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

How much should you save? You may be able to save 100% of your money. Does that mean you should? Not at all. The best way to develop good saving habits is to make saving a regular part of your life, along with spending.
Here is the rule you should remember: save before spending. Whenever some money gets into your hands, from a job or your pocket money or whatever, take your savings out immediately, before spending any of the money. The beauty of this system is that if you take away your savings, you are free to spend the rest.
Here are some more suggestions on how to successfully get into the saving habit from teens. Let’s see!
Tony,13: I put my money in a bank instead of my wallet, so the money is not there. And I have to take an extra step to get it.
Bill,14: When considering a major purchase(购买), wait a week or so, at least. This will help you make sure if you still want it, and the price might go down.
Dick, 13: Carry very little money always. You can’t spend money if you don’t have it. A cake would be nice, but without a dollar, you can’t get it. Little things like that really add up quickly.
Steve,16: I used to be weak when it came to money. I bought something whenever I went into a store. I’m glad I’m not that person now. I taught myself discipline by keeping a $20 bill in my pocket while waking around the mall all day and not buying anything. Now I have no strong wish to buy things when I go into a store. It works for me.
These ideas should help you get started. If you have some questions about anything you’ve read here, or would like to share your ideas about saving money, please write to us.
【小题1】How does Tony advise you about saving money?

How much should you save? You may be able to save 100% of your money. Does that mean you should? Not at all. The best way to develop good saving habits is to make saving a regular part of your life, along with spending.

Here is the rule you should remember: save before spending. Whenever some money gets into your hands, from a job or your pocket money or whatever, take your savings out immediately, before spending any of the money. The beauty of this system is that if you take away your savings, you are free to spend the rest.

Here are some more suggestions on how to successfully get into the saving habit from teens. Let’s see!

Tony,13: I put my money in a bank instead of my wallet, so the money is not there. And I have to take an extra step to get it.

Bill,14: When considering a major purchase(购买), wait a week or so, at least. This will help you make sure if you still want it, and the price might go down.

Dick, 13: Carry very little money always. You can’t spend money if you don’t have it. A cake would be nice, but without a dollar, you can’t get it. Little things like that really add up quickly.

Steve,16: I used to be weak when it came to money. I bought something whenever I went into a store. I’m glad I’m not that person now. I taught myself discipline by keeping a $20 bill in my pocket while waking around the mall all day and not buying anything. Now I have no strong wish to buy things when I go into a store. It works for me.

These ideas should help you get started. If you have some questions about anything you’ve read here, or would like to share your ideas about saving money, please write to us.

1.How does Tony advise you about saving money?

A．By keeping money in a bank.

B．By putting money in a wallet.

C．By making it easy to get your money.

D．By buying little things.

2.According to Billy, if you want to buy something expensive, you’d better_________.

A．wait at least a month

B．make sure it’s necessary

C．wait until it’s for sale

D．ask somebody for help

3.According to the passage, Steve is the person who _______.

A．didn’t carry any money

B．can’t wait to spend his money now

C．didn’t use to buy anything in a store

D．doesn’t spend money quickly and carelessly now

4.Where is the passage most probably from?

A．A dictionary       B．The instructions     C．A newspaper       D．An advertisement.

5.The writer wrote the passage in order to ask teens to_______.

A．make major purchases

B．save 100% of their money

C．spend all their savings regularly

D．save money regularly as well as spending