People usually celebrate their traditional festivals. The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both at home and abroad.
The United Kingdom
Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980，with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year，people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs，dance to music，share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
The United States
Spring Festival is an important time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture.
Australia
On Chinese New Year，many people across Australia come to Sydney's Chinatown. They enjoy fireworks，lion dances，dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and nonChinese.
Singapore
The family dinner on New Year's Eve is an important tradition for Chinese. They put traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoys their dinner together. They usually have it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And like more Americans, she's not alone.
A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53 percent) have breakfast alone and nearly half(46 percent) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime are we eating together anymore, 74 percent, according to statistics from the report.
"I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?" Bechtel said, looking up from her book. Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often works through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on the shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself," she said.
Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis if he wants to have a little interaction(交流). "I reflect on how my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work recharged and with a plan.”
That freedom to choose is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, whose company provided the statistics for the report.
In ancient Greece, there were four major athletic(运动的) meetings and the Olympian meeting played the most important part in the lives of the people. As time passed, the Olympian meeting gradually lost its local character and became first a national event and then international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic Games go but some official records date from 776 BC.
The Games took place every four years on the plain by Mount Olympus. Thousands of people came from all parts of the world to watch the games. The winner of the foot race had the great honour of giving his name to the year of his history.
After a long history of almost 1, 200 years, the Games were stopped for religious(宗教的) reasons. It was then decided in 1896 to start the Olympic Games again. The meeting was held in Athens and 311 athletes from 13 countries took part in it but the idea of such an international meeting attracted the world's attention. After the 1908 London Olympics, many nations sent their best athletes. Although the Games have been time and again threatened by some unfavourable political events, the Games have taken place every four years.
Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. As the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world, athletes from different countries play games together and this provides them with good chances to learn to live together. The friendly feelings in the Olympic Village make people think of the world as one big family. The Olympic Games were hosted in Beijing in 2008. It is believed that the Games were a wonder of the world.
We all know that exercise is good for your health, but some kinds of exercise may be better than others.
Running, for example, may help to protect against heart disease and other health problems. Running may also help you live longer. Researchers say it is not important how far you run. It also does not matter how fast or even how often you run. As advertisements for the running shoes Nike say, "Just do it."
Recently, researchers studied more than 55, 000 adults. About one fourth of the adults reported running regularly. The study found these runners were considerably less likely than non-runners to die of any form of disease, including heart disease. In fact, the runners usually lived three years longer than the non-runners.
This study lasted 15 years. During that time, more than 3, 400 of the individuals died. About 1, 200 of the deaths were linked to heart disease, a heart attack or stroke. Compared to non-runners, runners showed 30 percent lower risk of death by any causes. Also, runners compared to non-runners showed 45 percent lower risk of death by cardiovascular (心血管的) disease.
The runners in the study ran between 10 and 16 kilometers per hour. Slower runners, and those who only ran once or twice a week, were helped nearly as much as those who ran faster and further. Researchers looked at the running over time and found that persistent runners(over six years) showed the biggest benefits.
To stay healthy, doctors suggest that adults up to age 65 do 150 minutes of moderate (适度的) exercise every week. They say these individuals need 75 minutes of energetic exercise, like running, every week for good health.
In your life, sometimes you may be asked to speak in front of a large group of people. Although it sounds a little scary, even those with stage fright can speak successfully to the group with adequate preparation.
Practice your speech before the big day. If possible, practice the speech in front of a friend or family member to get used to saying it to real people. If you feel you must have note cards, limit the amount to about three cards. This will force you to keep your speech brief and help you keep your eyes focused on your audience.
Remember why you've been invited to speak. If you're battling fear over speaking to a large group of people, keep your mind on the fact that you were selected for this important role. The speech organizers must have seen something valuable in you or your expertise.
Remember that fear of public speaking is very common. Most of the people in the audience would be feeling the same fear and stress that you do in your position. Knowing this may make you feel better.
What you say should be tailored(专门的) to why you're there and who you're speaking to in order to avoid sounding general. If speaking to a charity group, mention the good work certain specific individuals have done for the cause. If speaking at a business conference, briefly state why you want to help these people.
Keep eye contact with the crowd. Pick one person in each section and look at him while you're speaking. After each important point in your speech, switch your focus to another section. When you focus only on one person at a time, the size of the crowd isn't as frightening.
A. A good memory is really helpful.
B. Show appreciation to your audience.
C. Mention your audience in your speech.
D. The more you have it memorized, the better.
E. In fact, it's normal to feel awkward or stressed out before a big speech.
F. Separate the crowd into three sections mentally as you get up to speak.
G. The knowledge of other people's respect for you should reduce some of the fear.
As Christmas is coming, there are presents to be bought，cards to be sent, rooms to be cleaned. Parents are 1 with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children. If the gifts are large，this is sometimes a real 2. On Christmas Eve, young children find the excitement almost unbearable. They are 3 between the wish to go to bed early so that Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to 4 up late so that they will not miss the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early，they often lie5 for a long time，hoping to get a short look at Father Christmas.
Last Christmas, my wife and I 6 managed to hide a few large presents in the storeroom. I feared the moment when my son, Jimmy, would 7 me where that new bike had come from, but 8 he did not see it.
On Christmas Eve, it took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly 9when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began filling stockings. Then I pushed in the10 I bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get 11sleep that night, for the children were 12 to get up early. At about five o'clock the next morning, we were woken by loud sounds coming from the children's room－they were shouting excitedly！13 I had time to get out of bed, young Jimmy came riding into the room on his new bike, and his sister，Mary，14 close behind pushing her new baby carriage. Even the baby arrived, he moved 15 the hands and knees into the room dragging a large balloon behind him. Suddenly it burst. That woke us up completely. The day had really begun with a bang.
China has many(tradition) festivals attracting people such as Dragon Boat Festival, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and so on. People prepare (decorate) them with flowers, lanterns and fancy (decoration). In many places, people like to set fireworks.
Till today, some of them (hold) around the country, (attract) countless visitors to participate in them. There are (variety) activities in these festivals people hold lots of competitions to entertain themselves. (interesting), guessing lantern riddles is an essential part of the festival.
What's more, celebrating western festivals is becoming common phenomenon around the country.
1）端午节的时间;
2）端午节的习俗:吃粽子, 赛龙舟;
3）邀请Mike 来中国过端午节。
注意：
1）信中必须包括所有的内容要点, 可适当发挥;
2）词数80左右。
参考词汇:rice dumpling粽子 dragon boat race赛龙舟 the fifth day of lunar May阴历五月初五
Dear Mike,
Thanks a lot for your last letter, in which you asked me about the Dragon Boat Festival.
……
Yours,
Li Hua
