（1）

The Importance of Keeping a Positive Attitude

Things are not always going smoothly in our life. When facing difficulties and pressures， I think people should take a positive and optimistic attitude.

Take American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey for example. She was born in a poor family and had an unfortunate childhood. Though life was full of pains and miseries， Winfrey had a strong belief that she could go through hard times and live a better life. With her amazing positive attitude towards her future， she struggled and overcame many difficulties and made what she is today.

Therefore， a positive and optimistic attitude towards life can help us keep moving and give us power to pursue our dreams. Everyone should keep it.

（2）

Ways to Spend the Weekend

As can be seen from the chart， senior three students have different ways to spend their weekends. Going back home for a good rest is what most students do， while 25% students choose to study at school. The rest， accounting for 15%， take outdoor activities.

Various reasons are responsible for their different choices. Those who choose to go back home for a good rest believe that it does help them relax and work more efficiently. Outdoor activity lovers hold the opinion that taking exercise is a wonderful way to refresh themselves. However， a small number of students living far away from home tend to stay at school to save every minute to study.

Personally， despite the heavy study pressure， the senior three year doesnt mean that we should study all the time. Actually， a good rest and proper exercise are important too.

（3）

There are some people who have influenced me greatly， among whom my English teacher， Ms Wang impressed me most. Gentle and patient， she is a great teacher and friend in my eyes. I am also attracted by her positive attitude towards difficulties. Her motto is “keep going and everything will be fine”.

Once I failed again in the math test， for which I had been working hard for months. I was so frustrated that I told her I would give up trying. She patted me on my shoulder and said， “Life is always full of challenges. A brave man will not escape from difficulties.” I found the courage from her inspiring words.

What she teaches me is to stay positive and confident however hard life is. Now I have learned to face difficulties with smile and courage.

（4）

My Hobby

Hobbies play an important role in our daily life. My hobby is playing table tennis， one of the most popular sports in my school. I began playing table tennis when I was six and now I am a good player.

Playing table tennis brings me the excitement of physical exercise and joyful life experience. For example， it brings me the chance to make more friends， which helped me adjust myself to the high school life easily and quickly. Whats more， after a long， tiring day of study， an exciting table tennis match can definitely refresh and energize me. I also learn to be a strong and confident person from the sport spirit.

（5）

August 8， 2014

Dear Tom，

Im so excited to hear from you and know that you are coming to my school as a visiting student next month. I would like to tell you the brief plan for your visit here.

We have planned that you are going to attend our classes to see how we Chinese students learn in class. And youll have a chance to talk to my classmates face to face， which I think will be great fun. In addition， there are a lot of scenic spots in our city. Youll explore the ancient Chinese architecture and modern business centers as well. And you wont miss our delicious food.

One more thing， I will be very happy if you can stay with me when you come. Homestay can be a good way to know we Chinese students daily life and we are sure to have a great time together.

Im looking forward to your coming.

Best，

Li Hua

（6）

There are so many impressive memories in my high school. I can well remember one embarrassing moment when I just started my high school life.

I used to be a shy and quiet boy who was afraid of talking in public. When the new term started， my English teacher asked every student to give a self-introduction in class. When it was my turn， I felt so nervous that I just couldnt say anything. My face was burning and I began to stutter. My classmates were laughing. It made me terribly ashamed of myself.

From then on， I decided to become a good speaker. So I took every opportunity to talk in public and improve my pronunciation， and I made it. This experience told me that we can change for the better if we are determined.

（7）

How to spend your high school life successfully？ The following is what I want to share with you.

What comes first is that you must learn to study effectively and efficiently. Just doing homework or listening to your teacher doesnt mean you are a good learner. You have to develop self-learning ability， because it is only your own desire for knowledge that will lead you to success.

My second suggestion is to learn from failure. You may fail time after time or you may fall behind your classmates. However， you need to stay positive and force yourself to keep going， and you will gain the final victory.

Last but not least， join school clubs. Taking part in club activities will bring you more friends and happy experiences of school life.

（8）

Where Is My Time Being Spent

Everyone seems to be much occupied with this or that nowadays. We students are among the busiest， who mostly sit in classrooms， buried in piles of exercise books or compelled to take test after test. Occasionally I have sports or even think of being absent from school to watch games for a change. To be frank， that is not my desired life. But what can I do about it？

I am dreaming of managing my time by myself， with more time to get closer to nature， visit tourist attractions， do some voluntary work to help those in need， or just leave myself time for daydreaming.

If time permits， I also hope to develop some interests or even develop one into my career so that I will enjoy my job and my life at the same time. Isnt it a good idea？

（9）

We Learn from Mistakes

Mistakes can be enormously valuable， and we learn from the mistake we have made.

Years ago， I had a strong competitor in my class. I was jealous of her because she studied well and it seemed that all my teachers liked her a lot. At that time， I was organizing a school singing competition. As a leading judge， I gave bad comments on her performance and she failed. But actually she was not as bad as I thought and I knew that was out of my jealousy. I dont know whether she knew the truth， but what I know now is that I didnt win. On the contrary， I am ashamed of what I have done.

What I learned from the mistake is that being jealous can actually harm ourselves and a real competitor always choose to play fairly. Making mistakes makes me grow up.

（10）

Happiness shared is doubled， while sorrow shared is halved. We are encouraged to share our happiness or sorrow with people around us because when shared， happiness along with positive energy can be passed on to others. Sorrow， on the contrary， can be eased through others warm and encouraging words.

For example， when I was in senior one， I often failed in maths. It made me depressed. I told my friends how I felt. They listened to me patiently and gave me their advice， from which I benefited a lot. The hugs and nice words showed their support， greatly eased my pain and raise me up.

Remember to share happiness and sorrow with others， youll see the magic power of sharing.

（11）

Should We Ban Spring Outing

My class had a heated discussion about whether we should ban spring outing.

Opponents claim that benefits of spring outing are obvious. Teenagers should not be deprived of the opportunity to get close to nature， which can refresh our body and mind and ease the stress of the school work. It goes without saying that we can acquire some life skills and teamwork spirit by participating in outdoor activities.

However， supporters say that every year， accidents resulting from spring outings are reported around the country. Safety should always come first and they suggest having some indoor activities as an alternative.

From my perspective， spring outings should not be banned because we students can enjoy and learn a lot from this kind of outdoor activities if they are properly organized.

（12）

We have all seen or experienced some improper behaviors in the classroom. Once I was buried in my homework during the class break when I heard a cry of anger. I turned around and surprisingly found two boys wrestling with each other. They were fighting！ Soon some classmates managed to separate them and calmed them down. Luckily， neither of them was hurt， but the whole class became silent and we were all exposed to a nervous atmosphere. The fight really affected our mood and we felt sorry for what had happened in our class.

To stop or reduce such bad behaviors， we students should always keep school rules in mind and develop the awareness of understanding and tolerance to make our class a peaceful place to study in.

（13）

July 1， 2014

Dear Mrs Jackson，

My name is Li Hua， a student from your class. I enjoy your class a lot. Your unique and interesting teaching style is very popular with us students.

In order to make your class more productive and popular， I would like to give you some advice. First， if you can slow down a little bit when you speak， it would be easier for us to follow you. Besides， wed like to know more about American students school life. It will be great if you can find some pictures or videos to show their life with more detailed and vivid information. Finally， I wonder if you could let us know your teaching schedule so that we know what we are going to learn in advance.

Thank you for teaching us again and I wish you a great time here in our school.

Yours sincerely，

Li Hua

（14）

July 1， 2014

Dear editor，

My name is Li Hua and I greatly welcome the free bicycle service in our city. More and more people have benefited from the service since January and it is well-received by us citizens. The advantages of the free bicycle service are obvious.

Firstly， it brings great convenience for people to get around in the city. People dont have to waste time waiting for a bus or spend money on taxis. Secondly， thanks to the service， the busy traffic stress is being released a lot because more people choose to ride bicycles instead of driving. Most importantly， I believe the air will be fresher and cleaner as fewer cars will be running in the streets. In addition， its also a great way for people to keep fit.

Hopefully， there will be more people using this means of transportation and get involved to make our city more beautiful.

Sincerely，

Li Hua

（15）

My Favorite Song

As we all know， music is part of our life. Now I want to introduce my favorite song to you.

The name of the song is “Snail”， sung by Jay Chou， a famous pop singer in China. This is an inspiring song which tells us that whatever difficulties you meet， do not give up your dream and keep making the effort， and finally you will reach the beautiful places where you wish to be.

Every time I lose heart and feel hopeless I will listen to this song and it can always bring the courage and confidence back to me. The beautiful melody and encouraging words help lift me up and keep me going and I believe that my dream will come true one day.