|
My mother does most of the housework like cooking and cleaning the room. My father can only do the dishes, sweep the floor and take out the rubbish. He wants to learn more about how to do the housework. —Lily, 14 |
|
Each of my parents does 50% of the housework. My mother does the cooking and washing. She cleans the living room every day. My father makes the bed, cleans the bedrooms and drives me to school every day. —Helen, 13 |
|
My father doesn't do a lot but he tries to help. He hangs up the clothes after my mother washes them and my mother is happy that he can always give her a hand. —Bruce, 16 |
|
My mother is a doctor. She is busy with her work every day, so she has little time to do the housework. In fact, she isn't good at doing it. So my father has to do most of the housework. Sometimes my grandmother comes to help. —Peter, 15 |
Tim is a 16-year-old boy who studies in a high school. His parents tell him to study hard and they do everything for him. They wake him up at 6:00 am, and after breakfast his father takes him to school by car. As soon as Tim comes home from school, the supper is ready. Of course, he never does chores.
Once, Tim's father would go to London on business for a year. Before leaving, he told his wife to look after their son well. The woman had to get up earlier and did all what her husband did before. Two months later, she was so tired that she was ill. Then Tim got into trouble at once. He couldn't do housework. He didn't even know where to get on the bus.
Yesterday Tim's mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair. But he didn't know how to choose right shoes. The woman had a sigh(叹息), gave him a shoe pattern(鞋样)and told him to buy shoes himself. With a policeman's help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper brought some shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on shoes, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, "What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry. I've left my shoe pattern at home. "
|
Dear Mike, My deskmate lately told me that there are a lot of people in my class who have hated me for a long time. I thought about how I've behaved in the past, but I don't think I did anything wrong. I feel lonely and sad now. What should I do? Julia |
|
Dear Julia, First, you should keep in mind that not everyone is going to like you all the time. Some people might even hate you for no reason at all. I know that sounds unfair, but that's just how some people are. It's not good to bear that your classmates supposedly(据说) dislike you. Why did I say "supposedly"? It's possible that your deskmate is lying to you. He or she might be the one who hates you. Your deskmate might be trying to trick you and make you feel bad. On the other hand, it's also possible that you did something in the past that you don't quite remember—something that made your classmates dislike you. Maybe you can have a chat with your teacher and ask him or her if you misbehaved or hurt someone in the past. However, I think it's more likely that your deskmate isn't being honest with you. Mike |
Last month we made a survey among 300 students at our school. The questions we asked were "Who would you talk with when in trouble?" and "Why?"Here are some answers from them.
Zheng Hao: I would talk with my parents or teachers when in trouble. They are older than me and have more experience of life. They always listen to me carefully and give me helpful ideas. I trust them.
Chen Lei: Life is full of small troubles, but I'm never afraid of them. I would talk with my friends when in trouble, because we understand each other and they always give me good suggestions. I won't feel worried.
Li Yan: I am a quiet girl. I like to keep my secrets(秘密). I think nobody can really understand me except(除了) myself. So I never tell others when I'm in trouble.
| The problem and the solution |
|
| Why |
John was unhappy because his were not in style. |
| What |
Alan asks John to talk to first. |
| Which |
is the most important thing for a high school student. |
| What |
can make John a popular boy according to Alan. |
| How many |
Alan gives John pieces of advice. |
Your mom does a lot of housework, and you'd really like (help)her out. Here （be）some advice for you. Caring for your own space. Try to keep your room clean. If you make a mess, (clean) it up as soon as possible.
(share) some of your mom's tasks (工作). Find out what tasks you could do. It depends on your age. Children can begin to take care of their own washing from around the age of 8.
Help out with(make) dinner. You may not cook a big dinner, but you can try to make a simple lunch.
Organizing a "Mom's Day Off". Choose a day to do all chores with your dad and your sister or brother. Let your mom (enjoy)a relaxing day.
Being active. Ask your mom what you can help with. She probably has advice for things you (do) for her. If she (ask) for your help, don't refuse. She wouldn't ask if she didn't need your help. (not wait)until she tells you or asks to do something. Always help your mom, and she (be) very happy.
When I have trouble, I always ask Mom, "you help me?"But she always says, "Do it yourself, dear. " For example, one day I some friends to my home. The was dirty, so I asked my mom to help me sweep it. But she said , " Do it yourself, my boy. " I did it myself.
My mom is very with me. She doesn't wash my clothes clean my room. However, I have to help her do at home. I even have to go to the dentist by myself I have a toothache. Sometimes, it's really hard for me to do something by myself.
Now, I my mom. She is trying to my independence. She is really a good teacher in my life.
Mrs. Smith has two daughters. Let's have a look at what chores they do at home.
"Alice started doing chores when she was eight years old. At that time, she did the dishes with me together and she had to sweep the floor. She is ten years old now. She is now doing the dishes herself and has to take out the rubbish, too. "
"Amy is four and she started doing chores this July. She cleans the table after dinner and she also learns to fold her clothes. She likes to help me sweep. I asked her to help me mop the floor(拖地), but she fell down too many times. Sometimes she also helps her elder sister. Her work is usually not perfect(完美的). "
"Last week Alice got her pocket money, but lost it two days later. She didn't do her chores the next two days. She will get the money back if she can keep doing her chores every day till the end of this month. "
