4 . Earth Day is an annual environmental event during which people celebrate the   earth's natural environment and promote environmentally healthy practices.     1     They may include continuous living fairs, outstanding speakers, music, dancing, food, and parades, among other things.

There is some disagreement as to when, exactly, Earth Day is.     2     Others celebrate it on the spring equinox (春分), which means that Earth Day falls on different days in the Northern and Southern part.

Early Earth Day celebrations were used to highlight growing environmental problems and to suggest ways of solving these problems.     3     They may include industrial pollution, along with over-harvesting of natural resources and practices which harm the earth. As humans have recognized more and more environmental problems, ranging from global warming to a growing number of threatened or extinct species, the range of the issues which come up on Earth Day has expanded.

    4     They were designed to draw attention to planet issues. Modern Earth Day celebrations often focus on the positive, celebrating progress which has been made in the quest to protect the earth, and offering education about living in a continuous way. Earth Day festivals often feature sources of alternative energy, organic farmers, and locally produced products, to get people to connect with the earth and their communities.

As Earth Day has become more well-known, more and more nations, companies and people have begun actively participating in the event. It is not uncommon to see companies releasing information about major environmentally friendly breakthroughs on Earth Day, for example, and for nations to pick Earth Day as a target date for emissions reductions and other environmentally friendly measures.     5    

6 . Some people take their holiday decoration very seriously. And some take it to the next level. The Griffith family in Kenova, West Virginia, is in this camp. They put on a display that shows they’re just filled with Halloween spirit.

Each year, this family displays 3,000 pumpkins (南瓜) in front of their home for the Halloween season. Yes, you read that right. Ric Griffith puts out one jack-o’ -lantern (南瓜灯) for every person who lives in Kenova.

Of course, he doesn’t do it all on his own. He has a lot of help from his family, and also from members of the community who are super-proud of what has become quite the tourist attraction over the years. More than 30,000 people stop by to see the amazing display, which includes jack‑o’ ‑lanterns cut to look like the faces of famous people, animals, cartoon characters, and other creative designs. It’s certainly a must-see as part of the area’s Ceredo-Kenova Autumnfest.

To fit in all 3,000 pumpkins, Griffith and his helpers spread them across the home’s garden and front porch (门廊), as well as on the roof!

Griffith began the tradition back in 1978 with just five pumpkins and, many years later, it’s much bigger and better. People can’t help but come to the area, walking along the sidewalk outside the house to get that perfect Halloween experience.

“Locals take great pride in it, and then there are people from around the country who plan fall trips and include it in their trips so they can see it,” said Tyson Compton, president of the Cabell‑Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s really something.”

“It’s become a tradition for many people in our area, and it feels good to keep that going,” Griffith said.

I’m very glad to introduce the Mid-Autumn Festival to you.

Yours,

Li Hua