1. I have to study too much so I don’t get enough sleep.

Why don’t you go camping with your friends this weekend?

2. I have too much homework so I don’t have any free time to do things I like.

Why don’t you go to sleep earlier this evening?

Problems and advice:

4. I have too many after-school classes.

5. I got into a fight with my best friend.

3. My parents don’t allow me to hang out with my friends.

Why not read some interesting books at home?

Why don’t you talk about it with your parents?

Why not call him up?

You look sad, Kim. What’s wrong?

Well, I found my sister looking through my things yesterday. She took some of my new magazines and CDs.

Hmm… that’s not very nice. Did she give them back to you?

cloud n. 云 ; 云朵 elder adj. 年纪较长的

communication

n. 交流 ; 沟通

1. relation n. 关系 ; 联系 ; 交往e.g. Their relation seemed quite close. 他们的关系看起来很亲密。2. argue v. 争吵 ; 争论

e.g. The couple began to argue

about the child’s education.

那对夫妇开始就孩子的教育问题争吵。

3. proper adj. 正确的；恰当的e.g. It’s not proper to visit a friend too late in the evening. 太晚了，去看朋友不合适。4. nervous adj. 焦虑的；担忧的e.g. Don’t be nervous. It is just a small test. 不要紧张。就是个小测试而已。5. clear adj. 清楚易懂的；晴朗的e.g. The sun shone out of a clear sky. 天空晴朗，阳光灿烂。

Yes, I can. My parents care for me and I like to talk with them.

I think so. Though they argued sometimes, they get on well with each other most of the time.

2. Are the relations between your parents good?

1. Can you get on well with your family?

Yes. I have a brother. We are not good with each other. We always get into fight. He always refuses to let me watch my favorite TV show.

I always talk to my best friend and ask her for help.

4. Who do you ask for help when you have problems?

3. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Can you get on well with him/her?

3a Read the article quickly and

answer the questions.

He can’t get on with his family.

He always feels lonely and nervous.

2. How does he feel at home?

1. What’s Sad and Thirteen’s problem?

Read the article again and fill in the chart.

Problems Advice

His parents fight a lot, he really doesn’t like it.

Talk about the feelings with his family. Do more jobs around the house.

His brother isn’t nice to him. He refuses to let him watch his favorite TV show.

Sit down and communicate with his brother.

Read the article again and fill in the

blanks.1. Sad and Thirteen has some _________.

He can’t ____________ his family. His

parents _____ a lot. It’s the only

______________ they have. When they

_____, it’s like a big black cloud

____________ their home. He doesn’t

like it.

get on with

problems

argue

fight

communication

hanging over

His brother always watches TV whatever

he wants until midnight. He _______ to

let him watch his favorite TV show. So

He always feels ______ and ________ at

home.

refuses

lonely nervous

2. Robert Hunt thinks Sad and

Thirteen should __________ these

feelings to his family. He should _____

to help.offer

talk about

Maybe he ______________ jobs

around the house so that they have

more time

_______________________. Second,

he could sit down and

________________ his brother. He

could ________ that he __________

him watching TV all the time,

however, he should let him watch his

_____________.

don’t mind

could do more

for proper communication

communicate with

explain

favorite show

Do you agree or disagree with

Mr. Hunt’s advice? Why?

1. I agree with his advice. Because more

communication can make family

members understand each other

better and know about the feelings

they have.

3b

2. I don’t agree with his advice. I

don’t think their parents should

fight any more. They should care

more about their children and

spend more time with them.

Which words or phrases in the letters

have the same or similar meanings as

the following? Write a sentence using

each word or phrase.

make sth. clear — explain Can you explain to me how to do thismath problem? talk — _____________ _____________________________________________________________________

communicate

The two friends hasn’t communicated with each other for two years.

3c

worried — ________ _____________________________________________________________________ get along with — ____________________________________________________________________________________

nervous

He was very nervous during his first job interview.

get on with

Linda can’t get on well with her elder sister.

not allow — _______ ______________________________________________________________________The workers refused to work on weekends.

refuse

1. My problem is that I can’t get on with

my family.

get on with 和睦相处；关系良好 相当于 get along with 。e.g. The child doesn’t get on well

with others.

那个小孩不合群。

2. Instead he watches whatever he wants

until late at night.

1) instead adv. 代替；反而；却 e.g. Lee was ill so I went instead.

李病了，所以我去了。

instead是副词，常置于句子末尾。instead of是介词短语，后接名词、代词、动名词等。

2) whatever pron. 任何；无论什么 相当于 no matter what

e.g. Whatever I suggest, he always

disagrees.

无论我提什么建议，他都不同意。3. If your parents are having

problems, you should offer to help.

offer v. 主动提出；自愿给予

offer侧重主动或愿意给予，主动提出做某事。常用结构： offer sb. sth. 或offer to do sth.

e.g. She offered me a cup of tea.

她给我端了杯茶。 He offered to go instead of me.

他主动提出代替我去。

e.g. Li Mei can easily communicate

with foreigners in English.

李梅能用英语与外国人轻松交流。

4. Secondly, why don’t you sit down and

communicate with your brother?

1) communicate v. 交流；沟通communicate with sb. 与某人交流

辨析 : second 和 secondly second 用作序数词或形容词， 意为“第二”，常修饰名词。 secondly 是副词，意为“其次，第二”，常用来修饰整个句子。如：

2) secondly adv. 第二；其次

First, it’s very expensive. Secondly, it’s

ugly. 首先，它很贵。其次，它很难看。The second day of a week is Monday.

一周的第二天是星期一。

5. Can you explain to me how to do this

math problem?

explain v. 解释；说明 explain + that / what/ why等从句 explain sth. (to sb.)（向某人）解释某事e.g. Can you explain what this means?

你能解释一下这个的意思吗？ Please explain it to me.

请你向我解释一下吧。

一、选词填空。

instead argue nervous proper explain

1. My cousin is _______ in front of

strangers.

2. He could not come up with a

______ answer. proper

nervous

3. The TV shows are boring. Why not

play cards _______?

4. I don’t want to _______ with you. It’s

waste of time.

5. Please _______ to her how to use a

computer.

instead

argue

explain

instead argue nervous proper explain

二、用括号中单词的适当形式填空。1. All the ______________ (communicate)

with the outside world was broken.

2. Jim is a doctor. His ________ (old)

brother is an engineer.

elder

communication

3. After high school Mike got a job

instead of ________ (go) to university.

4. It’s very kind of you to offer _______

(help) us on the weekend.

5. Firstly we don’t have much money,

________ (second) we are too

busy.

going

to help

secondly

1. Read the article several times after

school.

2. Make sentences with these words:

argue; whatever; instead; nervous;

explain; offer to do sth.;

communicate with…