EVENTS

Bicycle tour and race

A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27 (Sat. & Sun.). At 5：30 a．m., the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometers as a training leg. Then the next 55 kilometers leg,from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli.The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometers. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for playing at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.

Cost: 200 yuan　　Telephone: 84675027

Rock climbing

The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26­27 at the Huairou Mountain­climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众)．

Time/Date: 9—12 a．m. August 26—27

Telephone: 87143177, 87144850, Wang Zhenghua

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.

In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司)．

The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.

Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.

Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.

When Ronald Reagan, who was President of the USA from 1982 to 1989, died in 2004, many people remembered his good sense of humor. Reagan enjoyed a good joke and often made fun of himself. He was very old, almost 70 years of age, when he became President of the USA. Because of this, people often joked about his age. Once, during a meeting, President Reagan was complaining about some reporters who said that he could not hear very well. He wanted to prove that he was healthy and could hear well, so he took out his hearing aid, and said to the people at the meeting, “Say something.” One man pretended to speak. He moved his mouth and made movements with his hands. Everyone thought Reagan would be angry, but he laughed and listened for a very long time.

President Reagan not only enjoyed a good joke when he was relaxing, but he also liked to joke during serious situations. In 1981, he had a shot accident. At the hospital, he joked to the doctors that he hoped they supported him in the government and would let him alive. He was able to keep his sense of humor even when he was hurt.

A “Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent traveling or working. It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills. It's very popular in foreign countries.

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Although you don't have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better.

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A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time of challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn't always easy, but it is an important part of growing up. Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun.

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There's a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it's not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save you a lot of money. Gap year students often take a part­time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college. Clear learning goals can keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money.