1 . 近来，学生是否应该做家务的问题引起了一片热议。对于这个问题不同的人有不同的看法。有些人认为学生就应该把精力放在学习上，没必要做家务活；而有些人则认为学生应该帮忙做家务，这有助于培养他们的公平意识。作为一名初中生，你认为学生们应该帮助父母做家务吗？请根据提示写一篇80词左右的短文 (短文开头已给出，不计入总词数)。

Should students do housework?

Should students do housework? Different people have different ideas about this problem. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you often help others? Today many people don’t want to help others     1     they don’t want to get into trouble. But some people are very     2     and friendly. They will try to help others when they see someone is in     3    . My uncle is one of them.

My uncle is a taxi driver. He is very busy     4     every day. One day when he was driving along the street, he saw     5     old woman lying on the side of the road. A small boy was next to her, shouting     6     help. There were many people around the woman, but few of     7     helped her. My uncle stopped his taxi without thinking     8    . He tried to move the woman into his taxi and     9     to the nearest hospital.     10     to my uncle, the doctor saved the woman in time. After the woman’s family got to the hospital, my uncle left     11    . My uncle is really a kind man.

3 . Linda loves her dog Dave. They went to New York City last Saturday. While Linda     1     (buy) a newspaper at the train station，the dog got out of his box and     2     (run) away. The station was so crowded     3     Linda couldn’t see Dave anywhere. When Linda     4     (shout) his name, some people looked at her but Dave didn’t come. Then she     5     (call) the police. While she was talking     6     the phone, Dave     7     (meet) another dog outside the station. Linda walked around the station and called his name. She didn’t think about     8     (look) outside the station. Finally, a boy told her he saw     9     black dog when he came in. When Linda finally saw Dave, he     10     (run) and jumping with another dog. The police said to Linda, “I think my dog found     11     (you) dog.”

4 . These days, many parents push their children into learning more skills. They believe it helps their kids to better compete in life. However, such a busy life can place great pressure on students.

The Taylors are a typical American family. Life for Cathy Taylor’s three children is very busy. “On most days after school,” Cathy says, “I take one of my two boys to basketball practice and my daughter to football training. Then I have to take my other son to piano lessons. Maybe I could cut out a few of their activities, but I believe these activities are important for my children’s future. I really want them to be successful.” However, the tired children don’t get home until after 7:00 p.m. They have a quick dinner, and then it’s time for homework.

Linda Miller, a mother of three, knows all about such stress. “In some families, competition starts very young and continues until the kids get older,” she says. “Mothers send their small kids to all kinds of classes. And they are always comparing them with other children. It’s crazy. I don’t think that’s fair. Why don’t they just let their kids be kids? People shouldn’t push their kids so hard.”

Doctors say too much pressure is not good for a child’s development. Dr. Alice Green says all these activities can cause a lot of stress for children. “Kids should have time to relax and think for themselves, too. Although it’s normal to want successful children, it’s even more important to have happy children.”

    1     Maybe there are some points you can follow.

Sometimes you think your parents are not fair to you. When you want to dress in a modern way, your mom doesn’t like you wearing a mini-skirt. When you are making phone calls to friends, they ask if you’re speaking to a boy or a girl. Sometimes it seems that you’re not as close to your parents as you used to be.     2    

Closing the Gap by American writer Jay McGraw gives advice on how to have a better relationship with your parents. He gives ways to help you understand your parents. When you think, “My parents don’t want me to have any fun.” that usually means your parents want you to be safe.     3     They need to feel they are important and loved. You should tell your parents your needs, and find out what their needs are. Then, you can think of a way to make all of you happy. He gives you some ideas:

(1)     4     You could talk about your school life and your plans for the future.

(2) Keep a diary. This is to help you understand more about yourself and your feelings.

(3) Show your parents you are growing up.     5    

Your parents will feel that you are no longer a little child. If you follow these steps, soon you will be able to break down the walls between your parents and yourself.

9 . People didn’t pay much attention to their health in the past, but now more and more people try to make sure that they are healthy. Now let me tell you some ways to keep fit.

First, you can do exercise every day to keep fit. How much exercise is enough? Different people have different ideas. Some people think that doing simple things like cleaning the house is helpful. Other people think that doing exercise such as running or swimming every day is good.

Second, healthy food is good for you. You should eat more vegetables and fruit but less junk food every day.

Third, try to relax yourself when you have too much stress (精神压力). Today many people have stress in their lives. Different things bring stress to different people. Money problems can bring stress. Good things like getting married (结婚) can also give some people stress. You should remember that you can never keep yourself away from stress in your life. It is always with you. So you need to know the reason for the stress and find ways to reduce (减少) it. There are some ways to help you. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress. Thinking about things in an optimistic (乐观的) way can also reduce stress. Try to live for now, and don’t worry about the future.