Are you ready for the coming festive season? What gifts will you give to make your friends feel special? Here teenagers share their ideas for gifts and look forward to the ones they'll get.

Hu Ziwei, 15, Nanjing Foreign Language School

My class will have a gift exchange party, during which we will put on a small talent show. Many of us had our gifts ready a week ago. I believe that the boys will give magic tools, stationary （文具） or sweets, while girls are likely to give dolls or mobile accessories （挂件）.

The biggest fun about these parties is not knowing from whom you'll receive a gift and who will receive your gifts. The computer will decide everything! Our teacher hopes the activity will help us get to know each other better – you see, we've only known each other for three months. I'm looking forward to my surprise gift!

Liu Wei, 17,Beijing No 8 High School

Although my birthday was in November, I'll get a special birthday gift from my classmates this week. A．collective （集体的） birthday party is scheduled for all the students who had birthdays fall in the last six months.

My classroom has been decorated with colorful ribbons and Christmas balls. Someone told me that there will be a huge birthday cake and that a personalized gift sent with best wishes from other students is being prepared for each birthday student. I'm sure we will treasure this event and I'm so looking forward to the big moment!

Yin Zhaohua, 19, Jixi No 1 High School in Heilongjiang

I'm still enjoying the gifts I received on Christmas Eve. Nowadays traditional greeting cards are being replaced with apples and sweets, which symbolize （象征） hope for the year ahead. I got more than 20 apples this Christmas, which means I sent a similar number of apples out. I think apples are healthier, more environmentally and friendly gifts than cards sent through the post.

Wu Shang, 16, Mianyang High School in Sichuan

These last two weeks have been filled with every kind of exam so the atmosphere（气氛） on campus is not at all like a holiday. I miss the days when I got handwritten cards.

In fact, I haven't received or sent holiday cards since the Internet became popular. It's so fast and easy to send an e-card. Also, text messages are fun and convenient （方便的）. I'll send warm hugs to my best friends on New Year's D．ay to let them know that I'll be always there for them.

1. Where is Yin Zhaohua from?

A．He is from the east of China                   B．He is from the capital of China

C．He is from the north of China                  D．He is from the west of China

2. Before the gift exchange party, Hu Ziwei knows _____________

A．from whom she'll receive a gift           B．who will receive her gifts.

C．what gift she will send to her classmates    D．that she may get a magic tool

3. In Liu Wei’s classroom we can’t see _____________ during the collective birthday party.

A．some colorful ribbons                              B．some Christmas balls

C．a huge birthday cake                               D．some mobile accessories

4. On New Year’s D．ay Wu Shang will _____________.

A．have an important exam                   B．send some handwritten cards

C．meet and hug her best friends warmly       D．send some text messages to her friends

5. From the passage we can infer _____________

A．the kids share the same ideas about gifts  

B．the kids will receive and send expensive gifts

C．apples are sent as gifts to keep young kids healthy

D．the kids are trying to show their wishes in different ways

You are going to high school, aren't you? Maybe you don't know what to do. Well, here's a list of the top six things to do when you are in high school. These things will give you ideas of what your high school life could be like. Here you go!
① Find your passion (激情) and what kind of person you are：   (1)  it's dance, basketball, or drawing, the important thing is that you have found something you are   (1)  in.
② Talk to people you wouldn't usually talk to: meet new people, find new friends and even talk to people you don't like. It will show what a great person you are. You never know what will happen after high school.
③ Take part in at least one competition. （2）This will give you tears(眼泪) of laugh, happiness and memories.
④ Get a job: This will help you see what it's like to have responsibility(责任). It can also help you make a little money to spend on yourself.
⑤ Take a trip with your friends: It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, the memories will happen on the way and go on till the final place.
⑥ Do your best at school: Don't ever get lazy; working hard now will help you in the future.
【小题1】在_（1_）处填入适当的单词使得句子完整，上下文通顺       ________,_________
【小题2】将（2）句翻译为中文。
【小题3】回答问题：What can help you make a little money to spend on yourself?
【小题4】在文中找出These will let you know how the high school life is.的同义句
【小题5】在文中找出主题句。

What are good manners?

We say that a person has good manners if he or she is kind and helpful to others. Everyone likes a person with good manners but no one likes a person with bad manners. But what are good manners? Here are some examples.

He never laughs at people when they are in trouble. He tries to help them. He is always kind, either to people or animals. When people are waiting for a bus, or in a post office, he takes his turn. He does not push to the front of the queue. On the bus, he gives his seat to an older person or a lady who is standing. He stands up when speaking to a lady or an older person, and he does not sit down until the other person is seated. He does not talk too much himself. He does not talk loudly or laugh loudly in public. When eating, he doesn't speak with his mouth full of food.

However, different countries have different manners. Before going into a house in some Asian countries, it is good manners to take off you shoes. In European countries this is not done. A guest in a Chinese house never finishes a drink. He leaves a little to show that he has had enough. In England, a guest always finishes a drink to show that he has enjoyed it.

People all over the world agree that being well-mannered really means being kind and helping others. If you remember this, you will not go very far wrong.

1．What does “manners” mean?

      A．礼貌           B．方式           C．方法            D．种类

2．There are ________ examples to show what good manners are.

      A．five            B．six             C．eight           D．nine

3．In _______ house, a guest never finishes a drink.

      A．an English      B．an American    C．a Chinese       D．a Japanese

4．It is polite for a man to ______.

      A．let women go first                     B．drink for a lady

      C．sit beside women                      D．stand beside a lady

5．According to the passage, which of the following statements is untrue（不正确的）?

      A．It's good manners to take off your shoes before going into a house.

      B．A guest in a Chinese house always leaves a little when drinking.

      C．A well-mannered man does not talk too much himself.

      D．No one likes a person with bad manners. 

Dear Bill,
How are you? It’s very nice   36   you to write to me. Let me   37   something about my life in China. I think you   38  to know it. I live in Li Lei’s home. He is my   39. His father and mother are both teachers. Their house isn’t big.   40  of them are very friendly   41  me.  They teach me Chinese   42   I teach them English. Now I   43  with them in Chinese. But I can’t   44  very well. Chinese is very   45  to learn, I think. Mrs Li often teaches me how to   46  Chinese food. Hmm! How much I like Chinese food!
My school is not far. I go to school by bike. I   47  six classes every day.   48  I play games with my classmates. I have a good   49   here. Don’t you want to come? Please write  50  soon.
Love from Jim.