Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: Jun. 15-Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights(最精彩的部分) in this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's "The Lark Ascending"，which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. Jacobspillow. org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29-Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992，it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three "Grotto Concerts"，where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest. org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19-28
There is something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an "Indian village and Old West museum" to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18，and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo. com.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: J uly 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" and Verdi's "King for a Day"，in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers(作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass. org.
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September 11th, 1958，Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, "I promised you a gift, and here it is." What an honour! I turned for a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful", and "dying", which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. "Don't expect any presents this year, " Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough. " As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, "What? He's all right? " He hung up and shouted upstairs. "The hospital said we can bring Richard home!"
"Thank God!" I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
The "24 solar terms(节气)" originated and was firstly used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agriculture. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agriculture production, special climate signs and even healthy living tips. In 2016，the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world cultural heritage list. Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released(发布) his version of re-produced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of "moving art" of gifts. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29，the gifts have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded social media with millions of hits during the festival period.
To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: video, animation and picture. The background sounds add to the brilliance.
"When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in them. And it is really cool to liven up Chinese traditional culture in such a unique way, " WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.
"It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work does not arouse great interest among Chinese people. The '24 solar terms' is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people's self awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program 'Charm China', which I started over a year ago, " Shi told China Daily.
Vietnam aims to solve the relations between economic development and cultural preservation. Vietnamese cultural departments and activists have tried to preserve the historical and cultural relics in the country.
Vietnam now has more than 40，000 historical relics. These relics of various forms and history are treasures for future generations.
However, hundreds of relics are severely damaged due to the negative influence of time, war and human activities. Head of Hanoi Relics Management Board, Nguyen Doan Tuan, says rescue work must preserve the relics' soul. "We cannot replace ruined construction with new materials. We must preserve its shape, size and style. We need to pay attention to every brick replaced so that it looks exactly like the original. "
Most relics have to rely on tourist fees for repair and rescue work. Director of Van Mieu Cultural and Science Center Dang Kim Ngoc, says that the relics must be promoted widely to attract more visitors and bring in more income for repair and preservation. "We provide constant guide services for visitors so that they understand more about our relics. At the same time, a natural surrounding of the relic has been ensured, including the grass field and garden to improve its scenic value. "
The local government agreed that the relics must be turned to the community for shared efforts in the preservation work. Director of Vietnam Revolution Museum Dang Quoc Quan, said that the community must be guided in the preservation and protection. "The UNESCO aims to let local community take part in the preservation of relics. We have seen limitations in the preservation of relics, especially festival-related groups of buildings. This requires management and guidance by the government. "
Nguyen Thi Minh Ly from the Department of Heritage says the community should be guided in proper behaviours towards relics. "This will ensure the protection of cultural relics in later generations. Creative restoration(修复) must be based on previous(先前的) values. "
Experts have called for a systematic(系统的) guidance by the state in local level preservation while promoting creative thinking in restoration for each relic.
Bank Holidays! We All Love Them!
A bank holiday is an English term for a public holiday. During the day banks and offices are closed and a lot of people have a day off work. In the UK, people only get eight bank holidays in one year.
People in Colombia are much luckier. There are twenty bank holidays for the whole country in one year! And there can be even more, depending on which region(地区) you live in. As in the UK, most of the bank holidays in Colombia exist for religious reasons.
One such example is Independence Day on 20 July every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on 14 July. It is in memory of the day that Christopher Columbus first reached America in the year 1492.
Bank holidays are very important for western people. They may also choose to stay at home to relax and forget about work.
A. Bank holidays are different in Colombia.
B. During the holidays, they often travel with their families.
C. This is because different regions have their own holidays.
D. And at least five of those are around Christmas time and Easter.
E. Every country on the continent of America celebrates Columbus Day.
F. Another historical bank holiday in Colombia is Columbus Day on 12 October.
G. However, some bank holidays in Colombia came into being for historical reasons.
One Thanksgiving Day, my best friend, Jane, and I found out our teacher Edward was having some financial(经济的) difficulties, we decided to help.
When Jane told her family about our plan, her mother was 1. Together they searched their house for things they could 2. Her mother pulled out a big turkey and saying, "Thanksgiving Day won't be 3 without a turkey dinner. "
Before 4 gifts, we said some words of appreciation for the wonderful chance to 5 others. I will never forget the 6 look of our teacher and his wife when they 7 the door; their four children stood around them as we handed out the gifts. It was a cold night. 8 , we all felt warm inside.
Last month 9 I was in a meeting, my secretary informed me, "Your high school teacher Mr. Edward is wondering if you could 10 him a few minutes. "
I left my meeting and went to my office 11. My teacher and I hugged and began to speak of the last 42 years. He told me he 12 remembered that cold winter night when we brought the 13 of Thanksgiving Day to his family. The food and gifts were certainly 14, but what warmed his heart that night was to see a group of teenagers who understood the 15 of Thanksgiving Day.
Frost's Descent (霜降), the 18th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct 23 and ends on Nov 6.
Frost's Descent is the last solar term of autumn, during time the weather becomes much (cold) than before and frost begins to appear. As Frost's Descent comes, the world (fill) with the atmosphere of late autumn. (eat) persimmons (柿子) during Frost's Descent can help people resist the cold and protect (they) bones.
In south Fujian Province, it's custom to eat duck on the first day of Frost's Descent. There is a saying in Fujian which goes, " nourishing (滋补) all year is not as good as nourishing the human body on the first day of Frost's Descent. "Eating duck is a way for people there (gain) weight.
People in areas such as Daxin county in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region celebrate the first day of Frost's Descent. In the Frost's Descent Festival, the Zhuang people offer (sacrifice), dance and sing folk songs. a history of more than 360 years, the festival is to commemorate Cen Yuyin, a heroine in battles against foreign aggression.
Robert and Henry were two friends in the same class. They always played together and went home together. One day Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, on turning a corner, Robert cried out, "A fight! Let's go and see!"
"No," said Henry. "Let us go quietly home and not meddle in(插手) this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it and may get into trouble. Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don't want them to worry about me. "
"You are a coward(胆小鬼), and afraid to go, " said Robert, and off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon went to school as usual.
But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. From then on, they looked down upon Henry and didn't want to play with him together.
Henry was sad but he wasn't angry with Robert for his rude behaviour, because he learned that true courage is shown most in bearing misunderstanding when it was not deserved, and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. Thus, he just ignored the other boys' laughter and continued to go to school and study as well. However, Robert didn't invite Henry to go home with him anymore. Instead, he had some other boys who also thought Henry was a coward. Every day after school, they didn't go home directly but went to the river or somewhere to play games and had a lot of fun.
A few days later, Robert was bathing with his new friends in a river, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and screamed (尖叫) for help, but all in vain. The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could, and they did not even try to help him.
注意： 续写词数应为150左右。
Robert was fast sinking.
Thus, Robert's life was saved.
