During my childhood in the 1960s, my parents were always busy with work and meetings. They left early in the morning and came back late in the evening. My sisters, my brother and I were left alone with Grandma. We saw our parents only on Sundays and during the few holidays. The only long period （一段）of time during which the whole family could be together once a year was the Spring Festival. We missed our parents badly, but didn’t say so because we had been told that hard work was everyone’s duty and that we could not have our own small family without a big family.　　  Later I was a hard working student and, during summer or winter holidays, often stayed alone at university to have more time to study. I was always encouraged by my parents, for whom the holiday was less important than “work” and “study”. Holidays were a waste of time and I felt as if I had done something wrong if I took a holiday or did nothing during a holiday.

I spent the most difficult period of my life abroad. But when I joined this company, my boss didn’t seem to think it right for me to work like that. When I called him at home after office hours for business purposes （目的）, he politely told me that he preferred talking about work with me in the office.

When the holiday season came near, he asked me to plan my leave beforehand （提前）. He talked with me about his holiday and also asked about mine. For him, leave was a right.　　  Giving up a holiday for the company is encouraged in China, but is foolish here. I began to think about holidays.

Today my parents are retired （退休）and stay home with a lot of time for their children. But we are all grown- up and live far away. We miss each other, but we cannot afford to see each other very much and they often feel sorry for the fact that they were too busy to be able to take care of us when we were young.

Nowadays, Chinese take long weekends and have paid holidays. But do they use their holidays to enjoy family life? I hope so because my experience in China and Europe has helped me understand that work is not my whole life and that a family is also very important. I do not want to feel sorry in the future as my parents do and I certainly spend as much time with my son as possible. There is nothing wrong with either working hard or taking holidays, but we shouldn’t have one instead of the other. It is important to keep a balance （平衡）between work and play.   

1. What do the underlined words “paid leave” mean?

A. You have to pay when you take a holiday.　　 

B. Someone will pay for your holiday.　　 

C. You are still paid when you have your holiday.　　

D. You can’t leave until you pay for the holiday.   

2. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Working is the only part of the life.      

B. Traveling is the best way to spend your holiday.　　 

C. Enjoying holidays is as important as working　　 

D. Sharing happiness with your family is more important   

3. The writer talks about her own experience because she hopes that the Chinese will _______.　　  A. plan their holiday beforehand　　  B. get used to long holidays and enjoy themselves　　  C. give up a holiday for their work　　   D. bring business home after work hours

What to do if you don't feel popular？

●Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.

●Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay. If they are nice.　

●Be yourself. If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.

●Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing. But don't overdo it！Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a diary.

●Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage（拼贴画）to hang on your wall. This will remind you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.

●Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.

What to do if you have a problem with your teacher？

●Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.

●Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance.

●Try to find out what the problem is.

●Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty（闹别扭的）, but express your concerns（关心）. Listen to the teacher, as well.

●Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.

1.What do we mean by saying“ not feeling popular？”

A．Not liked by our classmates or workmates.    

B．Not doing what we want.

C．Not showing any interest in anything.        

D．Not so happy.

2.What does the underlined word “overdo” mean?

A．Do something too much or in an extreme way. 

B．Work too hard.

C．Do something carefully.                   

D．Try your best to do something.

3.The writer________________.

A．believes that your friend will help you out if you take their pictures

B．suggests that you discuss the reason of problem with your teacher when you feel uncomfortable

C．wants you to know that students usually hates teachers

D．is not too sure if his advice will certainly work on you

4.What's the best title of this passage？

A．Why We Have Problems at School？ 

B．Always be Yourself.

C．How to Solve Problems at School？ 

D．Don't Be Afraid of Problems With Others.

What to do if you don't feel popular？
●Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.
●Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay. If they are nice.　
●Be yourself. If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.
●Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing. But don't overdo it！Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a diary.
●Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage（拼贴画）to hang on your wall. This will remind you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.
●Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.
What to do if you have a problem with your teacher？
●Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.
●Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance.
●Try to find out what the problem is.
●Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty（闹别扭的）, but express your concerns（关心）. Listen to the teacher, as well.
●Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.
【小题1】What do we mean by saying“ not feeling popular？”

What to do if you don't feel popular?
● Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.
● Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay, if they are nice.
● Be yourself (保持独立). If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.
● Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing (开朗的). But don't overdo it! Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a journal (期刊) or diary.
● Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage (拼贴画) to hang on your wall. This will remind (提醒) you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.
● Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.
What to do if you have a problem with your teacher?
● Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.
● Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance (机会).
● Try to find out what the problem is.
● Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty (闹别扭的), but express your concerns (关心). Listen to the teacher, as well.
● Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.
【小题1】What do we mean by saying "not feeling popular"?