【推荐1】When I was 5 years old，I went to the USA with my mom.I can still remember the first Halloween holiday I had in the USA.

On the morning of Halloween，we paid a visit to a pumpkin farm.Each of us brought a pumpkin to school with us.I used the pumpkin to make a lantern which had two triangle eyes and a scary mouth.In the afternoon，we put on the Halloween costurnes and went on a parade in school.Some of the costurnes were nice，but some of them looked scary.I chose to wear a suit of Superman's clothes.I did a lot of things that day，but the part I liked best was “trick or treat” in the evening.①After_dinner，I_went_outside_with_an_empty_bag.I hoped to get a lot of candies from people.At first，I was a bit nervous，so when I knocked at the door，my heart was beating very fast.A lady came out，and I said carefully to her，“Trick or treat.” My voice was very low，and even I myself could hardly hear it.To my surprise，the lady was so kind to give me two candy bars，and I was so excited.I thanked the lady and moved on.I couldn't remember how many houses I visited，but I could remember how many candies I got—I got 91 pieces of candy that day，and ②我为自己而感到自豪。

What a happy Halloween I had！And I wish we could have a Halloween every month!

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Some people say that western festivals are getting more and more popular in China. As a result, Chinese traditional festivals are being neglected(忽视). The two stories below tell you what is going on with people’s favorite festival.

【推荐1】Around the world, people have different traditional foods to celebrate different festivals. 3.Traditional foods also show a new year of good luck and good health.

An English Christmas dinner has a meal of turkey, and it also includes pies and plum puddings (李子布丁). In Germany, Christmas is celebrated with bread cookies and cakes, which are made like Christmas trees. In France, Christmas dessert is a cake filled with butter cream.

In southern parts of India, there is a three-day festival in mid-January called Pongal. It includes rice and a dish of rice cooked with sugar that is shared with families and friends.

Japan celebrates New Year with a seven-day festival. It begins from January 1st. Food is prepared before the festival so people don’t need to cook during the festival. On New Year’s Day, various dishes called Osechi ryori(御节料理) are served—each dish is a wish for the New Year.

4. In most Asian countries, the New Year begins with the first full moon of the first Chinese Lunar (阴历的) month. Each place has its special food to welcome the coming year: People in China prepare their food ahead of time to avoid the possibility that using a knife during New Year’s time might “cut luck”, Foods with lucky names are popular, such as fish, which sounds like “surplus (剩余)”.

【推荐2】American and British people both speak English, but sometimes it doesn’t seem like the same language.

First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say all the letters in each word, especially consonants like ‘t’ and ‘d’. For example, Americans may say ‘I dun no’ instead of ‘I don’t know’. However, the British usually pronounce their consonants more carefully.

Also, some letters have different sounds. For example, Americans say the ‘a’ in ‘half’ like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’, but the British say the ‘a’ in ‘half’ like the ‘a’ in ‘aah’.

Sound is not the only difference between British English and American English. The two languages have words for some things. For example, the words for clothing are different. Americans use the word ‘sweater’, but the British say ‘jumper’.

Many other words and expressions are different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone a friend, you ‘ring her up’. In America, you ‘give her a call’. The British use the word ‘lovely’ to describe something they like. Americans use the word ‘cool’ or ‘great’.

There are also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans almost always use the helping verb ‘do’ with the verb ‘have’. They might say ‘Do you have an extra pen?’ The British often ask the question in a different way. They might say ‘Have you got an extra pen?’

These differences can be confusing if you are learning English. But there is a reason for the differences. Languages change over time. When the same language is used in different places, it changes differently in each place. This is what happened to English. It also happened to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French, but their French is different from the French spoken in France.

April is Hug Month and April 7th is Hug Day in the UK. Scores of people will be part of the Hug Campaign（运动） in high streets, stations and shopping centers! The UK is calling for people across the country to show their care and reach out with a hug. Every single person who joins in will hepl others fight loneliness in later life, especially the old people.

Hugs stand for helping unite generations. We all know that a hug can make a difference. If you’ve had a tough day or you’re feeling a bit blue sometimes, a heartfelt （真心真意的） hug is just what you need to cheer you up.

At helping the aged, most people believe that everyone has the right to live a healthy, happy life, which includes the warmth of human contact （接触）. Through the Hug Campaign we can bring hope to thousands of older people.

Following the successful launch （开办） of the Hug Campaign last year, it becomes bigger and better than ever! Once again, the UK is calling for people to be part of the campaign during April-Hug Month. There is a whole host of activities that you can take part in, so that you can have fun and make a real difference to the lives of lonely older people.

China has succeeded in developing the “giant(巨大的) rice”. It is twice as tall as common rice. People called it a “dream coming true” moment for Yuan Longping, who was the top rice scientist in the world and was regarded as the “father of hybrid rice”.

This special type of rice was grown in Chongqing for 15mu. The rice was planted in May and harvested four months later. Each mu of the fields produced about 750 to 900 kilograms.

This type of rice is not only strong and tall, but also resistant(有抵抗力的) to flood. It can also bring many nutrients(营养) to the plants nearby and provide a good living environment for animals in water. When the water in the rice fields is 60 to 80 centimeters deep, it can even be used to raise fishes. From next year, the “giant rice” will be planted in thousands of mu of fields in Chongqing.

Yuan Longping once said that he hoped to sit under the ears(稻穗) of rice to enjoy the cool one day. He developed the first high-producing hybrid rice. But sadly, he passed away at 91 in Changsha in May 2021. Many people posted online to pay tribute(致敬) to Yuan, saying “Your dream is gradually coming true, can you see it?”

【推荐2】Many people run for exercise. But what will you do if you are not a “born” runner or jogger (慢跑者). You may still want a kind of exercise that’s cheap and easy to do. Why not try walking?

Walking requires (需要) no special equipment (装备). It is a kind of exercise that almost any normal(正常的), healthy person can do. Walking is good for your health like jogging or running; it will just take longer. Jogging and running make your heart work harder than walking. They also put more stress (压力) on your legs and feet than walking does.

The problem with walking is that most people don’t take it seriously. But, there’s a big difference between serious walking and the walking that most of us do. Walking, like jogging, should have a steady and continuous motion(稳健而持续的动作).

If you want to get your exercise by walking, you need to have your own walking plan. After all, runners and joggers set goals (设置目标) for themselves. Walkers need goals, too. You also need to set a course to walk. Start by walking about 15 — 30 minutes a day. Increase (增加) your time and distance (距离) slowly. And try increasing your walking speed (速度) little by little.

If you prefer to jog or run, follow the same advice. Start off slowly. Spend most of the first few days just walking. Then, start walking and running on the same day. Run or jog a short distance, then walk for a while, then run, then walk. Follow that pattern for 15 — 30 minutes a day. Slowly make each run longer and each walk shorter. Later on, ________.