HOPE BOOK CLUBS

A book club is a small group of persons that are reading the same book in order to share different feelings and opinions about the book. Discover new world, learn new ideas and make new friends!

The book clubs meet once a month for an hour of lively discussion. All students (3+), teachers and parents are welcomed!

What you can and should do:

● You will read the book on your own and then discuss your reading in your book club.

● You must keep up with your reading so that you can join as a part of your group.

● Your book club will decide what pages or chapters (章节) you will read.

● Each member will keep a journal (日志) to take down notes and thoughts as you read.

● Everyone in your group is expected to take part in the book club and join in the conversation.

More tips:

● Keep our place clean.

● No pets and no smoking.

● Take good care of books and return them on time

● You must ask for leave if you cannot attend the discussion.

If you are interested, call 48725666 or 48726655, send an email to hopebook@ yahoo. com or visit our website www. hopebooksclub. com.

How would you like to build a time machine? Paper, sticks, glue and string are all you need. Put them together to build a kite. A kite connects you to the past.

No one knows who flew the first kite. It was probably someone in China or perhaps Indonesia. Indonesian fishermen hung fishhooks on kites and sent them out to sea to catch fish. Starting 2,000 years ago, Chinese farmers flew kites to welcome the New Year and bring good luck to Earth. In China, people also used kites during wartime. One Chinese story tells how soldiers put noise makers on kites and flew them at night over the enemy camp. The enemies were frightened by the noise and ran away.

About 1,300 years ago, Chinese travellers took kites to Japan. Soon kites filled the skies there. Kites reached Thailand about 700 years ago. During floods, Thai farmers flew kites over their fields, hoping the kites wold drive away the clouds and stop the rain. Over time, kites flew their way out of Asia. Today, kites are a passion all over the world. Kite fans meet at festivals in many parts of the world and have great fun.

Over the years, kites have also helped people understand the natural world. In 1749, thermometers were tied to kites to measure temperatures. In 1906, cameras hanging from kites took pictures of Francisco, California, after an earthquake. The photos helped people plan what to do.

Kites also helped inventors find out how to make airplanes. The Wright brothers studied how kites flew, which helped them make the first successful airplane.

Since the ancient Chinese first set their kites into the air, people have loved flying kites. Kites give us ways to celebrate, relax and explore. So go and fly a kite! Enjoy the feeling of wonder that kite fliers have felt for centuries.

Treasure Island

The next morning, there was no wind and we were half a mile to the southeast of the low eastern coast. I hated the very thought of Treasure Island from the first look onward, although the sun shone bright and hot and anyone would have been glad to get to land after being so long at sea.

Without wind, we had to use small boats to pull the ship three or four miles round the island to a safe place to drop the anchor (锚).

The men all complained about it while the heat was building up. Afterwards, they sat around the deck (甲板) and the smallest order was received with an angry look.

“If I give another order,” said the captain (船长), “the whole crew (全体船员) will mutiny. Only Silver can help us. He wants the men to wait. Let’s allow them an afternoon on shore (海滨).”

Guns were given to all the honest men. Hunter, Joyce, and Redruth were told what was happening, and were less surprised. Then the captain went on deck to address (对……说话) the crew.

“Men, you’ve had a hot, tiring day,” he said. “The boats are still in the water. Any man who wants to go ashore for the afternoon can take the boats. You’ll hear a gun half an hour before the sundown to call you back.”

They all became happier at once. I think they thought they would find the treasure lying around on the beach! After some talk, six men stayed on board, and the other thirteen, including Silver, went ashore.

The mad idea occurred (发生) to me to go ashore that helped to save our lives. Six men were left by Silver, so we could not take control of the ship and because only six were left, the captain’s men did not need my help. So I quickly went over the ship’s side and into the nearest boat.

No one took much notice of me, only one man saying, “is that you, Jim?” But Silver called from the other boat, wanting to know if it was me. Then I began to regret what I had done.

It’s impossible for my children to read this, which is lucky for me, because it would give them support for the argument (争论) “Can we get a dog or a cat?” Because the research suggests that having one is good for children.

A study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that children who had a dog in their first year of life were 13% less likely to develop asthma (哮喘) by the time they were six than those from dog-free families. It is believed that children are more likely to develop allergies (过敏) if they grow up in super-clean environments. This study shows other reasons that increase the risk of asthma, but can still show only an association (联系).

It is reported that 46% of families in the UK have pets, with dogs and then cats the most common animals. The evidence (证据) which shows the advantages of having cats is not always the same, but some research still shows that pets make children healthier. A study of 397 Finnish babies in 2012 found that, during their first year of life, those whose parents had dogs or cats had fewer colds than those from homes without pets. Dogs offered more protection than cats. The researchers think this is because they brought in more dirt from outside to cause the babies’ immune systems (免疫系统) to work well.

The research also shows that having a pet may make children feel more popular and be more understanding. Older studies found that pets make family members spend more time together and have more “entertainment” they offered as well.

Pets can also help children to learn about responsibility (责任), brush the fur, clean the place they sleep, feed them, take more exercise (if you get a dog) and deal with loss—who can forget when their family pet got a car accident?

In a word, keeping pets is really good for improving children’s health and their qualities. However, I still won’t allow my children to keep a pet at home. After all, both dogs and cats poop (大便) at home, and they can carry worms or other parasites. Also, it seems that few children look after the animals they repeatedly asked their parents for.

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Any time of the day you can devote to exercising is a good time for getting active. But if you want to make a healthy fitness plan, it may be helpful to keep several points in mind and find out the best time to exercise.

First, try to know what kind of person you are.     37     Once you are generally aware of what your sleep characteristics are, you will understand better when your body needs exercise, either early in the morning, sometime during the day, or later on in the evening.

Second, consider your daily plan.     38     Try to fit in your exercise before or at least around these events if possible, so that you can keep exercising and your life won’t be influenced as well.

Third, think about when you feel you have the most energy. For most people, that time is usually in the morning after a good night’s rest, or after a long day of work.     39    

Lastly, find out the place you plan to do exercise. Your house provides exercise at any time if you own fitness equipment（设备）, but if there is a gym（健身房）down the street or along the way home from work, it will make it more suitable for you to exercise.

More importantly, you need to make a plan and try sticking to it for one week. If you do so and can get through the exercise without being pulled in another direction, make it a habit.     40    

It is not a surprise that people in the modern time are having far     41     (much) stress than before. Luckily, a new study has found an easy way     42     (deal) with the problem. Researchers from the University of Hyogo in Japan has found that small green plants on the desk can go a long way towards reducing     43     (people) stress.

More than 60 people from different jobs took part in the study. Half of them were asked to work as usual     44     any plants nearby, while the other half were given a plant to put on their desks. Researchers then used     45     standard test to measure (测量) their stress levels. More than 90 percent of the office workers showed lower stress level     46     taking a three-minute rest to look at their plant.

The study shows that it     47     (not matter) whether people are directly looking at their plant or only having the plant near their computer. As long as people have a green plant in sight, their stress level changes     48     (great). Moreover, this finding works for everyone no matter how old they are and     49     their job is.

“People used to go outdoors into nature to relax     50     (they), but now they have less time to do so,” one of the researchers said. “Lucky for them, our study has proved that a small green plant works in the same way as a large forest.”

So, why not take action at once to buy a green plant and put it on your desk? You can get benefit from it very soon.