【推荐2】Creative writing: telling your family story

Do you want to write up your own story or that of a family member? Do you want to produce a record for generations to come, or simply write for your own pleasure? Plan your story, make use of old photographs, and mine history to paint your own picture of the past.

This isn’t a course about researching family history. It is primarily a creative writing course where students use their own family histories as material (素材). Learn how to find information, what you can draw from it, and how you might shape it to produce your own story.

Schedule:

Orientation (培训) Week: 11-17 July

Teaching Weeks: 18 July-21 August

Feedback (反馈) Week: 22-28 August

This course is completed online. Each week of an online course is equal to 2-3 hours of classroom time.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule, our courses don’t require students to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day.

Unless otherwise stated, all course materials will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be referred to at any time throughout the duration of the course.

Entry requirements:

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our online courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to improve their personal or professional development. They are taught by teachers who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command (掌握) of the English language in order to get the most out of the course.

【推荐3】Summer Classes at the Community Center

The Community Center is offering adult summer classes again this year.The schedule(时间表)includes classes in basic computer skills，painting，drawing，and dance.

Registration

There are two ways to register for classes：

Go to our website：www.cc.org/classes/summerschedule. Click on “Class Descriptions”to see a full listing of the classes this summer.Decide which class or classes you are interested in.

Then click on “Register Now” and a registration form will appear.Complete the form and work out the amount of money you should pay for your classes.This will include the cost of your classes plus a $15 registration fee(费用)．Any material fees will be payable to the instructor on the first day of class.In addition，if your address is outside of the city，you will pay an additional fee of $25 per class.

Fill in your credit card(信用卡)information and click “Send Now”．You will receive registration confirmation by e­mail.

If you do not have access to a computer，you can call the Community Center at 872­555­5068 to request a class schedule and registration form.Choose your classes from the schedule，complete the form，and return it by mail with your credit card information.

Withdrawal(退学)Policy

Full refunds（退款），minus(减去)the $25 registration fee，will be given for any withdrawals made up to one week before the class begins.Withdrawals made before the start of the second class will receive a 50 percent refund，minus the registration fee.No refunds will be made after the start of the second class.

Classes offered by the Community Center are for adults only.You must be eighteen years of age or older to participate.Classes for children and teens are offered through the City Department of Recreation.

【推荐1】China has the history of more than five thousand years. As a result, there are many traditional arts that have been inherited (传承), such as paper cutting. People can use scissors to cut different shapes, like flowers and animals. Paper cutting has a history of more than 1, 500 years. It was widespread particularly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Let’s learn about paper cutting.

Wonderful meanings

Paper cutting has some wonderful meanings. In our mind, paper cuttings can always bring us happiness and good luck. At the Spring Festival, people put up “Fu” on doors or windows. At a wedding, people usually put up “Xi”.

The largest paper cutting in the world

The largest paper cutting was made by Guo Xiaodong. It has an area of about 456 square meters. It is as large as a basketball court.

Why are most paper cuttings red?

In old times, people respected the sun. Red is the color of the sun. We always regard red as the symbol of hope and good luck. Now, we can still see red everywhere in China. The walls of old palaces are red. Lanterns are red. Weddings are always full of red things, too.

Black paper cutting in Shanzhou

It is true that the color most frequently used in paper cutting is red, which symbolizes health and prosperity. But paper cuttings in Shanzhou, Henan Province are black. Black is the best color there. Shanzhou is a dry place. The local people make black paper cuttings to wish for rain.

【推荐2】How to Set Up an Art Exhibition

When you’ re displaying your own work, it’ s a real challenge to bring together so many different elements in a meaningful way,     1    . You should do something as follows:

Choose a specific theme

A good art exhibition should be characterized by a specific theme that ties the different pieces together and makes them feel like part of a larger whole. Think carefully about the message you want your exhibition to convey. It could be an image or phenomenon, a feeling or a certain visual technique.     2    .

Select your most impressive works

Pick out a few of your best or most impressive pieces to put on display. If the exhibition is meant to highlight your own work, you’ll need to have 30 individual pieces.     3    . Plan on exhibiting more pieces if the work you do tends to be on a large scale.

    4    

Do some research into other artists in your area and see whether they would be interested in your exhibition. Holding an exhibition with other artists will also allow you to reduce some cost. Be sure to give other artists proper credit for their works.

Involve in different art forms

    5    . Feel free to more works from photographers, sculptors and other artists. A wide-ranging selection will contribute to a good atmosphere. You might also consider inviting poets or musicians to perform at the event.

【推荐1】We all remember the first adventure novel where for the first time our imaginations were lit by whispers of buried treasure, lost worlds, and faraway jungles. As Jane Eyre says: “It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.”

Luckily, here are some of the best adventure books, which might make the act of finding action easier for you! Click on the book name for detailed information.

Jaws by Peter Benchley

The 1974 book inspired Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie — which then made beach attendance drop dramatically in 1975. Jaws is the story of three men’s quest to kill a human-eating great white shark. It’s a high-stakes adventure on the sea, which holds more dangers than anyone could have ever imagined.

Children of the Comet by Donald Moffitt

In the far future, a small community lives in space and harvests frozen air to make a living. But what happens when hunters from neighboring comets — and humans on starships — appear on the scene? This is a cosmic adventure in a very literal sense, as our young hero, Torris, tries to survive on a comet made entirely of ice.

Children of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

This book launched the legend of an orphaned boy who is adopted by apes in the African jungle. Named Tarzan, the boy eventually has to prove himself on two fronts: the animal kingdom and the even more threatening world of humans.

Raptor Red by Robert T. Bakker

Unlike any other book out there, Raptor Red is told entirely from the third-person point of view of Raptor Red, a female Utahraptor. Robert T. Bakker, the author, expertly draws upon heartfelt research about the Cretaceous Period to bring a prehistoric Earth to life as Raptor Red struggles to survive in a dinosaur-eat-dinosaur world.

【推荐2】The Most Beautiful Islands in the World

Mo’orea is a place to relax and appreciate the quietness and beauty of nature. Experience the island’s real Tahitian culture and explore beautiful nature on foot. Pass by white churches and sleepy fishing villages, and stop along the way to buy some fruit, fresh fish or an ice-cold coconut.

Kaua’i, Hawaii

Kaua’i is also named “the garden island”. On the south shore, you’ll find sites with cultural, historical, and geological significance alongside beautiful beaches. The island of Kaua’i has been featured in more than seventy Hollywood movies and television shows, notably Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Jurassic World.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has long appealed to the adventurous, with mountains to climb, thick forests to explore and ancient sunk ships to discover in its warm Indian Ocean waters. There are beautiful beaches, but with so much to see and do, finding the time to lie back and relax might prove to be a challenge. Whether on land or out at sea, exploration always calls and the curiosity cannot be resisted.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

The Ko Phi Phi is located in the Andaman Sea, a marginal sea of the Indian Ocean. Located off the west coast of southern Thailand, it offers an interesting range of plants and animal species. The island guides can take you to the amazing forest where you’ll see many animals, like monkeys, snakes and wild birds.