning”, nothing came out. “Honey, you’ve lost your voice,” said his mom. “Can I stay home?” He tried to ask, but words didn’t come out. Instead, his mother checked him for a fever and pronounced him good to go to school, even if he couldn’t talk. How awful!

When his classmates talked to him at school, he just shrugged (耸肩). By the time the bell rang, almost everyone was looking at him as if he had grown a third eye. Simon sat in class, watching others talk to each other in groups. In Maths class, he could hold up fingers if the answer was less than 10, but that wasn’t fun. He decided to try to pay attention.

You know what? It wasn’t that bad. He could easily finish his homework that night. It gave him extra game time because his work was all done. The next day, even though his voice was coming back, he stayed quiet again. The third day, he could talk fine, but he listened and raised his hand to speak.

【推荐2】When I'm sitting at the table，father comes into the room and says to us with a smile，“I forget(忘记)to tell you the good news.There is a letter(信)from Aunt Amy.She's coming to see us with her little son Tony this afternoon.I'm going to meet them at the station.” I'm so happy to hear the news，because I really like playing with   Tony.Mother is happy，too.She misses(想念)Aunt Amy a lot.

After lunch，mother and I go to the supermarket(超市)．We buy lots of food.Then we go back home and begin to clean   the house.We are both busy but very happy.At four o'clock we finish all the things and we sit around the table to wait for them.

【推荐3】When I was nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and cried. “Buddy, it's a beautiful, beautiful poem!” My mother poured out her praise.

“What time will Father be home?” I asked. I could hardly wait to show him my poem. My father had begun his movie career as a writer. He would be able to appreciate (欣赏) my poem even more than my mother. I confidently put the poem right on my father's plate on the dining table.

My mother said he would be home around 7. But my father got home an hour later than expected. He sat down at the table and noticed his plate, “What is this?” I heard him say.

“Ben, Buddy has written his first poem. And it's beautiful, so amazing!” Mother said.

“If you don't mind, I'd like to decide that for myself,” Father said.

I kept my face lowered to my plate. It was only 10 lines long. But it seemed to take hours. “I think it's bad,” my father said. I couldn't look up. My eyes were getting wet.

“Ben, sometimes I don't understand you,” my mother was saying. “This is just a little boy. He needs encouragement.”

“I don't know why” my father held his ground. “Isn't there enough bad poetry(诗歌) in the world already? No law says Buddy has to become a poet.”

I ran from the dining room, threw myself on the bed and cried.

A few months later, I read that first poem. It was a bad poem. I worked up the courage to show him a short story. My father thought it was not good but hopeful. I was learning to rewrite.

As I worked my way into other books and plays and films, I realized how lucky I was to have a mother who said, “Buddy, it's wonderful!” and a father who shook his head “I think it's bad.” Both are love that forces me to improve. In fact, all of us in life need both loving force.

【推荐1】Papaji, my grandfather, was a thin but strong farmer. He always stood straight and looked serious. But my sisters and I looked forward to seeing Papaji and visiting his farm.

When we got to the farm, it was the end of a school year and summer started. On the farm, we could do what we liked. We could play with the animals all day. When we were hungry, we went back to Bibiji, our grandmother. She cooked over a wood fire in the kitchen. We blew on the wood to make the firerage, hoping it would help the food cook faster. Sometimes we played hide-and-seek in the storeroom, or ran through the field like horses.

But the summer I turned nine was different. One morning I heard clickety-clack, clickety-clack, ping. I searched carefully for the sound: Papaji in his study, typing a letter. I tried to see it better, but fell through the door. I stood up, looked at the floor, red in the face, hoping his words would be short. Papaji's eyes glinted（闪光）and didn't say anything. Then the rest of the summer I heard the sounds of typewriter（打字机）, dreaming of touching the beautiful yellow keys.

After going home, I spent the year thinking of ways to let me use the typewriter when I got

back to his house. But the next summer, I still stood beside him as he typed, hoping he would let me try it.

On going back home that year, I got a box from the post office. When I opened it, it was the typewriter! Papaji let me use it at last. My serious grandfather wasn't a cold-hearted man after all

Dave is from London. His uncle works in Qingdao. Last summer, Dave came to China to visit his uncle and spent 5 days in Qingdao. Clark, his uncle’s son, took him to many interesting places.

They went to May Fourth Square (五四广场). They went shopping in the shopping mall there. Dave bought some clothes, books, CDs and some gifts for his friends. Then they climbed Laoshan Mountain. Jenny liked the beautiful flowers and enjoyed the warm weather there very much. Dave was tired but happy. They also went to the night market on the last day. There Dave ate lots of nice food. It was really delicious and Dave liked it very much.

Dave really enjoyed his stay in Qingdao!