1 . Welcome to Holker Hall & Gardens

By Car: Follow brown signs an A590 from JB6, M6. Approximate travel times: Windermere-20 minutes, Kendal-25 minutes, Lancaster-45 minutes, Manchester-1 hour 30 minutes.

By Rail: The nearest station is Cark-in-Cartmel with trains to Carnforth, Lancaster Preston for connections to major cities & airports.

Sunday-Friday (closed on Saturday)11:00 am-4:00pm,30 March-2nd November.

Producers: Market 13th April

Join us to taste a variety of fresh local food and drinks. Meet the producers and get some excellent recipe ideas.

Holker Garden Festival 30th May

The event celebrate its 22nd anniversary with a great show of the very best of gardening, making it one of the most popular events in gardening.

National Garden Day 28th August

Holker once again opens is gardens in aid of the disadvantaged. For just a small donation you can take a tour with our garden guide.

Winter Market 8th November

This is an event for all the family. Wander among a variety of shops selling gifs while enjoying a live music show and nice street entertainment.

3 . When my wife, Jane, and I were 16, we were in the same class. About a week before Thanksgiving Day, we found out that our teacher Edward was having some__________challenges. We wanted to do something to help, so as a class we__________to gather food, clothing and gifts to__________his family had a good Thanksgiving Day.

When Jane told her family about our plan, her mother was__________. Together they searched their house for things they could__________. Her mother went to the kitchen,__________a big turkey and saying, “Thanksgiving Day won’t be__________without a turkey dinner.” To this day, Jane remembers how moved she was by her mother's__________.

Before making our__________, we said a prayer of appreciation for the wonderful__________to help others. I will never forget the surprised__________of our teacher and his wife when they__________the door; their four children gathered around them as we handed out the gifts. It was a cold night; we all felt warm inside,__________.

Last month while I was in a meeting, my secretary informed me, “Your high school teacher Mr. Edward is wondering if you could__________him a few minutes. He’s sitting in your office right now!”

I left my meeting and went to my office__________. My teacher and I hugged and began to_________ the last years. He told me he__________remembered that cold winter night when we brought the__________of Thanksgiving Day to his family. The food and gifts were certainly____________, but what warmed his heart that night was to see a group of teenagers who understood the__________of Thanksgiving Day.

I am Li Hua, a senior student from Hongxing High School.

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . A young woman sits alone in a café sipping tea and reading a book. She pauses briefly to write in a nearby notepad before showing her words to a passing café waiter: "Where are the toilets please?"This is a familiar scene in Tokyo’s so-called "silent cafés", where customers are not allowed to speak, and only communicate by writing in notepads.

The concept rises by a desire to be alone among young Japanese, a situation brought by economic uncertainty, a shift in traditional family support structures and the growing social isolation. The phenomenon is not limited to coffee shops but covers everything from silent discos, where participants dance alone wearing wireless headphones connected to the DJ, to products such as small desk tents designed for conversation-free privacy in the office. One Kyoto company even offers single women the opportunity to have a "one woman wedding"—a full bridal affair, complete with white dress and ceremony, and the only thing missing is the groom. The trend has its own media expression-“botchi-zoku”, referring to individuals who consciously choose to do things completely on their own.

One recent weekday afternoon, Chihiro Higashikokubaru, a 23-year-old nurse, travelled 90 minutes from her home, to Tokyo on her day off in order to enjoy some solo time. Speaking quietly at the entrance of the cafe, Miss Higashikokubaru said: “I heard about this place via Twitter and I like the idea of coming here. I work as a nurse and it's always very busy. There are very few quiet places in Tokyo, and it's a big busy city. I just want to come and sit somewhere quietly on my own. I’m going to drink a cup of tea and maybe do some drawings. I like the idea of a quiet, calm atmosphere.”

The desire to be isolated is not a new concept in Japan, home to an estimated 3.6 million "hikikomori" - a more extreme example of social recluses(隐士) who withdraw completely from society.

It was raining hardly outside, that made it difficult for me to go home for lunch. Just as I was wondering what I should eat at noon, I saw a familiar figure passed by our classroom. I rushed out and it was my mother, who is already in the fifties, that brought me lunch, in spite the heavy rain. In China, many parents make great sacrifices for our children. But what had the children done in return? All too often, most children just take it for granted that their parents should serve for them unconditionally. My dear mum or dad, thank you very much for bringing me up. How shall I do for you?

7 . Going out guide

R&B: Melanie Fiona

Known for such songs as “It Kills Me” and “This Time,” R&B singer Melanie Fiona made her first musical album(唱片) in 2009 with “The Bridge” and followed it up with “The MF Life” in 2012. A new album, “Next Train, ” is planned to drop this year.

8 pm, Feb. 13. Howard Theatre. 202-803-2899. $ 30—$ 59. 99.

Ballet: John Cranko's “Romeo & Juliet”

Celebrated South African choreographer (编舞者) John Cranko created the dance inspired by Shakespeare’s lovers with a score by Sergei Prokofiev. The production was first performed in the United States in 1969 and returns to the Kennedy Center under the artistic direction of Julie Kent.

Feb. 14 — 18. Kennedy Genter. 202-467-4600. $ 25— $ 160.

Exhibit(展览): “Brand New: Art and Commodity (商品) in the 1980s”

This exhibit shows the commodification of art in the 1980s, when trade, art and entertainment became unclear. The exhibit shows works by 68 artists, including Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger and Julia Wachtel.

Feb. 14 through May 13. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. 202-633-1000. Free

R&B: Valentine's Love Jam

R&E artists are known for some of our most beloved(喜爱的) love songs, and the performers lined up for this show are no exception. Singer-songwriters Tyrese (“Sweet Lady”) and Joe (“I Wanna Know”) join forces with SWV (“Weak”) ,Dru Hill (“Beauty”) and Next (“Wifey”) for this show.

8 p. m., Feb. 17. EagleBank Arena. 703-493-4000. $ 59—$ 99.

8 . We all think plants were expected to get larger with increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but changes in temperature, humidity(湿度)and nutrient availability seem to havetrumpedthe benefits of increased carbon dioxide” said researchers from the National University of Singapore.

45 percent of the species studied now reach smaller adult sizes than they did in the past. The researchers pointed out that warmer temperatures and changing habitats, caused by climate change, are possible reasons for shrinking creatures.

“ We do not yet know the mechanisms(机制)involved, or why some organism are getting smaller while others are unaffected,” the researchers said. “Until we understand more, we could be risking negative consequences that we can’t yet quantify. ’’

The change is big in cold-blooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures are enough to make retiles (爬行动物)smaller. An increase of only 1 degree centigrade caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism(新陈代谢). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growing.

Warm-blooded animals aren’t immune(免除)from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaken And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records.

This is not the first time this has happened in Earth’s history. 55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a longer time than the current climate change.

The speed of modern climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times climate change will be shown in the future.

9 . Castle Dale is a small town in central Utah. My grandpa’s farm is a few miles to the north. I grew up there. Milking a cow, feeding the chickens and cutting firewood were daily routines. Grandpa had me carrying a broom to do snow cleaning when it was actually taller than I was. This was the work kids like me learned to do at a young age.

I was tall, very tall at a really young age. My unusual height caused people to look, ask questions, laugh, tease, and sometimes even challenge me to fight. I was teased cruelly as a kid. It wasn’t fair, I knew, but that was just the way it was. Luckily, I was taught at a very young age a very important lesson. I am different and that’s Okay—I’m unique and I matter. No one could ever take that away from me. I knew this then, and I know this now. That alone helped me through the frustrations and heartaches of normal life.

When I was in junior high school, I realized something else that helped me cope. Most teasing came from one of two places—people who were either jealous or ignorant (愚昧). I couldn’t change the way they were, but I could change the way I felt. I was not going to feel bad because of their ignorance or jealousy. It wasn’t worth it. Realizing this didn’t stop them, or change the fact that these comments hurt. It did, however, give me a way to understand these people and deal with their treatment in a way that was okay for me.

These things still happen today. It will probably happen the rest of my life. I will always be 7 feet, 6 inches (2.29 meters) tall. I wouldn’t change that for anything. People will always look because it is not every day that you see someone that tall. I learned that at a young age and I now try to teach my own children that they are unique and they matter. That is the message I give to you. Regardless of your race, religion, background, or circumstances ... Being different is okay.