2 . Chinese Festivals

As an ancient country, China has various festivals.

In the evening before the Spring Festival, families get together and have a big meal. Children also get lucky money from parents.

During this festival, there is special food called “tang yuan”, which is said to symbolize both the first full moon and family unity and completeness. Part of the Lantern Festival tradition involves a game to guess riddles (谜语) attached to the lanterns.

Stilt walking, drumming and the dragon and lion dance are the main entertainment forms of the Lantern Festival.

It is to celebrate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, a loyal and highly respected minister, who brought peace and prosperity (繁荣) to the state but ended up drowning himself in a river as a result of being vilified (诽谤).

On the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, there is a traditional festival full of romance. Recently the youth have celebrated it as Valentine’s Day in China.

It is a traditional festival for both the Han and minority nationalities in China.The custom of worshipping (礼拜) the moon can be dated back to the ancient Xia and Shang dynasties. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a holiday for members of a family to get together.

On the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival. People usually climb mountains and eat double-ninth cakes, which means our life will become better and better.

7 . A TV series in England, Away from It All, has surprised everyone by becoming a huge success with young people.

Its success is surprising because its main character is a shepherd(牧羊人), and the series is about the relaxing lifestyles of people who live in the country. There is none of the action that we usually see on TV. There are also no stressful moments, busy offices, or crowded cities. Away from It All is set in the peaceful English countryside and tells simple stories of people’s kindness.

The director of the series says its success is a sign of teenagers suffering from stress. He says that watching Away from It All helps teenagers forget about the pressures of exams and homework and the troubles that fill the world. He also claims that it’s a good sign that today’s youth are switching to happier TV series, as it shows they would like a happier and healthier life.

Although the series’ success might have a good side, many teachers and parents are worried. They say that some of their students and children are becoming couch potatoes(电视迷)and are using Away from It All as an excuse for not completing homework. Some students have even refused to study for exams because they say that they can only achieve happiness by avoiding stressful situations completely.

One mother, Lucy Linney, said of her son Patrick, “Before he started watching Away from It All, he loved challenges and volunteered every afternoon. But now he has become a couch potato. His grades have dropped and he no longer volunteers. He says it doesn’t matter as he just wants to ‘get away from it all’. ”

And what do the experts say? Paula Ray, a doctor, says that TV can influence young people’s lifestyles. But she says that if a young person reacts as strongly as Patrick, it’s likely that there are other reasons for his change in the behaviour.

8 . Here are some books that are carefully picked for your kids.

Corduroy

It’s about a little bear, Corduroy, in a toy shop. He has lost one of his buttons. This makes him very sad because he wants to be taken home by a kid. So he decides to find a new button. Corduroy contains some hard words. So you’d better use a dictionary while reading it.

Price: $18; a 10% discount on Sunday

Curious George

Curious George, a monkey, is a little too interested in everything, which causes humans to bring him from the forest to a big city. However, there he calls the fire department, is sent to prison, escapes from prison and is carried into the sky by balloons. Though the book uses a lot of short and simple sentences, some of its words are not simple.

Price: $20; a 20% discount on Sunday

The Story of Ferdinand

Ferdinand, a bull, loves to smell the flowers in the grasslands. One day people come to pick a male cow for bullfights. Ferdinand doesn’t want to be chosen, but a bee stings (蜇) him. It causes him to jump around crazily, so he’s picked. In Ferdinand’s first fight, he lies down to smell the flowers instead of fighting. So he is sent back to the grassland. The book has many similar stories that bring laughter. And it has everything that makes a children’s book great for English learners—simple and hard words.

Price: $16; a 10% discount on Sunday

Green Eggs and Ham

In this book, a cat named Sam really likes green eggs and meat. So he offers them to a friend. Read the book to see if his friend likes the meal or not. This book is a poem. Despite the simple vocabulary, the words are used in a way that feels smart.

Price: $15; a 5% discount on Sunday

9 . DESIGN-A-LOGO CONTEST

We need a logo (标志) that will be the perfect sign of our great new Wellsville Skate Park. We would like those of you who are counting the days until the grand opening to design a perfect logo that can be used on stationery, business cards, fliers, brochures, posters and T-shirts. A well-designed logo will provide an opportunity for young artists to receive recognition as well as great prizes. If you are interested, here are the things you need to know:

Logo Requirements

◆Your design mustn’t have copied anyone else’s.

◆Your design must include no more than two colors.

◆The words “Wellsville Skate Park” must appear in the logo.

◆The logo should be presented on 8×11 paper in every shape.

Submission (提交) Details

◆Your name and address must appear on the back of the logo design.

◆You need to include a one-page written explanation of the design.

Deadline

◆Mails will be accepted between July 10 and August 15.

◆Winning designs will be posted on our website at www. wellsville. skatepark. com on August 20.

Prizes

◆First Prize: a digital camera

◆Second Prize: a one-year pass to Wellsville Skate Park

◆Honorable Mention: a T-shirt with the prize-winning logo

MAIL DESIGNS TO:

Wellsville Skate Park Logo Contest

Riverside Recreation Center

1295 New Rockford Hwy, Riverside, VA 23226

10 . The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is a national program of volunteers trained in disaster preparedness and emergency response. Through Teen CERT, you can serve your community and help take care of your school and home.

Why Join

Would you know what to do if an emergency comes? After a disaster, professional responders will be needed everywhere. During an emergency, who could help until professional responders arrive? Who could be the first person on-the-scene to step up? The answer: You.

In most emergencies, a bystander or even the victim, provides the first immediate assistance. Join Teen CERT, and you will learn how to respond when others look to you for help.

What You’ll Do

We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe. What role will you play? Once you complete your CERT training, you can participate in or lead a variety of activities.

During an emergency, your Teen CERT could organize volunteers, give assistance to survivors, provide damage assessment information, provide shelter support and assist with crowd control.

Teen CERTs can also help in their schools all year round. Your Teen CERT could participate in disaster drills and exercises, present fire safety education, assist in preparedness outreach (外展服务), provide peer mentoring (指导) and address safety issues in the school.

What You’ll Learn

It takes about 20 hours to complete the CERT training. During the training, you will learn to put out small fires, conduct light search and rescue, assist those who are injured, set up medical treatment areas, assist emergency responders, identify possible dangers and help reduce survivors’ stress.

You can also take the Introduction to the CERT training. This independent web-based study is interactive and will introduce you to CERT skills before you take the classroom training.