1 . With summer approaching, it’s time to find some good books to read. Here are some you might like to try.

The Big Miss

The author was Tiger Woods’ coach for six years, and the book is a behind - the - scenes look into the famous golfer’s private life. One reader wrote on Amazon. com , “I’m a big Tiger fan, and I read this in one sitting. Brilliant!”

Steve Jobs

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away.

This is the official biography of his life. It’s based on over forty interview s with Steve, his friends and family members, plus a few enemies.

The Hunger Games   

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic（世界末日后的）future. Most people are very poor. Every year, there’s a game show（called “The Hunger Games”）in which 18 teenagers are sent into the wild to battle it out until only one survives. The book has just been made into a highly successful Hollywood movie.

Imagine How Creativity Works

This is a very fun and very convincing book about the creative parts of our brain. It looks at people such as Bob Dylan, and the man who invented post-it notes and asks why they were so creatively successful. The author writes, “Once we know how creativity works, we can make it work for us.”

The Venice Experiment: A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad

A few years ago, real-life American couple Barry and Debbie decided to escape the rat race and live in Venice for a year. This is the story of their experiences there, and it’s full of funny anecdotes (奇闻轶事) about their struggle to adapt to the Venetian lifestyle. A fellow author said, “For anyone thinking of an overseas adventure, The Venice Experiment is a laugh-out-loud read.”

2 . WELCOME

STUDENT HANDBOOK

The administration, faculty, and staff of American Heritage and American Academy welcome you to the new school year. Please take the time to become familiar with the following information. It can be helpful during the school year for the students and an effective means to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

The-175-day academic year is divided into two semesters, each with two grading periods, and report cards are given at the end of each. Plus, progress reports are issued throughout the year, with their distribution dates listed in the booklet’s back.

Conference days are normally held on the Friday, which are required to be attended by all the students, following the distribution of report cards.

Fourth, fifth and sixth graders take exams during exam week at the end of the school year. All students are expected to be present during finals. Any student who must miss an exam date is required to request permission in writing stating just cause for absence.

To be eligible（有资格的）for promotion, a student must successfully complete all grade level requirements including maintaining a “C” average or higher in Reading and/or Mathematic s for the year and for second semester.

Honors level classes are offered to scholarly qualified students in Math（Grades 2-6）, Language Arts/Reading（Grades 4-6), and Science（Grades 5-6) . Administration recommends placement based on student testing, motivation, teacher recommendation, and the good of the individual and the whole class. Students in Honors Classes will be moved to a regular class at end of semester if a “C—” or lower is earned.

3 . To produce the classic clothing, blue jeans, producers rely on indigo dye (靛蓝染料), the only molecule known to provide jeans’ unique, beloved color. While indigo itself naturally comes from a plant, growing demand for blue jeans throughout the 20th century gave rise to synthetic (合成的) indigo, which is now more commonly used.

Indigo is the dye that makes jeans blue, but it doesn’t mix with water. To dye clothes, usually, chemicals are needed to make the color stick to the cloth. But in Denmark, scientists have created a new way to dye clothes using an enzyme (酶), which is a kind of protein that can cause chemical reactions, instead of harmful chemicals. This new method is better for the environment and doesn’t use poisonous stuff.

The chemical process for dyeing blue jeans has persisted for the last century. Workers are exposed to the poisonous chemicals, which also pollute the environment near factories. Waste water from those factories often ends up in waterways, decimating local ecosystems and even dyeing rivers blue.

Ditte Hededam Welner, the study’s lead researcher, says their new enzyme works really well and is strong enough for making lots of jeans without breaking down. This enzyme makes dyeing with indican, which is like indigo, much less harmful to the planet — about 92% better than the old way.

However, the new method doesn’t fix all the environmental problems of making jeans. Making a single pair of jeans uses a lot of water — enough to fill many bathtubs — from growing the cotton to putting the final touches on the jeans.

Even though the new dyeing process is better for the environment, it’s not always easy or cheap to change to it. Welner’s team isn’t sure if jeans companies will find it easy or affordable to switch to this method. It costs a little bit more — just seven cents extra per pair of jeans — to use the enzyme for dyeing. But Welner believes it’s worth it because it’s much better for the environment.

Holding fist is a form of ceremony originating from Chinese martial arts (武术). Traditionally, it is practiced by standing upright,     1     the body straight, holding the right fist tightly, straightening your left hand     2     (have) four fingers in a flat surface, wrapping the left four fingers together around the right fist and placing the two hands in front of your chest, without bringing the     3     (arm) up.

There are two traditional explanations for     4     practice. The left hand with its four fingers represents the four elements: virtue, wisdom, health, and art, all of     5     symbolize the spirit of martial arts. The left thumb (拇指) is slightly bent to imply that one should never be self-centered. Since the right hand is closed in a fist, it symbolizes attack; while the left hand, being virtuous and disciplined, stops the attack and symbolizes self-discipline and     6     (restrict).

The left hand symbolizes the five major lakes of China and the fist represents the four seas     7     (surround) the country. The two hands together show the unity of martial artists. This is exemplified in the saying “The people of the five lakes and four seas are all brothers”.

The holding fist can     8     (see) at every major Chinese event or festival, such as the Spring Festival. On festive occasions like weddings or birthday parties, guests can hold fist to express     9     (they) congratulations to the hosts. At farewell parties, people often hold fist while saying "Take care!" to one another.     10     (occasion), we hold fist to request forgiveness.

6 . Pre-book Rome’s top local attractions with one easy solution for skip-the-line tours in Rome.

Highlights

◆The most flexible Rome sightseeing pass available — save 30% by booking together.

◆Three fully-guided priority-access tours to the most popular sites in Rome and Vatican (梵蒂冈).

Description

When in Rome, there are certain sites you simply cannot miss. Let’s face it. It’s not every day that you have a chance to explore iconic sites such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Sistine Chapel to name a few. Check them all off your wish list with one easy sightseeing pass!

What’s included

◆Our Vatican City experience is a hand-picked comprehensive journey including entry to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Papal Crypts beneath it. We will concentrate on the grand Sistine Chapel, from its construction to the finishing touches applied by none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti. Skip-the-line access is provided at the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.

◆Enter the Colosseum in the footsteps of gladiators (角斗士) and imagine what it feel alike to be at the thrilling scene. Wander at the ancient temples and ruins of the Roman Forum while learning about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Skip-the-line access is provided at both the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

Cancellation policy

◆Tours depart rain or shine unless otherwise specified.

◆All cancellations must be received in emailing. Tours and passes will be refunded (退款) if canceled more than 24 hours before the tour start time. However, the following penalties (惩罚) apply:

For tours entering the Vatican Museums and/or the Colosseum, 30 dollars per person for each venue will not be returned.

No refunds will be made for cancellations with less than 24 hours notice or failure to arrive at the meeting point on time or to appear at all.

9 . An apology tells someone that we’re sorry for the hurt we caused — even if we didn’t do it on purpose. It’s a way of saying we’re aware of what we did and we’ll try to do better in future.

    1    . Sometimes we hurt people’s feelings without wanting to. Sometimes, we do it on purpose and feel bad later on. So we apologize.

Apologies are one of the tools that we use to get along better with other people. Saying that you’re sorry is more than just words.     2    . Apologizing shows you can understand the other person’s feelings as if they were your own. What’s more, after apologizing, you might feel a little better. The other person probably will, too.     3    , you can feel good because you are trying to make things right again.

Everyone needs to apologize when they do something wrong. For example, if someone is irritated because of something you did, you need to apologize. If you say something that hurts someone, even if you don’t mean it, then you should apologize.     4    .

When someone apologizes to you, you may welcome it and be ready to forgive.     5    . If a person keeps hurting you and apologizing without making an effort to change, you might not want to hang out with that person anymore. However, it’s always good to accept an apology.