Some of my fondest memories with my family are from when I was in middle school， when the three of us enjoyed trips that I remember vividly to this day. But during my younger days， like 4 or 5 years old， we vacationed in places like Cancun， Jamaica and Hawaii and I can't tell whether I actually recall those memories or whether I'm filling in the gaps through photo albums.

A frequent discussion I have with my coworkers and friends，' who are also in their 20s， is how we wish our parents had taken us on more vacations when we were much older. What I suggest is to hold off on those grand vacations until your kid is about 12， when they can begin to understand what a privilege is， and you can save the international travel until they're in high school. Of course， I do understand that sometimes， it's not the kids but the parents who just want to enjoy a vacation. But in other cases， when the main goal is to create family memories， you can still accomplish that in other ways.

It wasn't until college that I realized how important travel is， and I can't tell you how many times I've thought about wanting to redo those family trips now. Especially during a time in my life when an international trip is outside of my budget， I think about how much money my parents spent on our vacations that ended up being a complete blur.

I'm not telling you to deprive （剥夺） your children of fun family memories， either. I'm simply arguing that you should travel locally or within your state. Although your little ones might not care about the destination， they will remember that you are all together and have a great time. That's the  most important thing， anyway.

Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed

Six months preparation in Denmark: African studies， teamwork combined with soçial work withgroup teenagers.

Six months community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid， HIV/ AIDS Figure and Teacher Training.

Requirements: 18 years old， hard-working and socially engaged.

Please contact us by email: take action @ better world. com

Part-time Work with Exchange Students

Youth International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization. We welcome teenagers. from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something meaningful in the community and earn some extra money.

Applicants best suited for this work should like teenagers， have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication ， and feel comfortable with networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the U. S. Positions available in most states.

If interested， please email: staff@ youth. org or call 888-123-9872.

International Summer Job

Hi， I'm an ESL student in China. I'm 20 ， quiet and polite， and I can speak English. I am looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese， do housework and garden work， and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don't need to earn much， just enough to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world.

My email is ram3462 @ hot mail. com

Call for Native Speakers of English

I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet， and you don't need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task，you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers.

If you are willing to help me， then please email me: club3864 @ hotmail. com

The warm weather outside may look perfect for outdoor exercise. But for those 【小题1】 are not that sporty， what would be 【小题2】（nice） than having relaxing afternoon tea with a few good friends and taking 【小题3】 break?

But are you familiar with the culture of afternoon tea its origins， what 【小题4】（include）， and the proper etiquette（礼仪）? We sum up a few things you need to know about this traditional English custom so that you can enjoy it more.

While the tradition of 【小题5】（drink） tea dates back to about 3000 BC in China， it was not until the mid-17th century that the concept of “afternoon tea”first 【小题6】（appear） in the UK.

In 1840， Anna Maria Russell， the seventh Duchess of Bedford， started to ask for a tea tray with butter， bread and cakes at 4 pm every day，【小题7】 she found she was hungry at that time every day and the evening meal in her house was served late at 8 pm. She found this new habit difficult 【小题8】（break） and soon invited other ladies to join her.

This pause for tea quickly became a fashionable social event. 【小题9】 the 1880s， the upper class would put on gowns，【小题10】（glove） and hats for their afternoon tea.

   What is friendship? The answers may be different. 【小题1】 . We cannot live without friendship just as we cannot live without air or water. Friendship gives us a felling of safety  and  warmth， and friendship encourages us to go ahead all the time.

 【小题2】 . When we feel happy， we can share our happiness with friends. When we feel down， friends will comfort us. If we are overconfident， our friends can persuade us， and they can make us confident and brave when we are discouraged.

Friendship is valuable. It can touch your heart and give you hope. Many people are proud of having a good friend. 【小题3】 . If you help your friends for no reason but simply because they are your friends， this means that you regard（认为） your friends as yourself. This is true friendship.

In fact， friendship isn't always easily kept. 【小题4】，you should treat him or her in the way you want to be treated. Keep the secrets that your friend tells you. Keep your promise with your friend. Share things withyour friend. We should try our best to protect the friendship from being hurt.

Because of friendship， our lives are full of happiness. Therefore， the more friends we have， the more pleasures（乐事） we can share with them. Let's say “Thank you” to our friends for their love and care. 【小题5】， never forget to keep the beautiful friendship!

Of all my teachers， Mr Smith is the one who impress me most. While he is in his 40s， he looks very young for his age. Compare with other teachers， he paid much attention to the way of teaching. He tries various way to make his classes lively and interested. In his opinion， we should not only know “what it is” ， but to understand “why it is so”. He encourages us to think independently instead of giving us answer to a question immediate. Under his guidance， we've learned what to solve problems. He is so learned a person that we all admire her.