【推荐1】On New Year’s Eve, many people eat special food for good luck. In Spain and some Latin American countries, people eat twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve—one grape for good luck in each month of the new year.

Chinese people eat dumplings. Some dumplings have coins inside. Everyone tries to find the coins for good luck and money in the new year. Of course they don’t eat the coins.

Japanese people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve and on their birthday. It may bring them good luck and long life.

【推荐2】How do people say hello in English-speaking countries? People usually say “Hi” or “Hello”.

They can also say “How are you?” The answer is “I’m fine.” “Very good. Thank you.” or “Not bad, thanks.”

In different countries, between friends, there are some popular ways to say hello. What are the popular ways?

★In America, between friends, they say, “What’s up?” Boys often say “Hey, man.” Girls often say, “Hey, girl.”

★In the UK, between friends, they ask, “Are you all right?” You can answer, “I’m good.” People also say, “How’s it going?” But it’s not a question. It just means hello.

【推荐2】Dr. Dyan gives us some useful advice on how to learn English well.

    1     When most people learn a new language, they are afraid of making mistakes and being laughed at. So they don’t talk at all. Don’t do it like this. In fact, the fast way to master anything is to do it by yourself.

    2     Use as many different methods and tools as you can. They will help you to learn faster and easier. You can improve your English by many different ways. For instance, learning English on the internet is a good way for you.

    3     Stick English words on the wall in your room, put English books on your shelf, listen to English radio programs, watch English news, movies and television programs and listen to English songs. Speak English as often as you can.

    4     You can’t only learn the grammar or vocabularies (词汇). You should learn to express your meanings correctly and write in English. You can also learn the culture about the English language.

    5     Many people think doing exercises is very boring. However, you can really improve your English by doing exercises. By doing exercises or taking tests, you will see how much progress you have made.

In the end, have fun learning English!

【推荐1】In ancient China, willow branches（柳枝） were often used as a gift to friends and family members who would leave. Do you know why willow branches are a symbol of saying goodbye?

One reason is that willow trees are strong. They can live in any soil, wet or dry, north or south. Because of this special feature, when saying goodbye to loved ones, giving a willow branch is a way to tell them you hope they will easily get used to their new living environment.

Another reason is that, in Chinese, the pronunciation for the willow tree “柳” is similar to the character “留”. So giving a willow branch in ancient China was like asking the others to stay, even though you know that they must leave.

It’s said that this custom became popular during the Han Dynasty. At that time, Baqiao, a bridge in Chang’an, today’s Xi’an, was a common place to say goodbye. People often stopped there and handed willow branches to people who were going to depart.

Willow branches, as a symbol of saying goodbye, were often mentioned in poems, especially at the time of the Tang and Song dynasties.

【推荐2】Many families set down some house rules to make sure that everyone has a safe and happy home environment. These rules will probably change as you get older.

Jessica remembers that when she and Jimmy first started staying at home alone, they weren’t allowed to open the door for anyone or let any friend come over. When they’ve proved that they are trustworthy（值得信赖的）, Jessica is allowed to invite friends that her mom knows well.

Here are some rules about keys and closing doors. Read and find out whether your house has such rules.

“Key” rules

◆At school, keep your house keys hidden inside a pocket, a purse or a wallet.

◆Don’t put your keys around your wrist or on your necklace.

◆Don’t give your keys to others. You might consider leaving an extra key to a neighbour. In fact, it’s not good.

◆Hiding a key under a rock or a flowerpot（isn’t a good idea. That's the first place burglars（入室窃贼）will look at!

“Closing door” rules

◆Don’t open the door for anyone except your friends or parents.

◆Keep all doors locked at all times.

These rules may sound pretty strict, but you’ll find they help you feel safe.

【推荐2】Woodland School Picnic Notice

The school is planning a picnic for Grade 2 students. They will have an exciting experience on a nearby farm. 6 experienced teachers will be there to take care of the children. Parents need to pay $ 20 for the picnic. Let us know if you want your children to go for the picnic by 19th October, 2021.

After Monday, 19th October, 2021, the confirmation will not be accepted.

Important information: