1 . One day when DeJuan Strickland was in fourth grade, he didn’t have the money for school lunch. “That really kind of stuck with me, ”said DeJuan, now 15. This year, DeJuan, who goes by DJ, raised money on the GoFundMe website. “I wanted to do something to make sure other kids don’t have to feel that same way. ”

DJ’s goal was to raise $200 to help parents in his community pay for their kids’ school meals. In less than two weeks, he raised $400. He went back to his old school, and presented the principal(校长)with a check.

Now he’s raising money to support the entire Hazelwood School District. That includes more than 30 schools. “Sometimes, school lunch is the only meal a kid can depend on, “he says. ”I’m doing what I can to fight food insecurity. “As of September 23, 2023, donations to DJ’s fundraising campaigns totaled nearly $10, 000. Food insecurity affected more than 44 million people in America in 2022. Many kids rely on school meals, which families can struggle to pay for. A report by the School Nutrition Association shows that unpaid school meal debt in the U. S. topped $19 million in 2022.

This school year, six states—Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont—have made school meals free for all public school students, regardless of their family’s wealth.

DJ is now in high school. He keeps busy playing football and running Team Tech Boy, a business he started when he was 12 to encourage kids’ interest in STEM. And he has written two STEM-themed books, Tech Boy and Science Girl. For college, DJ hopes to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I plan to become a computer programmer and video-game developer, ”he says.

At the moment, DJ and his mom are working to set up an organization to deal with food insecurity and other issues that affect young people. “We want to do more initiatives like the lunch-money fundraiser, ”he says. “But on a larger scale(规模). ”

2 . Below are some fun holidays. Which do you like best?

Hug Your Cat Day

It falls on June 4. On this unofficial holiday, go and give your cat a big hug. Although its origins are unknown, it’s clear that the creators wanted people to let their cats know that they are loved. Studies have shown that giving your cat a hug can reduce stress and help you relax.

Pardon Day

It’s on September 8, a day to seek and give forgiveness and be kind to everyone and forgive those who may have hurt you. It’s thought that this unofficial holiday owes its existence to the pardon given by United States President Gerald Ford to former President Nixon.

Swap Ideas Day

It falls on September 10, which is a day to share thoughts, exchange ideas, trade opinions and discuss views with family members, friends, co-workers and strangers.

This unofficial holiday promotes the concept that knowledge grows best when shared and that best ideas come about through teamwork. The day is also known in the United States as National Swap Ideas Day.

Teddy Bear Day

This unofficial holiday is on September 9, a day to bring out all your teddy bears and thank them for the fun times you have had with them, and for all the days and nights they comforted you. Created in the early 20th century, this toy owes its name to American President Theodore Roosevelt, who was lovingly called Teddy by his family and friends, and it’s also become a part of children’s literature.

4 . Here’re some great books that readers might enjoy this season.

Atana and the Firebird

It was written by Vivian Zhou. Atana is a mermaid (美人鱼) who lives alone on an island. One night,she meets a curious firebird named Ren. They go out to other islands. This attracts the attention of the Witch Queen, who invites them to her palace. But is the Witch Queen the protector she seems to be?

Balto and Togo

The book by Helen Moss connects history with imagination. It is an amazing piece of art. The story is set in Nome,a small community in Alaska. A serious disease breaks out, and it’s up to Balto and Togo, along with the rest of the dogsledding (狗拉雪橇) team, to deliver the life-saving medicine. Will they make it in time?

Gossamer

In her novel Gossamer, Lois Lowry explores how dreams come to be. The book follows several storylines involving tiny dream-giving creatures and the humans. Littlest One is a new dream-giver. From her teacher Thin Elderly, she learns how to collect pieces of memories and turn them into dreams. These are given to an elderly woman, a troubled boy, and a young mother. A new edition of this beloved book is coming out in January.

A Young Adventurer’s Workbook

It’s an interactive book by Sarra Scherb. By making a series of choices,readers shape their own story,creating a title for their adventure, drawing their character, and deciding who the villain (反派) will be. It’s all part of the fun. If you enjoy action, fantasy, and role-playing games, you’ll surely love this book!

6 . I’m handicapped (残疾). I often shop at a large store. I can get a handicapped cart (推车) there, and it’s a one-stop kind of shopping, so I don’t have to get in and out of the car several times to get everything I need.

One day, I was trying hard to move my shopping from the cart to my car when a woman and her two young daughters walked by. They stopped, turned around and came back to ask me if they could help me put my shopping in the car.

I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything. She was very nice and introduced herself. She thought I looked like I could need some help. The two girls were quiet but friendly, and they were very careful of the shopping.

When the cart was empty, one of the girls said that she would return it to the store for me. Then the mother said, “You do have someone at home to help you move all this, don’t you?” I told her that I did not, but I could manage, especially since they had helped me already. She asked if I would allow her to follow me home and help me take my shopping into the house. I was again surprised and did not answer her at once. She told me that she meant me no harm, repeating that she just wanted to be of help to me.

I was too touched to say a word. This woman showed me and her daughters what it really means to love one another.

Charlie saw a poster asking young people to join a new singing group.     1    (interest), he went to check if he was good enough. But, when he sang, his voice cracked(破裂), and he failed.

Feeling sad, Charlie went back home to his garden. He thought, “All my friends are good at something special. I wish I had a talent too.” During the school holidays, he kept     2     (try) to find his talent but always felt disappointed.

Towards     3     end of the holidays, Charlie met his friends Dingani and Jan again. He asked Dingani about the soccer match, and Dingani said they won. Charlie then asked Jan about the concert, and Jan     4     (say) it was the next day, and she was going to sing solo (独唱).

Hearing     5     they said, Charlie felt happy. He congratulated them but expressed his wish to have something to be proud     6     .Surprisingly, Jan said, “Are you joking? The vegetables in your garden     7     (be) huge and look delicious! Every time I try to grow something, it dies. I wish I had     8     (you) talent with plants.”

Charlie, surprised, said, “     9     (real)? I never thought gardening was something special.” He smiled and invited them over for dinner the next day     10     (celebrate) Dingani’s soccer victory. They could enjoy fresh vegetables from his garden and then go to Jan’s concert.

8 . There’s nothing quite like the excitement of getting engaged (订婚).Bailey Davis had this _______ recently. Like many other engaged girls, Bailey has been wearing her expensive ring ever since.

Because of her work, Bailey often _______ . On a particular day, she went to Columbus, Ohio. While at a rest stop, she used the restroom. Here, she _______ her ring. Little did she know that she’d also leave her _______ there.

“I drove two hours away to Columbus before I _______ it wasn’t on my hand, “Bailey says. “I felt like I was going crazy.”

By the time she returned to the rest stop, the ring was gone. Bailey felt _______ she’d never see her valuable ring again. _______, she and others did whatever they could to get the ring back. This _______ making a post on a social networking website.

Meanwhile (同时), Coty Warren _______ a ring he found in a rest stop. He tried to find its ________, but when nobody was around, he took it with him. Less than 24 hours later,he happened to read Bailey’s post. At once, he called the number Bailey ________on the post to deliver the great ________.Hearing it, Bailey, as you can imagine, was ________

Bailey offered to give Coty $1,000 ________, but he chose to refuse it, saying it was simply the ________ thing to do.

9 . Children develop their habits and attitudes(态度)about money from their parents and how money is managed at home.

Giving kids pocket money is a great chance to teach children the value of money and help them understand about saving, spending and donating. Giving your children money can help them to make money decisions.     1    or save it up for something bigger. Paying pocket money is not appropriate for every family, so it is up to you if you prefer to use other ways to teach your children about money. Which jobs you pay for and the ones you don’t will be different from family to family.     2    .

Getting to know which family tasks you pay your kids for is important. Family jobs that you might not pay your children for could be things like setting the table for dinner,making their bed, washing up and tidying their room.     3    , like sorting washing, or sweeping the floors. Pocket money could be paid to encourage a good work ethic(伦理). If you set certain tasks for your kids and the tasks are not completed, you could choose not to pay pocket money for those jobs or pay them less.     4     .That is:you only get paid in full when you complete the job properly.

    5    . It’ll help you get an idea about what other people are doing. You can find out what jobs they pay their kids for, how much they are paying and how often they pay their kids. Getting other parents’ opinions can help you work out a system that suits your family.

10 . Chinstrap penguins (帽带企鹅) in Antarctica have adapted to hard conditions by sleeping in a very unusual way.

Like other penguins,chinstrap penguins spend much of their time in the water,catching fish to eat. But when the time comes to raise their young, they return to land. Raising young penguins is a challenge. The eggs are often laid in “homes” made of small rocks to keep the eggs from the cold. One parent takes care of the home for long periods of time, while the other parent hunts for food. The parent must often keep a sharp lookout. Birds called brown skuas attack the eggs and young penguins of careless parents. Other penguins in these crowded areas may take stones from the home, putting the young in danger. But it’s hard to stay vigilant and protect a home 24 hours a day. Getting a good night’s sleep could be deadly for the young. How do chinstrap penguins solve the problem?

So a group of scientists began to study them. They recorded the birds on video.Eleven days of studying the penguins discovered that the tired parents were actually sleeping. They take thousands of tiny naps (小睡) each day. Each nap lasts only about 4seconds. By taking over 10,000 naps a day,the scientists say the penguins get a daily total of about 11 hours of sleep. They do it 24/7 for several weeks at a time. They can keep going and raise their young.

It’s not clear if the naps allow the penguins to actually feel rested, or if it’s just enough to allow them to keep going. The scientists don’t know yet if the penguins sleep this way at other times of the year, or only when they’re raising their young. They also don’t know if other kinds of penguins have similar sleeping habits.