The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the whole year into 24 solar terms. “Cold Dew”, also    1     (know) as “Han Lu” in Chinese, falls on October 8 or October 9 each year. Temperatures are much lower and the dew is     2     (great) at this time.

Here are three things you should know about Cold Dew. Firstly,     3     (eat) pomegranates(石 榴) and hawthorns(山楂) that are both ripe during Cold Dew is a tradition. Pomegranates     4     (treasure) for their health benefits while hawthorns are thought to improve blood flow. Besides, Chrysanthemum(菊花) is the     5     (symbol) flower of Cold Dew.     6     (prevent) autumn dryness, people in China have the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. This is also a tradition of the Double Ninth Festival,       7     often falls around Cold Dew. Finally, it is       8     great time for fishing.     9     the Cold Dew period, temperatures decrease quickly and sunshine doesn’t reach deep water entirely. So fish usually swim to the area where the water is not deep and the temperature is       10     (relative) high. That is why people always say that fishing in shallow water areas in autumn makes sense.

5 . Sunflower season is right around the corner. Here are several most beautiful golden fields near London for you to explore.

At Garsons Farm you will find three separate sunflower fields across its 155 acres. You’ll need to buy a crop farm pass (￡4 for adults ,￡ 1 for kids ) in advance. This farm is also home to over 75 varieties of fruits, vegetables and plants that can be picked during your visit, but be sure to check crop availability on its website beforehand.

This spot is most famous for its purple crops of lavender(熏衣草), but it is also home to dozens of sunflower! You will be charged￡ 6 for your entry to the farm. And for￡ 50 you can hire a personal photographer and have your very own photos with the plants.

Cotswold Farm Park was founded to help protect rare species of farm animals in 1971. You will not only find flowering sunflowers but plenty of furry four-legged friends, too. The park also contains several photo stations throughout the field. Tickets must be booked in advance and cost ￡ 7 per adult.

This fruit farm is open every Saturday and Sunday for those who want to see sunflowers on their weekends! It produces all kinds of fruits, vegetables and flowers that you can buy in their farm shop or pick yourself during your visit. You are allowed to bring a picnic with you and the￡4 entry is taken off your “pay and weigh” bill at the end.

8 . The CT COLT (康州语言教师协会) Poetry Competition Committee is happy to announce the opening of registration for the 2022 St. Louis COLT Poetry Competition, taking place on Friday, July 21, 2022, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. The Poetry Recitation Competition is an annual event open to students whose teachers are members of CT COLT. As you know, last year we sadly lost our long time board member and treasurer, Paul M. St. Louis. In honor of his years of commitment to the COLT board and poetry competition, the competition is being renamed.

REGISTRATION

All registration materials are now online.

●School Registration/Member Rate

Registration is free for members, and an additional $9 per student will be added.

●School Registration/Non-Member Rate/Includes Membership — $30

This rate includes membership for the person in charge and an additional $9 per student will be added.

Please note registration closes on June 30, 2022

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

CT COLT is pleased to recognize and reward the excellence and achievement of deserving students. Winners:

●will receive a paper certificate

●will receive a collection of poems.

●will have their names published on the CT COLT website.

●will have a special letter of recognition sent to their headteacher.

●will receive a well designed pen.

We hope that you and your students will be able to participate in the competition this year.

9 . At most schools in the U. S., it’s customary to have a cheer squad (啦啦队) to support athletics. Cheerleaders drum up excitement before games, put on jaw—dropping routines at games, and provide support on the sidelines of most events. But students who participate in performing and visual arts seldom receive the same displays of support as athletes do. A group of students at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah, decided to change that fact by creating a cheer squad just for the arts.

Their school’s athletics cheer squad is called the Bruin Crazies, so they named their artistic cheer squad the Bruin Classies! This is a new brand with which they could create something for all of the arts, whether it is band, dance show, photography and art galleries—to give them some publicity and cheer them on.

Classies wear a “uniform” of bow ties to indicate the “sense of class”artistic efforts bring their school. They carry around signs to advertise the upcoming play, musical, or dance performance. Hoping to drum up ticket sales, they encourage their fellow students to come out to support the hard work of others. They also attend performances and displays at school to cheer their classmates on.

After years of discussion to make a cheer squad for the arts, this is the first time they’ve been able to pull it off. More than 90 students have already signed up to be a Bruin Classy! “The students have poured their time and energy into their arts, and it is worthy to be celebrated. ”Caleb Stay, the cheer squad leader, said, “If you worked really hard on something and no one showed up, it would be disappointing. We just want to make sure that no one feels that way. ”

This is such an amazing idea! We can’t believe no one has come up with it before, but hopefully these thoughtful teens have started a new trend to support the arts in other schools, too.