1 . How to deal with your homework

Write it down.     1     Always be sure to write down all the homework so you won’t forget anything.

Create a homework station. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to do your homework.     2     It will take twice as long to get the homework done. Shut off your cell phone, log off (退出) your computer (unless you need it for your homework) and close the door.

Do homework as early as possible. Don’t leave homework to the last minute.     3     The earlier you start your homework, the sooner you will finish! Do all your homework as early as you can, so you don’t have a pile of ( 一 堆 ) homework the next day.

    4     Think about how long it will take you to complete homework for each subject. For example: English-ten minutes, science-ten minutes, math-forty minutes, history-twenty minutes.

Treat yourself. You can easily get tired by sitting through an hour or two of homework without stopping. Once you finish homework for a subject, take a small break (no more than 15 minutes). Either taking a walk or finding something to eat will do. But do not turn on the TV, or you’ll never go back to your study.     5    

4 . Most people will rest and relax when they are old. They do not work. But Grandma Moses is different. She started a new job at the age of 70. She was born in a poor farmer’s family in 1860. Her parents named her Anna Mary Robertson. She married Thomas Moses in 1887. He was a farm worker.

It was 1930. Anna’ Mary Moses was 70, and was a grandmother. She began to paint pictures. She did paintings of country life. One day, her daughter took her paintings to a store in the town. Her paintings were put in the window. A man from New York saw the paintings in the window and bought them. And he wanted more!

The man liked Grandma Moses’s paintings. He wanted to help her. So he took her paintings to galleries(美术馆) in New York City. Otto Kallir had a famous gallery there. He liked the paintings by Grandma Moses. It was 1940 and Grandma Moses’ paintings were in Kallir’s gallery. She was 80 years old.

Grandma Moses suddenly became famous. Everyone wanted her paintings. So she painted more and more. She won many prizes for her paintings. She become famous in the United States and Europe. When she was 100 years old, the State of New York made her birthday “Grandma Moses’ Day”,   After her 100th birthday, she painted 6 more paintings. She died at the age 101 and a lot of people thought she was amazing.

5 . Many years ago, my dad was facing a serious heart condition. He was unable to work a steady job. He fell suddenly ill and had to be admitted to the hospital.

He wanted to do something to keep himself busy, so he decided to volunteer at the local children’s hospital. My dad loved kids. It was the perfect job for him. He ended up working with the seriously ill children. He would talk, play, and do arts with them.

One of his kids was a girl with a rare disease that paralyzed (瘫痪) her from the neck down. She couldn’t do anything, and she was very depressed. My dad decided to try to help her. He started visiting her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up, put the paintbrush in his mouth and began to paint. He didn’t use his hands at all. All the while he would tell her, “See, you can do anything you set your mind to.”

At the end of the day, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was sent home because the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do for her. My dad also left the children’s hospital for a little while because he became ill. Some time later after my dad had recovered and returned to work, in came the little girl who had been paralyzed, only this time she was walking. She ran straight over to my dad and hugged him really tight. She gave him a picture she had done using her hands. At the bottom it read: “Thank you for helping me walk.”

My dad would cry every time he told us this story and so would we. He would say sometimes love is more powerful than doctors, and my dad – who died just a few months after the little girl gave him the picture – loved every single child in that hospital.

7 . People believe that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you’re wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms. Here, people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and has small holding places for hands and feet.

How do people climb the wall? To climb need special shoes and a harness around your chest to hold you. There are ropes tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the new piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult is to control your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the harness and the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.

Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger.

8 . Are you worried about moving up to Senior High school? It can be a new experience, but you shouldn’t worry. We’ve put together a guide on how to survive the first week.

You’re not alone!

Remember everybody else in your year is on the same boat. They may not realize it, but they’re just as nervous as you are. Moving to Senior High school is an opportunity, not a problem. Things are different and all you need to do is be polite and learn the new rules.

Teachers are ready to help!

If you’re unsure what to do or are worried about anything then you had better ask for help. Teachers are probably the best people to turn to as they’re experienced in helping new students. Some Senior High schools also have a “friends system”. If your school has this, then you will be paired with an older student. They will look out for you and help you if you have any problems or questions.

All change

There are lots of differences between Junior High school and Senior High school. You’ll have a homework diary or a student planner. You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms. You will have homework for different subjects on different days, so make sure you get organised. Make sure you have a copy of your school timetable written down so you know which rooms your classes are in and on which days you will have your different subjects.

Other points

If you’ve got an elder brother or sister at the school then ask them for advice.

Be yourself! It sounds simple, but people will know you much better if you just act naturally.

Having early nights makes a difference and you’ll find it easier to get up in the morning!

9 . Beijing will provide COVID-19 vaccinations for certain groups in nursing homes, including the elderly and caregivers, on a voluntary basis to prevent a renewed outbreak at nursing homes during autumn and winter, the local government said.

Those who will receive the vaccines include nursing home kitchen workers, security guards and cleaners, Beijing Daily reported on Friday.

Xing Yinli, director of Jingkangyuan, a nursing home in Fengtai district with about 290 elderly residents, said they have received the document recently and will strictly follow its guidance.

“It’s our top duty to strengthen prevention and control,” Xing said, adding they have been using methods such as keeping detailed records of resident contacts outside the nursing home, and encouraging online visits for family members.

As to vaccinations, she said they will ask for permission from residents, their family members and workers before giving vaccines.

In late October, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province carried out an emergency COVID-19 vaccine program, allowing the public to ask for injections in advance, with key groups first. A similar program was also organized in Jiaxing, Ningbo and Yiwu in Zhejiang.

Nationwide, emergency use of home-grown COVID-19 vaccines was approved in June and launched in late July. China now has four coronavirus candidate vaccines in the third stage clinical trials (临床试验).

The document from Beijing also said nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing every month among kitchen workers and residents who leave the nursing homes to see a doctor. Tests will cover all people in nursing homes considered at high risk if new infections are reported in the city. Besides, routine disinfections should be strengthened in kitchens, storerooms and restrooms, it said. The document also recommended non-contact visits from family members.