【推荐1】Seeing blood in a horror movie might make you cover your eyes, but real blood isn’t scary at all.

    1     That’s why blood donors are considered lifesavers.

Blood donors are those giving blood --- usually about 200ml at a time --- to blood banks or blood donation ( 捐 赠 ) centers.    2     For example, someone may have lost blood in accidents, or have a serious illness that requires his blood to be replaced. Hospitals and blood banks store the blood and try to keep enough on hand.

    3    Medical workers ask donors several questions to make sure the blood is safe to use. Then the donors relax, often reading a magazine or talking as their blood is drawn. Afterward, the donors may receive some juice or water and maybe fruit to give them energy. The process is simple, not scary.    4     To give blood, a person must be at least 18 years old and must meet certain other requirements.

Students of all ages, though, can learn more about the donation process by visiting a local blood donation center.    5    It is also an easy way to help a community.

【推荐2】Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence 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 times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a scientific report, IQ of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% below. 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 (气压) may make people forgetful. People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low pressure days. There is a “good weather” for health. 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3】The FIFA World Cup is the biggest international soccer match and also the most-watched sporting event in the world. There are 32 teams competing to win. This year’s match looks to be unique.

It’s the first time the match has been hosted (主办) in the Middle East. It’s also the first time in history the match is happening in winter, from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. That’s because Qatar is a desert (沙漠) country and in summer the temperature can be as high as 42 °C. That’s too hot to play outdoor sports. But it will still be pretty warm in winter. The temperature is around 20 ℃ to 30 ℃.

Qatar is also the smallest nation by area to host the cup. They’ll be playing the first match of the match, facing Ecuador (厄瓜多尔). It’s Qatar’s first-ever FIFA World Cup game. This makes them the first country to host their first game since Italy in 1934!

There may be new challenges (挑战) for many players too. Aside from the weather, for European teams like England, France, Germany and Spain, it’s only just over a year since their last big international match, the UEFA Champions League (欧冠).

According to FIFA, the favorites to win the match this year are Brazil, followed by Argentina and France.

【推荐1】An INTERESTING experiment

It takes a little skill to do this experiment, but the result is truly SURPRISING.

【推荐2】We can enjoy a two-day weekend every week. Maybe two days are too short, but we can try to plan the time well. Here are some ideas.

Get up early. The weekend is not only a time to sleep in. Some of us get up for lunch！That's too bad. You can have more free time if you get up early.

Do the homework early. We have to spend much time on our homework. You can feel better if you do your homework early. You can do homework on Saturday morning. And then you can play well. I often do my homework on Saturday morning, so I don't have to worry about it on Saturdays or Sundays.

Go out for fun. Think about what you like to do. Plan a sports activity like playing football in the park. You can also visit a museum, a zoo or a park for a long time.