It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad for the vacation is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.
Most teachers kick off the school year by introducing themselves and talking about what you'll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.
When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. Pay close attention so you'll know if you need to raise your hand to ask a question and what the rules are about visiting the restroom.
You might already know a lot of people in your class on the first day. But it's a great day to make new friends, so try to say "hello" to the kids you know and the new ones that you don't. Make the first move and you'll be glad about what you did and so will your new friends!
Most teachers let you pick your own seat on the first day, but by the second or third morning, they'll have mapped out a seating plan. It's a good idea to write down where your seat is in your notebook so you don't forget.
Here are a few final tips for a fantastic (奇异的) first day: Get enough sleep; Have a healthy breakfast; Try your best; Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments (作业) and handing in your homework on time; Take your time with schoolwork; If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen—Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say；they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them—If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them—Try to make something for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for friends. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U. S. actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best. " Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!
Try to organize some activities with your friends ahead of time. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to the movies and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!
If you have ever lost touch with old school friends, you may find yourself wanting to make contact again. Some teens find that certain school friends are worth keeping contact with and want to keep the friendship going strong.
Hang out at the same places
One way you can get together with old friends from your school is to go to the same places that they go to. If you still go to school together，you probably know where everyone goes on the weekends. If you are able to go there too, you may find that your relationships with your old school friends start up again.
Sports teams
If you are athletic and your former friends are too, joining school sports teams is a great way to catch up with old friends. This doesn't mean that you should join a sport which you do not like just so you can see your old friends. However, if you like sports，wish to join a team and your former friends are on that team, then playing the team sports is a great way to get to know them again.
Take part in school clubs
There are often a lot of school clubs in which teens participate. Depending on your interests and your former friends' interests，you may just find a club at school. Sharing a common interest such as a club activity will help you to have something in common and something to talk about.
Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调).
One of the study's authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music "actually tunes our sensory system" .This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A singlesyllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study，the researchers looked at 20 nonChinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings: squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study，Patrick C.M. Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
You cannot choose your child's friends for him, but you can help him learn to choose friends wisely. Here are a few ways to help your child make friends.
•Build your child's selfconfidence.
When he succeeds or has made a great choice, tell him you're proud of him. Your middle school student is going through many changes and may feel like he isn't" good enough". Building his selfconfidence will help him feel more confident and will make it easier for him to form healthy friendships.
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Give him your full attention when he talks, and really listen to what he has to say.
•Discuss the qualities in a friend with your child.
Discuss with your child the qualities that matter most, such as being reliable and kind, and making good choices when it comes to avoiding alcohol and tobacco.
•Get to know your child's friends.
It's more important to talk with them and find out what they like to do. Allow your child to invite his friends over and get to know them better.
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Afterschool clubs and sports programs are good places for meeting new people. Be open to exploring different activities with your child to find something that he enjoys.
A. Friends are very important for us．
B. Introduce your child to new groups of people．
C. Talk with your child every day and listen to his concerns．
D. Try not to judge your child's friends based on how they dress．
E. When he does not succeed，help him feel better and keep trying．
F. You can teach him ways to find friends who will have a positive influence on him．
G. There are many types of friends and we should be careful when making our choices．
I had never expected such an answer from my son.
I was 28 at the time and my son had just been1into elementary school, and was sitting on a park bench (长凳) with me, telling me all about his friends and teachers in the new school. I could tell that he was extremely2. Looking up at the cloudy blue sky while I3, I was having a hard time thinking of questions to ask him about his new4, probably because he was answering every single one of them before I even5them.
Being in America, there are people of many6races and nationalities that live here, so I decided to ask him about those people. He loved geography, and if he heard someone who had a different7or something like that, he would ask them where they were from. It was8for me. I thought he was being rude and didn't9it. But the people would always10and tell him where, whether it was the UK, China — you name it.11, he would get into his seat in my car and demand that I take him to the12so that he could learn about those places. I would always do it, giving him chances for every bit of13he desired. He would even tell me fun facts and things that I didn't know about. He was familiar with the word "foreigner", even though he had no idea what it14. I signed and spoke, "So, David, are there any15at your school?" He looked at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen, and swung (使摇摆) his legs back and forth on the bench.
"No, Daddy. Just kids."
The short story "After Twenty Years" is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Everything (be) very quiet. A police officer on duty found a man with a scar on his face outside ‘Big Joe' Brady's, and they started to have chat. The man was waiting for his best chum and the (fine) chap, Jimmy Wells. One night twenty years ago, they dined at ‘Big Joe' Brady's. They grew up together in New York and got very well. (make) his fortune, he was to start for the West while Jimmy Wells stayed in New York. was on that night that they agreed to meet there again, no matter their conditions might be or from what distance they might have to come. At first, they kept up a (correspond) for a year or two, and then they lost track of each other. However, he (believe) Jimmy Wells would turn up as promised, and he would be waiting for (he) there.
