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The spring break, as the name suggests, mentions the custom among American schools, colleges and universities to give their students a full week off from their studies at some time during the spring season. The dates of the spring break will vary from school to school. Some schools time their breaks to fit in with the Easter weekend, allowing students to travel home for that important holiday, while others time the spring break to St. Patrick's Day.
While some college students might indeed use their spring breaks to catch up on their studies or to spend time with their family, many others travel to resorts (度假胜地), in or out of the United States, in order to get together with their friends, sometimes on occasions that involve a great deal of drinking and public disorder. For many years, Fort Lauderdale, Florida was a popular destination for students from all over the country, until local residents said no to the damage caused by the students. The same case occurred in popular Daytona Beach, Florida.
Many American communities still turn a blind eye to the disruption (破坏), however, since spring break traffic is an important factor in the local economy, despite the fact that most college students are under the minimum legal drinking age of 21. Tour companies provide special discounted spring break packages for the students to Mexico or countries of the Caribbean. These countries often have a lower minimum drinking age than the United States or are more tolerant of underage drinking.
What are American high schools like? Well, I'm happy to tell you what I know.
When I started school here, it had already been a week since the school opened. At this school, freshmen usually go on a trip for about three days at the beginning of school. Unfortunately I missed that wonderful trip, which would have been the best time to get to know my classmates. I was really sad. I wished I'd known about it earlier.
Despite the disappointment, however, I gradually adapted to my new life and school. There is a space in the basement of the teaching building where students chat and meet each other. As we do not always have the same classrooms and classmates, the school wants us to get to know each other there. Students usually come to school early, sit in that space and have fun. Around the space, there are many lockers for students to leave their books in, so that students do not have to carry a heavy schoolbag everywhere.
It really surprises me that we have almost no textbooks. We only have textbooks for World History and Algebra 2 and they are big and heavy, like bricks. For other classes, we only need binders (活页夹) with paper in them. Without textbooks, students learn things freely and actively. For example, my humanities teacher just teaches us what is in her mind at the time. We never know what we will learn.
Another difference between American schools and Chinese schools is that American schools care about students' morality (道德) more than their academic studies. For example, if you do not finish your homework, you will just be asked to do it later, but if you cheat or lie, you will get a warning or even be kicked out.
I think that most students here are good at schoolwork as well, but compared to Chinese students, they can make learning a more joyful experience. I think we should take the good points from our two different kinds of education to perfect our approach to studying.
Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest geniuses of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius. "There is no such thing as genius," Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. "Work." he answered.
"Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier." He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.
How to make friends at a new school
Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything is nothing like your previous school, and you don't even know where to go for your own classes. However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.
Be yourself.
If some people don't accept you, they're not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sport may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.
Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!
Believe in yourself.
A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don't keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact (接触) with other people. Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you're from.
Remember people's names.
You like it when people use your name, and so do other people. Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname (昵称). You'd be amazed how often this might come in handy.
A. People may become angry if you just begin by saying "Hey" each time.
B. Be friendly to others.
C. Join afterschool activities you like.
D. Making new friends can be hard, too.
E. Don't sit at the back of the classroom where other people don't notice you!
F. If you see someone you know, smile or say "Hi".
G. Never change who you are to try and fit in.
I was visiting Costa Rica when I found myself in a bad situation: all my bank cards weren't1 abroad and I only had $5 and a return ticket in two weeks. Back then, there were no cellphones or Internet. It was 2 who came to my rescue to get me home.
I thought the city dangerous and decided to find kind people in the 3. With my remaining coins, I 4 to the bus station and found a countryside that I could 5. Five hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa. I went knocking door to door, 6 my situation with my very poor Spanish, 7 everyone pointed me to another house.
Finally, I 8 a Chinese restaurant. The owner was extremely 9. She heard my story and felt 10 for me. She said her son had a similar 11. At that time, some other people were very kind to him, and she remembered how 12 that made her feel. She invited me in, gave me food, and called the Red Cross to 13 me. I spent my remaining days in Costa Rica with the head of Red Cross.
I realized that being able to receive kindness is a 14 for other people as well. And kindness 15 more kindness in small ripples (波纹).
Christopher Reeve was born in September, 1952. He was in his first school play he was eight and he started to act in TV shows and films while he was still in college. He made many (success) films and TV shows but he is most famous his Superman films. (lucky) , disaster (灾难) came in 1995 when he fell from his horse and (break) his back. The doctors did not expect him to live. However, he made (amaze) progress. At first, he couldn't breathe without a machine, but he learnt to breathe on (he)own. He would never walk again but he started new life with great courage. The second year after his accident, Christopher returned to film making. He also raised a lot of money (promote) medical research into back injuries. He made speeches all over the USA about his experiences. This not only drew public attention to research into back injuries but also encouraged a lot of people (live) with all kinds of problems.
