1 . In the past, working people in Britain only had holidays on “holy” (与宗教有关的) days such as Sundays and Christmas. Now most people have about four weeks’ holiday every year and public holidays which are also called “bank holidays”.

When?

British people usually have their holidays in summer. Many working people take a two-week holiday in July or August. School children are on holiday from the end of July to the start of September. A second holiday break in winter or in spring is also becoming more popular in the UK.

Where?

The most popular holiday places for British include Spain, France and the USA. Lots of people buy a kind of service which includes flights and a hotel or an apartment. Cheap flights to go abroad mean that many British people are able to spend two weeks a year holidaying abroad. Flights are much cheaper during school term time and the British government is worried that some young people are missing school to go on holiday. Parents who take their children on holiday during term time now have to pay a fine.

Things to See

British people also like to go on holiday in the UK. What can young British people do on a UK holiday? Here are a few examples. Alton Towers is one of the top UK parks. It is famous for its scaring rides and is very popular with teenagers. The Eden Project is an environmental project in the south-west of England, where you can see plants from all around the world.

Independent Holidays

Some teenagers want to spend their holidays doing something without their family. A language exchange (交换) is one way to be more independent and learn more language skills. A British teenager spends a week or two in a foreign country, staying with a family who has a son or daughter of the same age, and practising the local language. Later the foreign teenager visits the UK to practise English with the British family.

2 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 8 and ends on Aug. 22. Start of Autumn means the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.     1    . The following are four things you should know about Start of Autumn.

Gathering crops

    2    . It is time to gather crops. There is a saying: “If it rains on the day of the Start of Autumn, a good harvest is expected.”

Eating peaches

In Hangzhou, people eat peaches and pray health on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year’s Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way,     3    .

Eating dumplings

In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn, and they call it “Eating the Autumn”. On the day of Start of Autumn, senior members of the family will stand in the middle of the hall, they worship (敬奉；信奉) a bowl of cereal, and     4    . Most of the families will eat dumplings together after Start of Autumn day and have the thirst for more crops.

Eating gourds (瓜)

Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and     5    . Today people in Tianjin believe that eating melons such as towel gourd, white gourd and bitter gourd can prevent diarrhea (腹泻) in autumn and the coming winter and spring.

About 5,000 years ago, to escape the cold weather, the ancestors of the Liangzhu people settled around the Taihu region     1     they built a city, making     2     both the center of their culture and spiritual belief.

The Liangzhu ancient city was composed of the palace zone, the inner city and the outer city, and there     3     (exist) the City Wall serving as a boundary between the inner and the outer. It had nine gates, with one for pedestrians and the     4     (remain) eight water gates for travelers from the canal.

A complex multi-functional water management system was constructed on the northwest outskirts of the ancient city. Taking advantage of the natural terrain (地势), the system connected numerous valleys,     5     (adjust) river levels, dredging floods and providing security for the ancient city, its water transportation and daily water needs.

Jade (玉)     6     (refer) to as a significant material embodiment (具体化) of the Liangzhu Culture. There were different patterns and styles of jade, with abundant meanings     7     (symbolic) attached to them, such as distinguishing identities and showing social statuses.

In 1936, the remains of the Liangzhu ancient City were found     8     chance and the City was gradually brought to light. Now the unearthed ruins have gained the global     9     (recognize) and workers on the Liangzhu site are committed to combining modern technology with novel cultural creativity     10     (reconstruct) the ancient Liangzhu Culture.

World Animal Day is an annual event on 4th October,     1     (aim) to improve animal rights across the globe. It     2     (celebrate) since a German writer and publisher started it in 1925. Through joining in various     3     (organize) events, people are better aware of how animals should be treated. And there are so many     4     (option) for everyone to help end the needless suffering of all animals.

Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty was a man who had with great ambition. When he was young, he had a good friend     1     (name) Liu Kun. They had such a deep friendship     2     they stayed together every day and got up at the same time every morning.

One day, when they were sleeping. Zu Ti heard the rooster crowing (鸡鸣) . He woke up Liu Kun and said, “How about     3     (get) up to play swords (剑) as soon as we heard the rooster crowing from now on?” Liu Kun was still     4     (sleep) . But he agreed with him     5     (joyful) . From then on, they got up and played swords once the rooster began crowing. They kept their word and never gave up no matter     6     cold in winter or hot in summer. Hard work     7     (pay) off. After a long period of hard study and training, they finally became the all-rounder. And they both did excellent jobs to their country.

The idiom “to rise with the rooster” teaches us that with ambition and hard work,     8     (succeed) is possible. When we can discover our shortcomings     9     time, it is not too late to try. But if you are not willing     10     (work) hard, you will not be able to achieve a career after all.

9 . For students or teachers who are planning an educational trip to China, or parents who want to arrange educational and meaningful things to do in China for children, here we offer travel tips on what to do and learn for educational tour in China.

▶How to make dumplings. Dumpling is the most common food in China, and it has so many fans in the world for its deliciousness, and has become a must-order food in a Chinese restaurant for foreigners. Dumpling in China is easily home-made food, and most families would make it by themselves. While having an educational trip to China, you could learn how to make dumplings.

▶How to make Chinese traditional handicrafts (手工艺品), like Chinese knots (结), and paper-cutting. Small fine Chinese traditional handicrafts are very beautiful and have blessings (祝福) for life, thus people would like to make them and put them in houses. Chinese knot is made by strings through special weaving, and it has blessings of safety, health and happiness, and you could hang it in houses or cars. Chinese paper-cutting is pasted on window glass, and used to decorate houses in Spring Festival, and it could be designed into different shapes, such as animals, flowers, and letters. You could totally get this two skills, and make Chinese knot and paper cutting to decorate houses.

▶How to make terracotta warriors (兵马俑), china, and pottery. When visiting Terracotta Warriors, you would admire its greatness and excellent skills. But please remember, you could make your own terracotta warriors and bring them home. Outside the Terracotta, there are stores for you to experience how to make terracotta warriors. Besides terracotta warriors, you could also go to experiential stores to learn how to make china and pottery.