—________You have been playing computer games all morning.

—They are beautiful to read but________，they are hard to understand.

—I'm sorry，but they are all fully booked.

　From my second grade on, there was oneevent I feared every year; the piano recital(独奏演唱会).A recital 1 I had to practice a boring piece of music and performbefore strangers. Each year I 2ask my father if I could skip therecital “just this once”. And each year he'd shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) 3about building self－confidence and working towards a 4.

      So it was with really great5that I stood in church one recent Sunday, videocamera in hand, and 6my 68－year－old father sweating in his shirt 7risingto play the piano in his very first recital.

      My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor andcouldn't 8 lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, 9toomany of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn't10there.When he retired three years ago, he 11 his church music director totake him as a student.

      For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he 12stared downat his fingers. Has he forgotten the 13？ I worried, remembering those splitseconds14ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would 15.But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the 16fingers thatonce baited(装饵于)my fishing lines. And I17he had been doing what music teachersalways stress：18themusic and pretend the others aren't there.

      “I'm19of him for starting something new at his age，” I said to my son Jeff.

      “Yeah,and doing it so20 ， ”Jeff added.

       With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determinationthan all the words he used those 30－plusyears ago.

      Eight days for just ￥12,000      

      Departure time：May，October 2012

      Includes：

● Return flights from 6 China's airports to Naples

     ●  Return airport to hotel transport

● Seven nights' accommodation at the 3star Hotel Nice

     ●  Breakfast

     ● The service of guides

     ● Government taxes

Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of the Europe's most wonderful corners—Naples in Italy if you want to have a nice time in a beautiful small quiet place.The ancient Romans called the city “happy land” with attractive coastline，colorful towns，splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea.Your best choice for a truly memorable holiday!

Choose between the peaceful traditional villages of Sant' Agata，setting on a hillside six miles away from Sorrento，or the more lively and wellknown international resort town of Sorrento，with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples.

Breathtaking scenery，famous sights and European restaurants everywhere.From the mysterious Isle of Capri to the hunting ruins of Pompeii，and from the unforgettable “Amalfi Drive” to the delightful resorts (度假胜地) of Positano，Sorrento and Ravello，the area is a feast for the eyes！Join us，and you won't be disappointed!

    Price based on two tourists sharing a double room at the Hotel Nice.A single room，another ￥2,000.A group of ten college students，￥10,000 for each.

    Like to know more？Telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd.on：0845 ­226 ­7788(All calls charge at local rates)．

Parents are creating an “I want it now” generation by indulging children's every demand at Christmas，say experts.Youngsters are becoming increasingly selfish，claim the education analysts.

     Consumer­savvy children are forcing their families into racking up huge debts and risk becoming spoilt and dissatisfied in the future.

Behavioural consultant Chris Calland said，“Parents are desperate to make Christmas into a magical fairy tale for their kids.There's nothing wrong with that as such.The problem arises when it means always giving into all our children's demands—even if they are beyond our price range or not ageappropriate.”

Ms Calland，who runs “Santa Says No” style sessions with colleague Nicky Hutchinson，added，“Many of us go into so much debt providing the gifts our children want that we spend the rest of the year paying off the bills.Yet so often the parcels we've carefully wrapped，once opened，are just pushed away because the very thing our little boy or girl was once so desperate for，they have now lost interest in.”

Ms Calland and Ms Hutchinson have drawn up a list of guidelines to help pare nts manage their offspring's Christmas lists this year.They say that adults can actually improve their relationships with their children by resisting “pester (纠缠) power”．

Ms Calland said，“All too often we say yes because we want an easier life when the fact is that we're only building up problems for the future.We are helping create a generation of youngsters who are blind to the needs of others and the necessity of hard work.”

   “Children learn fast—if we sometimes change our mind，they quickly realise it might be worth lying on the floor and screaming for it.Make sure you and your partner are working together on this.Be consistent.And try not to get caught up in competition with other families or friends.”

      Sure, it's good to get along with your teacher because it makes that time you spend in the classroom more pleasant. And yes, it's good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it's smart to learn how to relate to the different types of people you'll meet throughout your life.

      But really, there's one super－important reason why you should get along with your teacher. Kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they're more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems, such as problems with learning or school issues, such as bullying.

       As a kid in elementary or middle school, you're at a wonderful stage in your life. You're able to take in lots of new and exciting information. Apart from that, you're able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows that, and in most cases, he or she is thrilled to be the person who's giving you all that material and helping you put it together. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you're open to what they're teaching you. That's why they wanted to be teachers in the first place to teach!

       Some kids may be able to learn in any situation, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren't going well, they won't learn as well and won't enjoy being in class.

             A“Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going touniversity.It is often spent traveling or working.      .The advantagesof taking a gap year are as follows：

      .Althoughyou don't have to go abroad to experience gap years，most gap year students catch thechance to travel abroad.You are able to work out who you are and what you arefor.The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons.

FaceChallenges and Have Fun.A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation，but also a time to face challenges.Gapyear students usually work，volunteeror take service projects.You have to learn how to get along in the realworld.This process isn't always easy，butit is an important part of growing up.      .

            Save Money and Improve Your College Admission Chances.There's a common thought thatgap years are only for rich students，butit isn't true.       .Gap year students often take a part－time job.Besides，at the end of a gap year，students are much more likely to knowwhat to study in college.Clear learning goals can keep the students workinghard instead of wasting time and money playing.

Imaginean admission officer trying to admit only one between two students.Both of themare excellent and have high grades.However，onestudent has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation.      

           Many  students may feel       (stress) because of their parents. Most parents have goodintentions,        some of them aren't very helpful with the problems their sonsand daughters have in       (adjust)to college, and a few of them seem to go outof their way to add to their children's       (difficulty)．

Forone thing, parents are often not aware of the kinds of problems their childrenface. They don't realize that the       (compete) is stronger, that the requiredstandards of work are       (high), and that their children may not be preparedfor        change. They may be upset by their children's poor grades. At theirkindest, they may       (gentle) ask why John or Mary isn't doing better, whetherhe or she is trying as hard as he or she should, and so on. At their worst,they may threaten       (take) their children out of college or cut off livingexpenses.

           Sometimes parents think it right and natural that they determine        their children dowith their lives. They forget that everyone is different and that each personmust develop in his or her own way.