You may be too busy to notice the wonderful world where you live. Taking time to know your own town or city can help you see it in a new light. With the warm weather outside, now is a good time to go exploring (探索) with a trusted adult.     1    

◆Act like a tourist.

Many times, when you live in a place, you never really explore some of the most exciting parts that a visitor might. Start by asking yourself this question:     2     Maybe you can visit a historic building, a nice park, or a new ice cream store.

◆Consider local attractions (景点).

First, do some research online and talk to an adult about where to go.     3     A local museum or zoo might have a new exhibit. You might also head to a national park for a hike.

◆     4    

With an adult’s guide, look up walking tours for a whole new way to explore your city. Some cities offer walking tours focused on a theme, like food or local parks. You can also search for free self-guided walking tours in your area.

◆Take a photography (摄影) walk.

    5     Pick a theme for your photos, like special dishes, local waterways, or lovely birds. And at the end of the day, you can look back on all your explorations.

4 . There are lots of fun-filled ethnic (少数民族的) festivals in our country. Let’s take a look at some of them.

March Fair of Bai People

The March Fair is the most important festival for the Bai people living in Dali, Yunnan. It starts from the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month and lasts about 7 days. During the festival, people in and around Dali come together for trade. What’s more, they race horses, dance to and sing traditional songs.

Torch Festival of Yi People

In Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, Yi people celebrate the Torch (火把) Festival. It usually takes place from the 24th to the 26th day of the 6th lunar month every year. As part of the festival, every family needs to light a torch. The idea is that these torches will drive away bad luck. In the center of town, there is always a bonfire (篝火). People of all ages sing and dance around it.

Water Festival of Dai People

The Water Festival is the New Year for the Dai people living in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. It lasts 3 days in April. During the festival, Dai people wear their festival suits to dance and throw water at each other (they believe it could bring happiness and good luck). The wetter you get, the luckier you will be.

Interested in these Chinese festivals? Go and experience them yourself.

5 . “Oh, my son!” a lady cried. Her baby fell into the river. The water carried him away quickly. A man came and said, “Can you give me the clothes or shoes of your son?”

The lady gave him a pair of shoes. The man turned to his dog. He first pointed to the shoes, and then to the river water.

The dog jumped into the river. Soon people saw him swim back with something in his mouth. When people pulled up the child and the dog from the water, everyone was happy. The lady ran to her son. The child was alive! The lady said to the dog’s owner, “Oh, Sir. Thanks for saving my baby. I’d love to give you money to buy the dog!”

“Madam, I am very happy that my dog helped you. But I would not give him to others for anything in the world.” said the man.

It seemed that the dog knew they were talking about him. He lay down beside his owner and seemed to say “Nothing will part us!”

It can be really embarrassing if someone sees you talking to yourself. But don’t feel bad about it!     1    

You probably know that thinking is good for the brain. It can help us do things like making plans and managing our feelings.     2    

When encouragement comes from oneself, it adds to self-confidence.     3     Researchers put the players into two groups: one group that said nothing while playing, and the other that talked to themselves while playing. They found that the self-talkers showed more confidence and played better than those in the silent group.

Talking to yourself, especially in the third person, can also help us manage bad feelings.     4     This can help us see things from a different point of view, especially when we’re feeling sad or angry.

    5     Researchers tested four different ways to memorize things: reading silently, reading aloud, listening to someone else read and listening to a recording of oneself reading. Those who read out loud recalled the information the best, researchers said in their study. It’s because the information is likely to become a long-term memory if said out loud.

First aid is the first and immediate (即时的) help for someone who falls ill or gets hurt suddenly. It’s believed that the 10 minutes after an accident can make a difference between life and death.     1    

◆Fall down and can’t move.

You should call 120 as quickly as possible.     2     But it’s not always a good idea to move the patients because it may lead to other problems.

◆Get hurt by a knife.

You should stop the bleeding at first.     3     If a person loses 1/3 of the blood, it may cause death.

◆Have problems breathing.

Check if there is anything in his or her mouth or throat at once. And then try to start his breathing right away by giving him or her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (人工呼吸).

◆     4    

First, find out how bad it is. If there is nothing serious, then put the burned area under cold running water.

In our life, there might be accidents happening every second.     5     Everyone should learn some knowledge about it so that we can help ourselves or others in right ways.

8 . What’s luck? When more good things happen to some people, we call that luck. Would you like to be a lucky person?     1    

Feel lucky about what you have

Some people are lucky, but they don’t know it. Look at how lucky you are instead of caring about what you don’t have.     2    

Try something new

Luck doesn’t just happen to you.     3     Learning new skills, visiting a new place and trying a new hobby are all great to create your chances.

    4    

You will never get any luck if you sit there waiting for it to fall on your head. Take action for your dreams at once.

Ask for help if necessary

If you are in trouble,     5     You should go and ask them if they will give you a hand.

Be active, and you will be lucky.

Quite a few students are under too much stress. They spend much time on studying, dealing with pressure and worrying about what others think, and not enough on other things.     1     Here are some ways to deal with stress and bring balance (平衡) to your life.

Be positive (积极乐观).

One way to deal with stress is through positive thinking.     2     Then you can imagine that you will have a happy and successful future.

    3    

Force yourself to take a break from your studies and worries about exams. You can do this by taking a walk, reading a book, going to a concert or seeing a film, or just sitting in a private place and being silent for a moment.

Take up a hobby.

Learn to paint, skate, or start playing a musical instrument.     4    

Take care of your body.

Too much stress is bad for your body. Eating healthily and getting enough sleep can help you a lot.     5    

Laugh.

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine for stress. A funny film or some jokes will often cheer you up when you are down.

Everyone needs friends.     1     The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says founding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed（种子） and take care of it to make it grow.

    2     What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend could listen to your complaints（抱怨） and do his or her best to help you. To make a friend, you can’t be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.

But things cannot always be happy.     3     What should you do when you have fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have a good talk. If he or she doesn’t want to talk,     4    

There are three steps to be friends again:     5     Tell him or her what they did wrong and talk about why you did this or that.

Remember that friendship is one of the most important things in your life.