【推荐2】Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence（智力）and feelings.

In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some time and very cold at other time. People in these states（州）have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 report by scientists, IQ of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% lower. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year（July and August）.

Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. At about 18℃, people become stronger.

Low air pressure may make people forgetful. People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.

Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the weather’s problem.

【推荐2】A Spring Morning

(Meng Haoran)

This spring morning in bed I’m lying,

not to awake till birds are crying.

After one night of wind and showers,

how many are the fallen flowers?

Spring is Here

(Xu Zhimo)

When spring time comes upon us.

Filling freshness in the air.

Showing natures own beauty.

With flowers blooming (开花) everywhere.

Trees start budding (发芽) slowly.

Opening to the sun’s warm rays.

Start the birds to singing.

Touching our hearts in these ways.

The grass starts turning greener.

Pushing up out of the ground.

【推荐1】Lots of people love to keep pets, but they don’t know how to communicate with their pets. Are you one of the pet keepers? If your answer is “yes”, here are some suggestions for you.

1.Talk with your pet.

Although your pet may not exactly understand your words, he can at least pick up on the tone of your words and your body language when you talk to him. For example, if you speak with him in a stern voice, he might pick up on the fact that you are unhappy with his behavior.

2.Use non-verbal(非语言的) communication.

Your non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is often used in training your pet to do a certain activity. For example, if you are sitting on your horse, you would use your legs and hands to command your horse to turn around. When you teach your dog to sit, you would actually combine verbal and non-verbal communication (hand signals) to give him the ‘sit’ command.

3.Avoid punishing your pet.

Punishing your pet is never a good idea. Punishment can make your pet fearful of you and possibly lose trust and respect that he has for you. What’s more, some pets, like cats, do not necessarily make the connection between your punishment and the behavior you are punishing them for.

【推荐2】People in the UK spend their free time in different ways. They usually use it to relax. They spend a lot of their free time at home. The most popular activity is watching TV. People in the UK watch TV for about 25 hours a week. They often record (录制) programs, so they can watch them later. Reading is also a popular way of spending free time. People in the UK spend a lot of time reading newspapers and magazines. Many people in the UK have pets. They like playing with their pets in their free time.

In summer, gardening (园艺) is popular. And families often have a “day out” on the weekend. They often go to a festival or see a show. Young people like to go to clubs, and people of all ages like to go to the cinema.

In winter, “do-it-yourself” is popular. People often spend their free time repairing (修理) houses.

Some free time activities are with friends. Asking friends for a drink or a meal at home is the most usual one. Sometimes people and their friends have dinner in a restaurant.

On the weekend, people in the UK like to spend their free time doing sports. The popular kinds of sports are soccer, horse racing, swimming, tennis, skating, climbing and hill walking.

【推荐3】China is a country with many colorful traditional festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (龙抬头) is one of them. This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It means the beginning of spring and farming.

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. So, it’s traditional for many people to celebrate this festival.

There is an old saying: “If the dragon doesn’t raise its head, it won’t rain.” The dragon is the god who is in charge of (掌管) the rain. How much it rains decides whether the farmers could have a big and successful harvest (收成). It shows that our humans want to get along well with the nature. That’s why we celebrate the festival.

In ancient times, people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. They believed this could help “lead the dragon into the house”. People believed that with the help of the dragon, their fruits and vegetables could grow well. Also people eat special food on that day. The names of the food have some relationships with the word “dragon”. For example, people eat “dragon whisker” noodles (龙须面) and dumplings called “dragon ears”.

Today, many traditions have disappeared. But cutting hair is still an important tradition in many places. It’s called “cutting the dragon head”. This shows the good beginning of the year. It brings good luck. Many old people believe that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to their relatives. So many people choose to cut their hair on the Dragon Head Raising Day though it costs more.

【推荐1】

Come and look at the picture. It’s a picture of an American family. The man in the hat is John White. He is an English man. He is a teacher. He teaches English in a middle school in China. You can see Mrs. White, too. She is Dora White. She’s from Canada (加拿大). She’s a doctor. Mr. and Mrs. White have two children, Tom and Mary. Tom is ten and Mary is six. They love them very much. The family are in China now.