It was another day to jump rope in gym class. Lynn and Mike turned the long rope into big, slow circles. The whole class hurried to get in line to wait for their turn to jump. Millie stood at the back of the line and frowned.
Nick went first. He watched the rope and ran in at just the right time. Everyone counted. He made it all the way to 30 jumps. One after another, the kids watched the rope, ran in and jumped. Then it was Millie's turn. She watched the rope go around and around, but she didn't move. She felt like everyone was looking at her.
Millie's friends cheered, "Go, Millie, go!"
Millie's face turned red. At last, she gave it a try, but she failed.
The truth was that Millie had been jumping rope at home every day. With a short rope, she could jump 100 times without missing. She just didn't know how to run in and start jumping with a long rope. Since she was the only kid on her street, there was no one to help turn the long rope.
Just then, Ms. Miles, the gym teacher, brought out a bunch of short jump ropes.
"Let's see how long each one of you can jump without missing," she said as she gave each student a short rope. "Ready, set. Go!"
Millie smiled for the first time ever in gym class. As she jumped, she sang rhymes quickly to herself.
After a while, Millie realized that everyone was cheering, "Go. Millie, go!"
She was the only one still jumping rope! The surprise almost made her miss a step, but she kept going. When she was too tired to go on, she stopped. The whole class cheered. Everyone was looking at her and smiling. Millie smiled back!
●Millie was nervous about jumping. ●She tried the long rope but failed.
●Ms. Miles brought out short ropes. ●__________________________
We are all interested in mysteries. That is to say that we love some strange and ageless(永恒的)things happening before us. Now here are four amazing unsolved mysteries.
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Nazca Lines | Nazca lines lies in the Nazca desert of South Peru, covering an area of 50 km2 between the towns of Nazca and Palpas de Jumana. Scientists believe that these lines depict (描绘)the artistic and cultural excellence of Nazca and were created between 400 and 650 AD. The lines make up lots of figure (人物)and animal pictures. More than 70 percent of them depict birds, fish, monkeys and other animals. Shapes of trees and flowers are also common. No one knows who designed the pictures and why they made the pictures up to now. |
| Georgia Guidestones | On one of the highest hilltops in Elbert County, Georgia stands a huge monument (纪念碑). It is made up of six huge stones that weigh about 110 tons in total. It's also called American Stonehenge. Ten instructions that guide to the future of human were carved (雕刻)on four of the eight sides of the four monuments. No one knows who built the huge monument exactly and what it was used for. It has been a place of interest now. |
| Easter Statue (石像) | Easter Island, a small island, is in South Pacific. It was discovered by Edward Davis, a British navigator (航海家). He first landed on the island in 1686. The name "Easter Island" comes from a Dutch sea captain, who visited the island on Easter Sunday, on 5th April, 1722, as the first European. There are over 600 statues. The statues are usually 6～23 meters high and weigh 30～90 tons. All of them are facing the sea. No one knows who built these huge statues up to now. |
| Bermuda Triangle | The Bermuda Triangle (百慕大三角), also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of planes, ships and boats are believed to have disappeared in this triangle. This includes over 1,000 seamen and airmen. They haven't been found. No one knows what they experienced before missing. Even scientists haven't found anything special here. |
Even if you shop with plastic bags, always remember to recycle them. Most families don't realize the importance of eco-friendly living—especially children. So how can you help children start seeing green? Well，here are a few suggestions.
1). Don't buy toys—borrow instead. If kids are concerned, most toys start to lose their shine (光彩). Don't let the unloved toys gather dust around the house—instead, join a local toy library，give them to the library. And if you do buy new toys, try to buy toys made from wood and other eco-friendly materials.
2). Spend time outside. Make sure your child spends time learning to be outside. Let him / her get involved in nature by planting a tree, building a birdhouse, or taking a bike ride in a nearby park.
3). Teach green. Even if your child doesn't receive an environmental education in the classroom, there's no reason that you can't spread the word at home. Let your kid help out with separating your recyclables.
4). Stick with eco-friendly entertainment. Most kids may not seem like interested in the subject on the environment, but put it in a TV show and they'll change their minds. Give them a taste of the online cartoon show, and you'll finally find the children learn it happily and relaxingly.
Edward rose early on the New-year morning. He looked in every room and wished a Happy New Year to his family. Then he ran into the street to repeat that to those he might meet.
When he came back, his father gave him two bright, new silver dollars.
His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for a long time to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the bookstore.
He left the house with a light heart, expecting to buy the books. As he ran down the street, he saw a poor family.
"I wish you a Happy New Year," said Edward, as he was passing on, The man shook his head.
"You are not from this country?" said Edward. The man again shook his head, for he could not understand or speak his language. But he pointed to his mouth and to the children shaking with cold, as if(好像) to say," These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long time."
Edward quickly understood that these poor people were in trouble. He took out his dollars, and gave one to the man, and the other to his wife.
They were excited and said something in their language, which doubtless meant," We thank you so much that we will remember you all the time.
When Edward came home, his father asked what books he had bought. He hung his head for a moment， but quickly looked up.
"I have bought no books," said he, "I gave my money to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry then." He went on, "I think I can wait for my books till next New Year."
"My dear boy,' said his father, "here are some books for you, more as a reward for your goodness of heart than as a New-year gift."
"I saw you give the money cheerfully to the poor German family. It was nice for a little boy to do so. Be always ready to help others and every year of your life will be to you a Happy New Year."
Different countries have different customs. When you travel to other countries, please respect their customs, just as the saying goes：When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip (付小费). It is usual to tip those who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. So do the taxi drivers.
In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to wait in line there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favorite subject of a conversation with the British.
In Spain (西班牙) , people have dinner very late and restaurants do not generally open until 9 p. m. It's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. In this way, you may not feel too hungry at the table.
In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.
A kind of body language is acceptable in one culture, and maybe it is impolite in another. So don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation.
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for international travelers |
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Countries |
Customs |
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In America |
It's usual to tip those who serve you. For example, taxi drivers expect to get atip on how much you spend. |
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It's important to stand in line while waiting. It's a good idea to talk about the weather in a conversation. |
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In Spain |
You'd better have a light meal in the afternoon if youfor dinner. In this way, you may not feel too hungry at the table. |
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In Japan |
When you receive a personal or business card, you are expected tobefore putting it into your pocket. |
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Conclusion (结论) : When in Rome, do as the Romans do. |
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One custom that shows people's history and values is the way they greet one another. There are different ways of1around the world. They change from the2handshake to other strange greetings found in some countries.
In the United States and Canada, a simple handshake is common. There is an interesting story about the handshake: 3started long ago as a way of showing people that you weren't carrying a weapon (武器) . It is usual to shake the person's right4while looking him or her in the eye.
Handshakes are also common in other parts of the5, including Britain and Russia. In Russia men hold other men's hands very strongly during the handshake. Handshakes are also how most people in New Zealand greet each other.6, the native Maori people of that country usually press their noses together as a symbol of respect.
In other countries, such as France and Belgium, hugging and kissing are more common when two people meet. In those cultures, people kiss each other on the7. The number of kisses8which country you are in. In Saudi Arabia (沙特阿拉伯) , men might kiss each other on the cheek 11 times. Men will also shake hands with other men there. In some9countries, including Korea and Japan, bowing is the traditional greeting.
In Japan, the deeper the bow is, the deeper the respect is shown. The10custom may be in Tibet, China. People there choose to stick out their tongues (吐舌头) to greet others.
