1 . Leaves are falling. The wind gets cold. November 7 is lidong. It is the beginning of winter. Lidong is one of the 24 solar terms (节气). Chinese people usually have a big meal on that day. Eating well can help people keep warm on cold days. In the north, people usually eat dumplings. In the south, people eat chicken, duck and fish. In the old days, lidong was also a time for people to store (存储) vegetables. At that time, there were not many fresh vegetables to eat during winter, especially (尤其) in the north. There were also no supermarkets like today. People had no place to buy fresh vegetables in winter. So, around lidong people put lots of cabbages in a cellar (地窖). They also made fresh tomatoes into tomato sauce (酱). It was good for eating noodles in winter.

2 . Do you wear school uniforms at school? Do you like them? In many schools, students must wear uniforms every day. Ann Rooney is a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl in Hong Kong. In summer, girls in her school wear yellow shirts and blue skirts. And boys wear white shirts, too. But they wear blue shorts. When it’s cold, both girls and boys wear white sweaters and green trousers. They also have blue T-shirts and black trousers for P. E. classes and sports meetings. Ann always wears size S because she is short and thin. Her best friend Lisa Brown wears size L.

But some students don’t like wearing the same uniform every day. Ann has a good idea. She likes to wear different socks every day. “Socks make boring school clothes fun,” she says. Many boys and girls in her school also have socks with different patterns to show their characters (个性). Milly Nichols, 15, is one of Ann’s classmates. Her favorite pair of socks has small pictures of hamburgers on them because she likes hamburgers very much. How about wearing a pair of socks to give some colors to a boring uniform?

3 . Usually, there are chairs and desks in every classroom, but a new study says, maybe students won’t need chairs anymore. One day they will use standing desks. A research (调查) team in the US made a study of primary school students. They find that if children use standing desks in class-rooms, they can finish their classwork better than those who sit. Another study is made in high school. It also shows the use of standing desks can improve (提高) students’ attention. Many studies show that standing desks can help students lose weight (减肥) and keep fit (健康的). Many teachers say using standing desks makes students listen more carefully and behave (表现) better. But a few teachers have their worries. It is not easy for them to see what every student is doing in class. Some students even walk around in the classroom. What’s more, the students are too tired by standing so long. Some parents also worry about it.

4 . I have a brother and his name is Jimmy. This is Jimmy’s bedroom. What a mess! His things are everywhere. You can see his schoolbag under the chair. You can see his tape player on the chair. Where are his tapes? Look! They are over there, on the bed. Jimmy often listens to his tapes in bed.

Jimmy has some books. You can see them in the bookcase. In the bookcase, you can also see a white model plane. It’s very big and beautiful. What’s next to the model plane? Let’s have a look! Oh, it’s a hamburger. Jimmy often puts his food in the bookcase.

5 . Everyone has a family name. In China, the family name is the first name, but in England the family name is the last name. Do you know how English get their family names? English people get their family names in these ways (方法).

Some family names come from the places of their homes. A man lives on or near a hill, and his family name may be Hill. A man’s family name is Lake, because he lives near the lake. Some family names come from their jobs. If (如果) he is a cook, his family name may be Cook. And some people get their family names from their father’s name. If you see the name Jackson, you can know he is the son of Jack.

6 . Why is 2024 a special year? Because it is a leap year.

What’s so special about that? Well, we have a leap year every four years. And it has 366 days, not the usual 365. In a leap year, we have 29 days in February, while in a usual year we have only 28 days.

Why do we have a leap year? We have a leap year so we can keep the calendar in step with the seasons. The calendar is a kind of clock for the year. But how long is a year? A calendar year is 365 days. But a true year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds long. That’s the time it takes the earth to go around the sun. So every four years we have one more day, and we put it at the end of February, the shortest month of a year. Then we have a Leap Year.

7 . There are four seasons in a year in China. Each season has three months. Spring comes from February to April. It is a good season. It’s often very warm, but sometimes it is rainy in spring. Everything begins to grow. The grass and trees turn green, and beautiful flowers come out. I like spring best.

Summer comes from May to July. The weather is hot, and sometimes it rains heavily. People like to go swimming and go to the beach during summer holidays.

Autumn is from August to October. The weather is very nice. It’s not too cold or too hot. It is a harvest season.

November, December and January are winter months. It often snows in winter. Some children like to make snowmen and throw snowballs. The Spring Festival comes in this season. So many people like it.

8 . Going on a picnic is a good way to have fun with others. Lots of people would like to have a picnic when they have time. If you’re one of them, here are some suggestions (建议) for you.

Where to go? You can go to a park, a zoo, a hill or a farm. They are all good places (地方) for your picnic.

Who to go with? You can ask your family or your friends to go with you. They can help you a lot. For example (例如), they can help you when you’re in need.

What to take with you? You can take some food, drinks and anything you need. But it may be heavy to take too many things (东西). If you go with others, you can ask them to take some different things.

What to do? You can cook food and go fishing. You can fly a kite, too.

What NOT to do? Don’t play with water. Don’t litter (扔垃圾) here and there.