Hosting an exchange student is a fun and exciting experience for the whole family. However, there are always preparations to be made before the student arrives. What should a family do to help make an exchange student feel at home?

An exchange student comes to explore a foreign culture, and getting on with his or her host family is part of that experience. The host family should be as considerate and kind to the exchange student as possible. If the exchange student is to have his or her own room, the preparation should begin here. This room should be as inviting as possible. The family should find out the student’s favorite color and some preferred accessories（饰物）. They may not want to paint the entire room navy blue（海蓝）, for example, but may want to include navy accessories such as a bedside lamp, trash can, or quilt. The room should ideally（理想地） have a desk, enough storage space and a closet or dresser. It might also be helpful to buy a full-length mirror and mount it on the closet door.

The host family should also check if the exchange student has any special needs and make sure they can meet these special requirements. A wheelchair ramp（斜面） or handrails in the bathroom might be necessary. An exchange student with special needs might even have a service animal, and consideration should be given to this situation as well.

A family should also be prepared for the exchange student to face homesickness（想家）. Most exchange programs have counselors（顾问） and other workers who are used to dealing with this, and they should be consulted as soon as possible. A family should also consult their own family doctor, letting him or her know that they have an exchange student in their home.

The Trouble With Chores (家庭杂务)

The twins, Jenna and Jeff, were good at most things. Their dad was good at most things, too. But there was one thing the twins and Dad were not good at—that was chores. It wasn’t that Dad and the twins didn’t want to do their chores. It was just that they always seemed to have reasons not to do them. And they had such good excuses.

“You’re right, my dear,” said Mum. “The grass does need cutting. But a spider has spun a wonderful web on the lawn mower and I haven’t the heart to put all her hard work to waste.”

“Mum,” said Jenna, “I know it’s my week to put up my cards. It’s just that I’m waiting for them to dry. They’ll be easier to scoop up that way.”

“Mum,” said Jeff, “may I skip setting the table tonight? There’s a TV show on the Ice Age, and I have to do a report on the Beast of Baluchistan.”

There were also the endless quarrels about who did what and who got the easy job. Mum sighed. If only Dad and the twins were as good at doing their chores as they were at arguing about them, life would be easier. Talking of chores, Mum thought instead of pushing them for chores, it would be a lot easier to do them herself. And that was what she did. She put away all cards and set and cleared the table. She chased the dust bunnies from under the furniture and cleaned up the twins’ messy room.

The twins did pick up and put away things occasionally. Dad did cut the grass once in a while. Not surprisingly, things began to slide. Everybody got a little unhappy, especially Mum, who spent much time doing chores. Something had to be done. But what?

Shoveling the snow had always been the best part about winter. Not that I thought it was fun, but my dad’s reaction to a clean driveway kept me going. He hated shoveling snow more than anything. So, I took it upon myself at eight years old to do it for him. Every time I saw snow fall from the sky, I knew the universe was ready to put me to work.

I would run and put on my jacket, snow boots to prepare myself for the work ahead. But every single time, before I went outside, I would stop by my older sister’s room to see if she wanted to help me. I knew she would say no, but I always asked anyway.

One day there was a lot of snow, and there was no way I would be able to clean it all up myself. It was getting dark, and I hated the thought of my dad having to shovel the snow after a long day of work. So I did the routine and knocked on my sister’s door. As I expected, she gave me the same old “no”. Annoyed, I asked again. Without saying anything further, she got up, pushed me out of the room and slammed (平地关上) the door in my face.

I stood there silently for a second. Then, I turned around, went out of the house, and set out in the cold to tackle the enemy that lay in my driveway. But I couldn’t calm down. I was really angry that she would leave me to battle this alone. All I wanted was some help. The more I remembered every “no” she had ever said to me, the angrier I became.

I fought tirelessly, my short arms swinging from side to side while the wind cut against my cheeks. After one long hour, I was not even halfway done. Looking at the victorious snow, I thought of Dad’s disappointment.

Feeling bitter and desperate, I couldn’t stop my tears.

My sister and I went outside.