【推荐1】Walk Through History

It’s no surprise to anyone who’s been to Charleston that it is among the best US cities to visit. “It can feel like you’re in a dream sometimes, like you’ve stepped back 200 years,” says Brian Sim ms, the owner of Charleston Sole Walking Tours. These are Sim ms’s must-sees.

“People don’t realize how much African culture is here.” says Sim ms. He recommends learning about the African-A merican heritage that shaped the city, region and country to fully understand Charleston.

Gullah Tours offers a two-hour bus tour for $ 18.www.gullahtours.com

A large public park and garden with walking paths and artifacts (人工制品)—all shaded by beautiful trees.

Middleton Placeis a historic plantation(种植园) with vivid exhibits and a working table. It provides an all-around view of what was going on with the history of the families that ran the plantation.

$ 28 / adult; $ 15 / student 14 and older; $ 10 / child 6-13; free / under age 6.www.middleton place.org

Marking the site where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, this historic place includes several sites around Charleston Harbor and an education center at Gadsden’s Wharf. The best time of yearto visitis spring—when the azaleas(杜鹃花) are flowering—or fall.

Admission is free； boat ride is $ 19.5 / adult, $ 12 / child. www.nps.gov/fosu

【推荐2】Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.

The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history.” Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.

A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.

I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.

【推荐3】It’s a Saturday morning in a large courtyard. Young designers sell their creations, from fine tea sets to hand-painted earrings. I could be in east London until standard Chinese tones remind me I’m in Jingdezhen, a small Chinese city.

Centuries ago, when Europeans first saw Chinese porcelain, it seemed so fine that they concluded it must have been made with magic and called it “white gold”.

They couldn’t find out how it was made, but they knew where it came from: the town of Changnan. Changnan porcelain was so in demand that early traders began calling the whole country by this town’s name.

Two million years after porcelain’s invention, the town, now called Jingdezhen, is still one of the world’s most important centers for porcelain production.

“The people are the most important treasure here. Their roots are deep in history,” says Zhang Jia. She’s part of a new wave of designers who have come to Jingdezhen to learn techniques handed down and refined over a hundred generations. “This is the best place to study porcelain in China, perhaps in the entire world,” she adds.

Chinese artists aren’t the only ones drawn here. Founded in 2005 by Caroline Cheng, the Pottery Workshop runs classes for visitors from around the world.

Paul told me that when he first visited Jingdezhen there were no street lamps and only dirty pavements. There were workshops but their goods were bought by traders and sold elsewhere. These days, stylish cafes and bars pop up next to concept stores. At one such shop, I admired some tiny teacups like birds.

With the popularity of the Pottery Workshop, China’s young people are more interested in unique individually-made products. Many of the designers are using Jingdezhen’s master craftsmen to make them because they know they offer quality, attention to detail.

【推荐1】On 2 September, 1666, the citizens of London woke to see the city's crowded wooden houses on fire. The fire started in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane in the early hours of the morning. By the time it burned Alit Otis 5 September around 13, 000 buildings had been destroyed, including the original St Paul's Cathedral, 87 churches and 52 company halls. Between 65, 000 and 80, 000 people lost their homes, although thankfully only a handful were recorded as having been killed. The estimated cost of the fire was around 10 million pounds.

Soon after the fire, several designs work put forward for the redevelopment of London,   among them once from Wren, a favorite or King Charles TI. A common theme was streets spreading out from the river and crossing with others running parallel to it. However, a lack of money to buy the land and the need to rebuild the city quickly ruined all his grand ideas.

Instead, nearly 3,000 houses were built within the first three years, mostly back on the original layout.

The task of getting London rebuilt was given to a commits of six men, including Wren. Their role was to manage surveys of ruined properties and consider the fun and scald of new buildings, and any adjustments to the streets.

The major roads were widened to reduce the risk of fires spreading in futile. For the same reason, buildings were constructed largely from brick and stone instead of wood. Guidelines were also made for the height of houses and about how much wood could be used on the outside. There was even a new rule insisting on the use of downpipes, to stop problems with rainwater flowing down from gutters（排水沟）.

Although others designed and rebuilt many properties in Lincoln after the Great Fire, Wren was the most productive architect. In total, he designed and supervised the construction of 52 churches, 36 company halls, two great hospitals and St Paul's Cathedral, all of which took 35 years to complete. Many of' these still stand today. Wren was also one of the architects of the 62 meter﹣tall Monument, a memorial to the Great Fir which stands close to the sit where it started.

【推荐2】In Europe many people died during the Second World War. As a result, at the end of the war there were many orphans (孤儿) there. A man called Hermann Gmeiner wanted to help these children. His idea was simple. He wanted orphans to have a home, and he wanted them to have the care and kindness of parents. Gmeiner asked people to give him some money. With this money he built the first SOS Children's Village at Imst, in Austria. It opened in1949. This is how the SOS stand for “Save Our Souls.” This means, “Please help us!” An SOS Children’ village gives help to orphans. Hermann Gmeiner’s idea for helping orphans soon spread all over the world. By 1983 there were 170 SOS Children's Villages in the world. People in many countries give money to help the villages.

Today the children from the first village have grown up. Now some of them work in other SOS Children’s Villages. In SOS Villages orphans live in family groups. There are several houses in each village. The biggest village has 40 or 50 houses! Between seven and ten children live in a house. A woman lives with each group of children and looks after them. She gives the children a lot of love and kindness. She cooks meals for them and makes comfortable, happy home for them.

Of course, the children don’t spend all their time in the village. They go to school; they go out with their friends. But the village gives them a home—sometimes for the first time in their lives.

【推荐3】Wearing sports clothes, many Chinese people will go outdoors happily with their families or friends on March 12. They are just planting trees on this special day―China's Arbor Day （中国植 树节）.

When it comes to China's Arbor Day, we can't help thinking of Mr. Ling Daoyang. He was born in 1888. When he worked as an English teacher in Beijing, he got a chance to study forestry （林业）at Yale University. After graduating in 1914, he returned to China and became a famous expert in forestry science. In 1915, he advised that the Qingming Festival should also be China's Arbor Day. His suggestion was welcomed by most people. In 1929, National Arbor Day was moved to March 12, the day Mi. Sun Yat-sen passed away, who did much to support forestry.

In 1979, March 12 was officially announced as China's Arbor Day. Since then, thousands of trees have been planted all over China, making our country much more beautiful.

China's Arbor Day is educational for all of us. It reminds us that we should protect our earth and thank our old generations, who planted green, hope and joy for us.