4 . For many people, Christmas can be a magical day filled with delight. But for those down on their luck or disadvantaged, it can be a time of sorrow and disappointment. That's why the countries of the British Commonwealth have set aside the day after Christmas as Boxing Day, and its purpose was to bring a bit of magic to those who could use it. So what is Boxing Day all about apart from being the day after a Christmas and a time when many of us flock to the sales?

Every December 26, going at least as far back as 1833, the United Kingdom and other countries that are part of the British Commonwealth—including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India—have observed Boxing Day as an opportunity to provide some holiday joy to those who most need it.

There are competing stories behind the name Boxing Day. One is that it refers to the giving of “Christmas boxes,” a term that originated in the 17th century to describe gifts, money and other leftovers from Christmas that would be given to their servants and employees for having worked on Christmas Day. Basically, Christmas Boxes were holiday bonuses for the working class. The other is that it refers to the “alms boxes” that would traditionally appear in churches for the purpose of collecting money which would be distributed to the poor. The name is a reference to charity donations

The day is still a national holiday in many parts of the British Commonwealth, and while some people still give back to the less fortunate on Boxing Day, it now has the same meaning with spending up big at a department store.

This year, on December 26, consider observing your own charitable Boxing Day Extend longstanding traditions of giving. To borrow from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, your heart just may grow three sizes… instead of your wallet shrinking three sizes!

5 . Created in the 1920s by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect who designed Waterloo Bridges, the red public telephone boxes, which can be seen all over the UK, are regarded as one of the most typical symbols of this country.

However, pubic phones have had their day despite their lovely housings. While coin-operated and card-operated telephones are on the edge of extinction, mobile phones are playing a significant role in people's lives. Though they are more portable, flexible and extensively used, mobile phones have their kryptonite: battery life. Instead of trashing the phone booths, a project was then promoted to recycle and reuse them. To be consistent with the environment-friendly preference, people are allowed o rent and repurpose the red phone boxes. In this way, they are making an unusual comeback.

When you take a walk down Tottenham Court Road in London and find your mobile phone in a low-battery condition, there happens to be a green option for you. The abandoned phone booths are being repurposed as free charging stations powered by solar energy.

Inside the booths, which are newly painted green, there are various adaptors that can be connected to different brands and models of mobile phones. Just walk in, plug your phone in, and charge it up whenever it needs to be supplied with power. Most people would stay inside the boxes while they charge. Fully aware of this when launching the project. Solarbox can now reach a large quantity of audience by displaying ads on solid equipment. Its advertisers include well-known companies like Uber. Yet 30% of advertising space is reserved for local community projects.

Apart from transforming phone booths into solar-powered charging stations, other forms of transformation can be found in and outside the UK. For example, there is medical equipment or mini-libraries adapted from phone booths, while in America, thousands of phone booths have been transformed into wi-fi hot spots.

7 . Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care.     1     The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

    2     That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks.     3    

    4     People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner(更吝啬的)than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.

    5     The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

8 . Top Music Festivals in 2021

Coachella

Selling out fast every year, the Indio desert becomes a fashionable place where the coolest bands are watched by trendy people and celebrities. Near the top of everyone's bucket list of festivals, Coachella is a constant source of annual expectation and a hotbed for musical discussion.

When &. where: April 9-11 &. 16-18, 2021; Indio

Ultra Music Festival

Seen as the ultimate gathering for electronic music fans across the nation and globe, the streets of Miami turn into a bold and bumping party with popular DJs playing what will be the sounds of summer.

When & where: March 26-28, 2021; Miami

South By South West

Regarded as the ultimate trend-setter and launcher of careers, SXSW is an annual showcase of music, films and interactive highlights enjoyed through performances, showcases, talks, screenings and more. Virtually taking over the city of Austin, everyone in the world of music from fans to media flock here to discover the next big thing.

When &, where: March 16-20, 2021; Austin

The Governors Ball Music Festival

Another event which proves the music loving potential of Randall's Island Park is Governors Ball, an exciting and infectious mix of rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop and folk.   Providing a variety of music and food tastes, whether you look to kick back and relax or dance to the beats, Governors Ball has what you want.

When & where: June 11-14, 2021; New York

9 . Spring Festival is traditionally a family holiday, but there are plenty of ways for travellers to celebrate Chinese New Year, which falls on February 12, 2021.

Watch a lion or dragon dance

Lion and dragon dances have been part of the festival since the Tang Dynasty. Closely related to kung fu, these dances demand strength and balance. Dragon dances are performed by a group of people who work together to bring the dragon's powerful yet graceful movements to life. Look out for the final and also the most exciting part of the dance called cai qing which means “picking the greens”. Competing groups will battle each other very hard to get the red envelope hidden in the green vegetables.

Eat and dress yourself up lucky

Like any festival in China, Chinese New Year is all about food. So prepare to eat yourself lucky. A whole fish is a popular choice. It means you'll have plenty of riches. Likewise, dumplings are also a lucky dish because they are said to look like the ancient silver coins. For more good luck, wear red underwear. If you happen to have been born in the Year of the Cow, you'd better wear them all year, as your ben ming nian is believed to be a year of bad luck. Also, on New Year's Day, don't clean anything-even yourself - or you'll be washing away the good luck.

Travel smart and cheap

Generally speaking, it is best to avoid travel in China at all during the busy Spring Festival period known as chunyun. But if you fly on New Year's Day, when offices are closed and Chinese families stay together, it can be surprisingly cheap with few passengers, particularly on popular routes, such as Beijing to Shanghai. You should avoid trying to head to major cities by public transport later than five days before or after New Year's Day, when millions of urban workers make their way home or back to work.

10 . London is a real treat for museum lovers and museums are a popular destination among London's many attractions. Below is a list of London's top museums.

London Transport Museum

Travel through the museum, which hosts exhibitions （展品展示）about transport with the social and cultural history of London. Inside, you'll find more than 80 vehicles covering 200 years of London's history, including a red Routemaster bus and the world's first underground steam train. There are great posters and artworks too!

Price: Adult ticket: £18.50 per ticket, child ticket: Free. Save £1.50 when purchasing tickets online in advance.

Opening time: 10:00 -18:00 daily.

British Museum

Spend hours wandering the world-famous British Museum, which exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times, collected from around the world. Don't miss the Rosetta Stone and the mummies in the Ancient Egypt collection.

Price: Free. A donation of £5 is recommended. Entrance fee for special exhibitions and some events.

Opening time: 10:00 - 17:30 daily. Open late on Fridays until 20:00.

Natural History Museum

As well as the dinosaur exhibition, the Natural History Museum keeps a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. See a life-sized blue whale and a 40-million-year-old spider.

Price: Free. Entrance fee for some of the special exhibitions and events.

Opening time: 10:00 - 17:50 daily. Open late on the last Friday of each month. Closed 24 - 26 December.

The Design Museum

The Design Museum is the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form. Check out the regular exhibitions showcasing the rich creativity found in all forms of design, and its importance to our world.

Price: Adult ticket: £10.00, child ticket: £5.00 （children under 6 go free）.

Opening time: 10:00 - 18:00. Open except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.