1 . How to Make Friends

Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.     1     But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

1. Associate with others.

The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

2. Start a conversation.

Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.     2     You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

3.     3    

Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

4. Let it grow.

It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.     4     The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

5. Enjoy your friendship.

The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.     5     Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

2 . Belgium is the land of music festivals. There are rock, pop, world, electronic music festivals and more, so you’re sure to find a festival that suits your taste.

Groezrock

Groezrock could be considered the opener of the festival season in Belgium. This festival grew from a small event to an international festival that had 33,000 visitors in 2021. If you’re into the harder stuff (东西), this is where you need to go.

When? April 29—30, 2022. Where? Meerhout. Music? Punk, emo, ska and rock in all its variations. Free? No.

Sfinks Mixed

Sfinks is a world music festival that focuses on bringing culture together. There are also plenty of things to do besides watching the performances. Good to know for families: Sfinks is a kid-friendly festival, with workshops, storytelling and performances aimed at children.

When? July 27—30, 2022. Where? Boechout. Music? World. Free? The festival is free; the camping is not.

Graspop Metal Meeting

If Groezrock doesn’t seem rough enough to you, Graspop Metal Meeting might. As the name says, this festival is all about metal, rock and punk. In 2021, the festival received 140,000 visitors who came to watch the more than 100 bands performing.

When? June 16—18, 2022. Where? Dessel. Music? Metal. Free? No.

Genk on Stage

Genk on Stage is a pop music festival with not only a lot of Belgian artists, but also some international names, 80,000 people attended Genk on Stage in 2021.

When? June 23—25, 2022.Where? Genk. Music? Pop. Free? Yes.

4 . Xie Jun is a middle school student, studying in Grade 8 in a middle school in Changsha, Hunan. He has had lots of _________ since he was little. But as time goes by, there is only one dream still in his mind.

When he was a child, he heard of rockets and spaceships. _________, he didn’t know what they were. From his father, he started to know that scientists make _________ to carry people and things into space. From then on, he became very interested _________ space. Every time he sees beautiful stars and the moon in the sky at night, he gets very excited. He is always dreaming that he can fly to space to _________ the Earth one day.

Xie learned that the first man flew into space in 1961, and later, _________ astronauts made it successful to travel into space. Some even landed on the moon. He knows not _________ can travel into space. More importantly, _________ he can fly to space, he must be trained specially.

Xie knows it’s not easy to realize his dream, but he decides to try _________ best. He says, “I’ve had this dream for many years. It brings me a lot of __________ and always makes me study harder.”

5 . I was hungry because after a full day of exploring the German town, I ate only a pizza. I’m comfortable travelling through a country where I don’t speak the language, but I would almost rather go hungry than sit in a restaurant eating alone.

After wandering around the town for hours, I finally chose an Italian restaurant that seemed friendly enough. I know I like traditional German food, but a plate of spaghetti for only six euros (欧元) was not to miss. So I nervously entered. As I stood there, I noticed all the happy families and friends eating together. The hostess found a small table for me next to the front entrance.

“Great,” I thought, “now people can look at this friendless traveller as they enter.” Then I started to wonder how many of the customers might mistake me for the hostess and how much this would interrupt my meal. Then a woman, whose name is now lost to memory, invited me to have dinner with her and her family. I couldn’t believe it! This was the German friendliness I had read about.

I walked to their table. I can be quite shy when talking to new people. I also started to wonder how this would work. The meal began awkwardly. The woman’s two children mostly stared at me.

Fortunately, the parents spoke enough English and I knew a little German. I came into this restaurant afraid of eating alone and I ended up happily.

The day began like any other on Goldshore Beach. People were walking, running or simply sitting on the sandy beach, enjoying the warm sea air     1    and the soft wind that brushed their hair. Sabrina was one of the happy tourists     2    until she noticed something odd. “The water was like the bubbles on the top of a beer.” she later explained. “It wasn’t calm and it wasn’t going in and then out. It was just coming in and in and in.” Sabrina had just learnt about tsunamis in a Geography lesson． 她立刻想到了这一点     3    that these were signs of an approaching tsunami.

Sabrina was frightened，but she soon kept her head.她警告她的父母有危险,     4     though at first they just thought she was joking. However, Sabrina was certain that a terrible disaster was on its way     5    and kept asking her parents to talk to a safety officer, To her great relief, the officer immediately realized the coming danger. The beach was rapidly cleared of people, just before the huge waves crashed into the coast.