2 . My twin sister and I studied in the same school for ten years. The first day we entered the campus, we were ________ by its beauty and bright-colored stone sculptures of fairies (精灵) that ________ there.

As we got older, I discovered the school wasn’t always where beauty was an everyday ________. The weather-beaten stone statues badly needed ________. However, there weren’t enough staff to get everything done.

I decided to do something to give the campus a new ________. My sister had a similar idea and we came up with a plan to secretly ________ the school. Having carefully worked out a project, we got ________ from the administration (管理层) to do it.

We first painted the stone sculptures, refreshing the few remaining fairies. To bring ________   and magic to the campus, we painted on the doors of the boy’s and the girl’s bathrooms the sun and moon representation ________ designed by my sister.

The tree by the school gate was dead and its bare branches were ________, leaving only the trunk. The young schoolmates were ________ by the loss of this tree and the trunk left was a sad ________ to them of the once-living tree. ________ transforming this trunk into a fairy house for visiting fairies to stop by and have a little snack, I put little ________ in the house so that the children could look into the little fairy kitchen while walking by. While cutting and shaping the trunk took many hours, it was well worth it for we ________ a wound in our natural environment.

Everything done, we smiled heartily looking around the fantastic “new” school.

6 . Eye Opener Volunteer

Description

For about 30 years, the Museum of Science Eye Opener Program has been working with the Boston Public Schools to bring the exciting world of science to second grade students from across the city. Each year, about 3, 000 students from over 45 Boston schools visit the museum to explore, ask questions and find answers. Since 1986, funds from the Germeshausen Family Foundation have supported the Eye Opener Program in providing a guided museum experience for second graders.

With the help of a large corps of volunteers, the program introduces these students to the museum and gives them a chance to engage in science. Eye Opener volunteers encourage exploration and the excitement of discovery as they share the museum with the children. They achieve these goals through conversation, hands-on experiments, exploration of exhibits, and Practicing scientific thinking skills with program participants.

Responsibilities

Each Tuesday morning, the students are grouped into sets of 4 to 6 with a pair of volunteers who give them a tour of the museum. Tours last about two hours and are tailored to the interests of the students.

Learn the lay-out of the museum to share and explore with second graders the exhibits which May be interesting to them.

Encourage children to observe, compare, describe, ask questions and share ideas.

Know museum emergence and safety procedures.

Work in close collaboration with a diverse group of volunteers.

Minimum Qualifications

● Patience, sensitivity, and understanding.

● Willingness to work with young children and high school students of all backgrounds and abilities.

● Interest in informal science education.

Additional details

Commitment: Four-to six-month commitment.

Time: Tuesday mornings (9:30-12:30) throughout the school year.

Training: Attendance at the New Volunteer Orientation session is required.

7 . World’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is suffering a media firestorm over an article in which she blames the middle class for “drinking, or smoking and socializing” rather than working to earn their own fortune. What if she has a point?

Steve Siebold, author of “How Rich People Think”, spent nearly three decades interviewing millionaires around the world to find out what separates them from everyone else. It had little to do with money itself, he told Business Insider. It was about their mentality.

Average people think money is the root of all evil (罪恶). Rich people believe poverty is the root of all evil. “The average person has been brainwashed to believe rich people are lucky or dishonest,” Siebold writes. That’s why there’s a certain shame that comes along with getting rich in lower-income communities. “The rich knows that while having money doesn’t guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more enjoyable.”

Average people believe you have to do something to get rich. Rich people believe you have to be something to get rich. “While the masses are attached to the doing and the immediate results of their actions, the great ones are learning and growing from every experience, whether it’s a success or a failure, knowing their true reward is becoming a human success machine that eventually produces outstanding results,” he writes.

Average people would rather be entertained than educated. Rich people would rather be educated than entertained. The rich don’t think it a must to earn their wealth through formal education, and they appreciate the power of learning long after college is over, Siebold says. “Walk into a wealthy person’s home and you often see many books used to educate themselves on how to become more successful,” he writes. “The middle class reads novels, tabloids (小报) and entertainment magazines”.

8 . “Your playful days are over,” my brother said to me when he knew I was going to be a Senior One student. Then he continued telling me that senior school life was boring because I had to do a large amount of homework every day. The subjects were much more difficult than those of junior school.

I stepped into the school gate with a nervous heart. However, I was surprised to find what I experienced there was completely different from what my brother had told me.

The teachers gave excellent lessons in their own special way. They talked with me in a natural and fair way, as if I was an adult. All of them are so knowledgeable (学识渊博) and they not only explained the contents of textbooks but also provided extra information from other sources. Every word they said in classes made me so excited and interested that I had a strong desire to take in as much as I could.

In fact, my playful days were not over at all in senior school. There were many kinds of activities I could take part in. For example, sports meetings, the art festival, English corner, outing and so on. Best of all, generally, students organized the activities rather than teachers. Through this process, I improved my leadership abilities and communication skills. I've become mature (成熟的). I am not a kid any more.

Now if anyone asks me: “Through your process of growing up, which part is most impressive up till now?” Well, the answer will absolutely be my “senior high school life”.

10 . Here are some of the best fall fairs from New England states.

The 98th Annual Durham Fair might not be Connecticut’s oldest (that honor goes to the Four Town Fair), but it is the state’s largest. And it has a special focus on kids, making it well worth the two-hour drive from Boston.

The Fryeburg Fair is the farthest away from Boston, but that doesn’t stop people from travelling from all over the country with their kids to experience one of New England’s finest fall fairs. The fair has some unique spins that celebrate what makes Maine special, like Woodsmen’s Field Day with an exciting competition featuring log-rolling, axe-throwing, and tree falling. The fair has all kinds of farm animals, from draft horses to camels.

Probably the most well-known fair on the list for Bostonians is the Topsfield Fair, which takes place in our backyard. The origins of this fair go back nearly 200 years ago and it’s truly a classic fall agricultural fair. Topsfield has everything from the rides for children to many farm animals, like pigs, goats, cows, chickens and rabbits.

Two hours north of Boston, you will find the Sandwich Fair. Saturday at the fair is Children’s Day, which includes a kid’s pedal tractor pull and Mo the clown. Sunday is Family Day, where you will find a miniature horse demo and the Grand Street Parade. While you are at the fair, hike nearby West Rattlesnake or check out some of the other things to do near Lake Winnipesaukee.