1 . Have you ever heard of the Eternal Flame Falls (永恒火焰瀑布)? It’s one of the most special waterfalls on our planet.

The waterfall is in a park in western New York, the USA. As we come close to it, we will smell something like bad eggs. That’s the smell of natural methane gas (沼气) produced by ancient rocks that are awfully hot. At the heart of the waterfall is a small flame.

The burning flame has been there for a long time. The locals believe it was created by elves (精灵). According to them, we may come across one while looking at the flame if we are lucky enough.

Another popular idea about the flame is that it’s alive because of the natural gas. It is widely believed that it was first set on fire a hundred years ago. Although the flame once went out, it was lit again right away.

However, Indiana University researchers think differently. The temperature of the flame is much higher than the boiling point of water, but their study shows that those rocks are not hot enough to lead to such a result. This means something else keeps the flame alive. However, the researchers are unable to discover the real reason behind it.

Arndt Schimmelmann from the university further explains that this special place has a different way to produce gas. “If there is another way of producing gas, there might be more gas sources (来源) than expected,” he adds.

As we all know, kids are always interested in everything around them. They know the new thing by seeing, touching and even tasting it. Sometimes, there is something that isn’t suitable or safe to do so. As a result, it’s very necessary for them to stay healthy. Kids should pay more attention to their lifestyle and help themselves have healthy life habits. Here are some useful tips for kids.

Kids hardly care about basic hygiene (卫生) . They share everything from drinks’ to snacks. So it is important for kids to know the basic hygiene habits such as washing hands before eating, brushing teeth at least twice a day and so on. Similarly, kids should protect themselves from other kids with different kinds of infections (传染病) .

Healthy eating helps to live a healthy life. Kids should pay attention to the eating habits. Encourage themselves to eat healthy food such as fresh fruit and vegetables. And eat different kinds of food at different ages. Kids should know junk food is bad for health and try to eat less junk food.

Different activities can be planned to teach kids the importance of staying healthy. Some simple reading materials can let kids know about their bodies. Also, playing games about brushing teeth and having meals is very useful and funny for kids. Certain group games and activities or even funny street plays can also help kids understand the importance of staying healthy.

Treasure Island is a famous story. The hero, Jim Hawkins, finds Captain Flint’s map. Captain Flint was a pirate (海盗) and had lots of gold. He hid his gold before he died, and there is a cross on the map to show where the gold is. It is on an island in the Caribbean Sea. Jim and his friends buy a ship, get some men and go to the island to look for the gold.

They set sail but then they discover that Long John Silver, the cook, and the other men on the ship are all pirates. The pirates are planning to kill them. As soon as they get to the island, Jim and his friends fight the pirates. The pirates do not kill them, but take the map.

The pirates go to look for the gold, and Jim follows them. Although they find the place, the gold is not there. Later, Jim knows it is because of Ben Gunn. Jim meets Ben Gunn on the island and he tells Jim and his friends that he was a pirate, a friend of Captain Flint. He has now decided not to be a pirate. Ben Gunn found the gold some time before. He agrees to share it with Jim and his friends because they will take him back to England.

What happens after that? Read the book yourself!

5 . Some children cannot wait to grow up. Because once you become an adult, you are free to make your own decisions. More importantly, you can do all those things that you cannot do now because you are too young. So, the question is. “At what age do you really become an adult?” Well, people become adults at different ages in different places.

In Australia, the 18th birthday is a very important event for young Australians because it means they can do almost anything they want. They can vote (投票) , learn to drive a car, get married, join the army and even buy their own houses. However, even if they can do all these things, most Australians have to wait until their 21st birthday to really celebrate becoming an adult. This is the traditional adult age not only in Australia, but also in the US and the UK. It is their first year of true independence. Traditionally, people were given a key to their houses by their parents when they turned 21, meaning they could come and go as they like. Even though 21 is the traditional adult age in many English-speaking countries, the law nowadays is different in each country. In the UK, you can join the army at 16 and even get married at 16 if your parents allow. Young people in the UK can learn to drive a car at 17 as in Australia, although they have to wait until they are 18 to vote.

In China, there is a different age for each of the stages of becoming an adult. You can vote and learn to drive a car when you are 18, but if you want to get married, women have to wait until they are 20 and men until they are 22. Chinese people celebrate important birthdays every 10 years-so when young people turn 20, they can expect a big party!

No matter what age you are, becoming an adult is really about learning how to be independent and responsible. Once you are finally able to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, then you can say that you are truly all grown-ups.

6 . You might hear someone talking about the Plank Challenge (平板支撑挑战). Recently, it has become more and more popular. Why? Planks can be done almost anywhere. And doing the plank needs a little time and the steps to do it are simple. What’s more, doing planks can bring people lots of benefits (益处).

Have you ever felt that when you tried standing on one leg, you couldn’t stand up straight for more than a few seconds? It’s not because you were drunk, of course. But it’s because your muscles (肌肉) weren’t strong enough to give you the balance you needed. Doing planks will help you achieve that balance.

Planks are great for improving your body’s metabolism (新陈代谢) by building up your muscle groups. Having strong muscles means you burn more calories (卡路里) when you’re exercising or even when you’re sleeping. Since you’ll be burning more calories, you’ll feel hungry a lot more often. This can be a great chance for you to begin eating a healthy diet. And you will become much healthier.

Doing planks is also important to mental (精神的) health. Just think about it: you are sitting in your chair, at home or at school, all day long; your muscles get tired, and your legs get heavy. Doing plank exercises will relax the muscle groups that may cause stress in the body. As a result, they may help to calm your brain and even can treat anxiety and worry.

So are you ready to spend 5 to 10 minutes every day staying fit and healthy? Then jump in and make doing plank exercises a part of your life.

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7 . A primary school in rural (农村) China provides free meals for its students.

There are more than 1,000 teachers and students in Jingwai Mingde Primary School in Xuanwei, Yunnan province. With 10 hectares of farmland, the school plants vegetables and raises pigs and chickens itself. The produce is used to feed the students. And it has fed itself for 16 years.

Each class has a piece of land to plant vegetables or raise animals. Students do farm work during the class twice a week with the help of the teachers.

The school has set up a greenhouse with fruit trees for students to learn about nature, instead of listening to teachers in the classroom. There is also a zoo in the school. It keeps sika deer, ostriches (鸵鸟) and other animals to help students get along with animals.

“The farm work helps the students build excellent characters,” said school headteacher Lei Yingfei. “They all like it very much.”

Do you like the school? Do you want to experience the colorful school life-growing vegetables on your own, eating healthily and playing with animals? You can do all these at school!

10 . ①A smile shows that a person is happy. For example, a person may smile when he is pleased with a grade on a test. Or a person might smile if a friend told a funny joke People smile for many different reasons. But smiles are more than just a way for people to show that they are happy. There are other good reasons to smile often.

②First, it is easier to smile than to show unhappiness. In fact, it only takes 17 muscles (肌肉) to smile. But it takes 43 muscles to show unhappiness. So give the muscles in your face a rest and smile!

③Second, smiles are nice. People may try to look nice on the outside by exercising or wearing nice clothes. However, there is a famous saying: a smile is the best thing a person can wear. That is because it is easy to be around someone who is smiling and happy. Almost no one wants to be around someone who is unhappy all the time.

④Third, smiles are helpful. Both smiling and laughing can quickly spread from one person to another. If one person smiles, people around him want to smile, too. Similarly, when a person laughs, people tend (倾向) to laugh with him. If a person is sad, the best thing to do is to share a smile or laugh. It is the easiest and cheapest way to cheer someone up. Usually nobody would like to turn down the invitation which is offered by a person with a smile.

⑤Finally, smiling and laughing are very good for the body. Even if you are mad or sad. try smiling. You’ll find that it will be hard to stay mad or sad for very long

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