Water is believed to be the lifeblood. Chinese civilization is one of the world’s ancient river civilizations. For thousands of years, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and other rivers have run through the land of China. They connect the Chinese culture to water from the birth of Chinese civilization.

However, water doesn’t just have a useful side. Water is highly important for lives and growing things, but if we don’t control it, it can also cause big problems. In order to use water in the best way possibly, Chinese people have always tried to find better ways to manage bad effects of water. For example, the Dujiangyan in Sichuan was cleverly built. It makes full use of nature of the area without harming the environment.

Water is also given special meanings to educate Chinese people. According to Confucius, water had qualities such as faimess and courage. One of his famous sayings “He who is wise loves water, he who is virtuous (道德高尚的) loves mountains.”   is still popular today.

World Water Day is held on March 22nd every year. Being the most common thing in daily life,water stands for a culture that is in the heart of every Chinese. We should take action to value and save water.

There are different traditions in different places, when naming a child.

In many European cultures, parents choose their child’s name according to the names of relatives within their families. For example, in Italy, children are traditionally named after their grandparents. The parents generally use the father’s parents’ names first. If they have more children, then they will use the mother’s parents’ names.

Traditionally in some Asian countries, a child’s grandfather chooses the child’s name. The child’s name is chosen to affect (影响) the child’s character (性格). For example, names may be based on a connection to certain things such as fire, water, earth, wood, or metal.

In certain African cultures, when a child is born plays a large part in choosing the child’s name. In Ghana’s Akan culture, the day a child is born decides the child’s name. But each day has different names for boys and girls. For example, a boy born on Friday is named Kofi, while a girl born on the same day is named Afua.

No matter where the name comes from, it is the child’s first gift in life. The name reflects (反映) something about a child’s culture. For that reason, all names should be valued and respected.

Hans Christian Andersen (汉斯. 克里斯蒂安. 安徒生) was a famous writer of stories for children. He was born into a poor family in Denmark in 1805. His father died when the boy was eleven. Hans tried a few jobs. Finally, at the age of fourteen, he moved to the capital of Denmarkz (丹麦) to work in the theater. Then he went on to study and later he travelled around Europe.

His first book came out in 1822. He wrote many stories for children, but older people also found them interesting. Many of his stories became very famous, like The Ugly Duckling and The Little Match Girl. People still like to read them today and they can read them in many languages.

Mr. and Mrs. Spencer both had very busy jobs and didn’t have much time to spend with their young children. They wanted to change this. Both of them were interested in boating, so they decided to sail (航行) around the world with their children.

It took them six years to prepare everything for the trip. First, they bought a new boat. Then, they had to take advanced (高级的) sailing lessons and learn all about the sea and the weather. Mr. Spencer also took several courses in preparing engines and Mrs. Spencer spent an hour in a restaurant to cut up fish.

In October, they had one year off from their jobs and sailed from England with their two children. The next year, in August, their trip ended in Australia.

The boat was not big, but they took a teacher for their children with them. Their trip was not boring because there were three computers, many CDs, a TV and a DVD player on the boat.

The family loved seeing the stars in the sky during the trip. But, most of all, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer enjoyed spending time with their children while they were still young.

Hi! I saw your blog on the Internet and I’d like to be your e-friend. My name is Tony. I’m 12 years old. I’m tall. I have short black hair.

I live in a fat in Beijing with my parents. My dad is an engineer and my mum is an English teacher.

My school is far away from our home. I go to school by bus. My favourite subject is maths. I like my school and I have lots of friends there.

I like flying kites in my free time. My favourite sports are volleyball and football. I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Tony

One day, a baby snail (蜗牛) found that he had to carry a hard and heavy shell (壳) at any time. He wanted to know why, so he went up to his mother and asked, “Why was I born with a shell and it grew (变得) so hard and heavy?” His mother said, “Because we have no bones (骨头). We can only move slowly, so we need a shell to protect (保护) us.”

The baby snail asked again, “The caterpillar (毛毛虫) has no bones, either, and she can’t move quickly. Why can she live without a shell?” The mother snail answered, “That’s because a caterpillar will become a butterfly (蝴蝶). She can fly high into the sky. The sky can protect her.”

The baby snail had one more question, “But the earthworm (蚯蚓) moves like us. He has no bones and he won’t become a butterfly. Why doesn’t he carry a hard and heavy shell?” His mother said, “He can dig (挖) a hole and hide (藏) in the ground, and then the earth (土地) can protect him.”

The baby snail then cried, “We are so poor! We have no protection from the sky or from the ground!” His mother smiled at him, “That’s why we have a shell. My dear, if we don’t have the shells, what will happen to us? The hot sun will dry out (干硬) our bodies and we’ll have nowhere to sleep. Without a shell, maybe we’ll die in the heavy rain. How bad it is! We don’t depend on (依靠) the sky or the ground for protection. We should depend on ourselves.”

9 . Have you heard about “Survival (生存) Holidays”? “Survival Holidays” is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.

The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.

Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing (打扰) them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled (控制) by adults, but children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge. Children are not comfortable with danger. Even small danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.

Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in different times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives.

If you tap your fingers on the screen, your favorite books will be delivered (递送) to your door in a few hours. Cultural consumption (文化消费) in China becomes as easy as ordering a sandwich. It is now happening at the Chengdu Library.

The “Loving to Read at Home” program allows readers to log on (登录) to a mini program of the same name. Then readers can choose their favorite books and wait for them to be delivered to their home by EMS for just 6 yuan for one to three books. Each user can borrow up to eight books at a time for 30 days.

The program covers the whole city. More than 20, 000 books from 22 public libraries in Chengdu are ready for loan. So far, more than 300 books have been sent out to readers.

The Chengdu Library is not the only library providing books-to-go services. “Flying books home” is a similar program run by the Zhuzhou Library in Hunan Province. In Beijing, a similar service is also provided by the Chaoyang District Library.

There have been more than 3, 300 public libraries and more than 100, 000 physical book shops across the country. Chinese people’s interest in reading has been growing. “Reading has become an important part of promoting public education and increasing people’s confidence in Chinese culture and tradition, ” said Xu.