Look at the boy. His English name is Mike Smith. His Chinese name is Li Hai. He is from England. He’s twelve years old. My name is Hao Gang. Tom is my English name. I’m from Shanghai. I’m thirteen. Mike and I are good friends. We are in Grade Seven. I am in Class 3 and he is in Class 5. Today is Thursday. We want to swim after school.

1.How old is Li Hai?

2.Where is Tom from?

3.What class is Li Hai in?

4.What day is it tomorrow?

5.．Which of the following is right?

Wang Hao often goes to school by _________.

A. a train     B. the train      C. train

Dear friend,

My name is Erick. I am 12.My birthday is on October 12th.I am from America. I'm in Class 3, Grade 7.We are learning Chinese in our school. Our Chinese teacher's name is Wang Hao.

Here are some of my friends. Jimmy is tall and he has black hair. He is good at playing basketball. He is in the Basketball Club. May is short and she wears glasses and a yellow dress.

She likes English very much and speaks English very well . Sally is a black girl. She has short hair. She likes swimming. She swims best in the swimming team. I like music. I'm the boy with glasses.  Write to me soon and tell me about your friends.

Yours，

Erick

Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.
The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, “I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?”
This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the meaning of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!
The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote, “Our school has a foreign teacher. But I’m shy and can’t speak to her. What should I do?”
When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, “Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?” These are good questions to start a conversation. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.
The third question is about vocabulary. Olive, from Anhui wrote, “I want to remember all the new words. I wrote them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do?”
Try to remember eight or nine words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you’re shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?
【小题1】How many basic questions do the students often ask?