I have lived in Lawndale for almost thirty-three years. My neighborhood has experienced several _________, some for the better and others for the worse. Months ago, I learned something from my son: Progress _________ with hope.

My son came home from school one day with a plan to make things better. _________ was a plan his class had thought up. They _________ to turn a vacant lot (空地) into a community garden.

He had a(n) _________. He wanted to grow many different kinds of flowers in Lawndale. He said, “Our neighborhood needs to change, and we should _________. If we turn the vacant lot across from the school into a garden, it will show everyone how much we _________ the community. Then more people will plant flowers and trees, and the community will become a really _________ place.”

I _________ my son’s idea. He has always been a thoughtful child. I said I would help.

His class started by __________ the rubbish from the lot. People came by and saw the difference __________ had already made. I noticed after that people were not __________ as often. They seemed to understand that keeping things clean was not so __________.

In one week, my son and his classmates planted almost 500 plants. This spring the garden will be full __________ flowers.

Someone said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I think it takes a child to inspire a community. I am really __________ my son.

Let’s Explore (探究) Nature!

Are you interested in animals or nature? Want to enjoy your summer holiday and learn something interesting and useful?

Here comes your CHANCE! Youth Explorer has prepared you with a THREE-DAY SUMMER PROGRAM! You can take part in many hands-on activities and meet with animals-giraffes, pandas, tigers, and so on! More information about the program is as follows:

Age: Students aged 8-16

Groups: There are two programs for you to choose from. Each program needs at most 15 students.

Program cost: $190 for members; $210 for non-members

How to do: Simply come to our center to get an application form (申请表). Send your completed form on or before 9th July, 2021 (Friday).

Notes:

1. NO FREE LUNCHES ARE PROVIDED because of personal food differences. You may either bring a lunch box or pay for lunch at our restaurants.

2. Both programs will start 1 DAY later if there is a warning of rainstorms.

COME AND JOIN US NOW! DON’T MISS THE CHANCE!

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to help your health is just to sleep eight hours or more every night, but more and more people in the world are not sleeping enough. According to the World Health Organization, over half of the people in the world may be sleep-deprived.

American culture values work and often doesn’t value sleep; in fact, people who sleep a lot are often called “lazy”. Many famous men say proudly, “I only have time to sleep four or five hours a night.” Students, especially college students, often sleep only a few hours a night. They often say, “I’m used to sleeping only a little.”

But according to experts, sleep is like money. If you sleep only five hours a day, you don’t “get used to it’’, but instead, build up a “sleep deficit (赤字)”. “It is like a credit card,’’ says Dr. James Maas. “You are only borrowing time. You always have to pay it back.” The more hours you don’t sleep, the more hours you should sleep to “pay back” the hours on your “sleep credit card”. For example, if you sleep four hours on Monday and then sleep eight hours on Tuesday, on Wednesday you will still have a “sleep deficit” of four hours. This credit can continue for months or even years.

Another research shows that people should sleep nine or ten hours every night. More than half of the people in the world may be running a “sleep deficit”. You didn’t do your homework last night? Maybe you can tell your teacher that you were working hard on your sleep deficit.

“Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish idea which is held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to do more.” said Winston Churchill.

He has millions of students from all around the world. They listen to his classes online but never see his face on the screen. Salman Khan, 39, from the US, is the founder of the learning website Khan Academy.

Unlike other online courses that film teachers giving classes, Khan’s videos only use his voice and a digital blackboard for writing. He says he doesn’t want a human face to distract (分散) students. Khan also makes his classes as short as 10 to 15 minutes so that students won’t lose interest. They can also get points from taking these classes.

The courses are translated into more than 36 different languages including Chinese. About 80 teachers from the world’s top universities are now also teaching on the website. But all this started about 15 years ago with just one man—Salman Khan. These kinds of special courses make Khan Academy one of the world’s most popular online education websites.

In 2006, Khan made homemade videos to help his seventh grade cousin with math. He posted the videos online and got thousands of views. This encouraged Khan to make more videos and create his own website Khan Academy.

As a Bangladeshi-American (孟加拉裔美国人), Khan understands that many kids, especially those in developing countries, cannot get a good education. He himself has three degrees (学位) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one from Harvard. He wants to use his knowledge to help more people. That’s why his courses are all offered for free. “Our task is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere,” he said.

Khan’s website has not only become very popular worldwide but also won a lot of respect. Even Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, is one of his fans. Gates donated over $1.5 million (9.6 million yuan) to support Khan and named him the “teacher to the world”.