Are they just playing? Or getting an education? The kids can do both at these wonderful museums.
The Family Museum, Bettendorf
This museum offers so much to do. Kids can walk through the town of Fox Hollow where they can shop, make pizzas, sell ice cream and more. Or see what life on the farm is like by picking fruits and vegetables and getting them to the market. Or use real tools, materials and their imagination to create in the Think Shop! Open daily except major holidays.
Felix Adler Children's Discovery Center, Clinton
It houses more than 20 exhibits. Kids can play with more than 10,000 KAPLA blocks, climb aboard the Brio Train Engine, make a bubble as tall as they are, play three holes of golf and more. Open Wednesday - Sunday.
Iowa Children's Museum, Coralville
Kids are inspired to imagine, create, discover and explore through the Power of Play at the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville. Fifteen play areas give kids the opportunity to create what they want, build with Lego blocks, and play many kinds of musical instruments. Open Tuesday - Sunday.
Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs
Lots of hands-on, please-DO-touch exhibits mean parents can breathe easy as their kids explore the history of the Union Pacific Railroad in Council Bluffs. In the Building America exhibit, kids and adults can try their hands at driving a spike or explore timelines. The Lincoln Collection includes furniture from President Abraham Lincoln's rail car, photographs, and more. Open Tuesday - Saturday.
In 1860, a Chinese functionary (公职人员)in Paris saw something that no Chinese had ever seen before: "On avenues, people ride on a vehicle with only two wheels which are held together by a pipe. They dash along like galloping(飞驰的)horses. " This strange vehicle was, of course, a bicycle. One hundred years later, Chinese by the millions would be riding like "galloping horses" and the country would be known as the "Bicycle Kingdom".
Things change, however. As China has gotten richer, "car culture" has replaced "bicycle culture". In the 1990s, there were 670 million bicycles in China. Today, there are only 120 million, but efforts are being made to get people back on their bikes in order to improve their health and the environment.
Beijing has built a 6. 5-kilometer "bicycle highway" so that riders won't have to deal with the dangers of riding on car-crowded city streets. And Zhejiang province plans to build 10,000 kilometers of "green cycle paths" for commuters. Shanghai is trying to make bike riding more popular by having an annual Tour de France Shanghai competition with professional riders from around the world.
I have always thought of bicycles as personal freedom vehicles. The Chinese word zixingche does carry that meaning. You can go anywhere you want to, whenever you want to. You don't have to buy gas or charge the battery. You don't have to wait for the bus or ask your parents for a ride in the car. You just get on your bike and go. And, as you pedal along lovely tree-lined streets, you can feel your body working and getting stronger and healthier.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause concern, I'm looking forward to the reemergence(重现)of China's cycling scene, as a means of recreation(娱乐；消遣). People hop on bikes in the wind, not to get to and from work, but just to hang out around town, especially on a clear spring or autumn afternoon.
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid some where. She even labeled everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon I heard her screaming," Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!" Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of conversation, I could tell right away her grandmother was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled under her covers, sobbing(抽泣). Obviously, that was something she could not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me," Thanks."
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
Teenagers who spend hours in front of the television may have a poorer diet as young adults.
A study, which included nearly 1,400 high school students, found those who watched TV for five hours or more per day had less healthy diets than peers(同龄人) five years later. Why does this happen? Should the parents take any measures?
On the one hand, people who spend a lot of time in front of the TV, especially teenagers, may snack more, and that may affect their long-term diet quality.
On the other hand, TV ads for fast food, sweets and snacks tempt teenagers to eat more of those foods. And TV time might also replace exercise time for some kids.
Lead researcher Dr. Daheia of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told Reuters Health a clear correlation(关联) between TV time during high school and diet quality in young adulthood. While the heaviest TV viewers were eating the most junk food, those who'd watched less than two hours per day had the highest intake(吸收) of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and high-calcium food. In her opinion, parents should limit and monitor TV viewing.
As far as I am concerned, children should watch no more than two hours of television per day. And parents should set a good example by eating right, being physically active and curbing their own TV time.
Christmas is approaching. That means drinking hot chocolate, eating a roast dinner and making a snowman.
Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. That means when it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it's summer in Australia. So that's right, you guessed it. Christmas time in Australia is a very hot and sweaty affair!
On Christmas Day, people don't like to eat hot turkeys or heavy meals. They like to have a BBQ and eat outside in the evening. Many families will play sports and games together in the evening too, enjoying the cooler weather.
You could say that in a way it makes them feel nice and cool because it's so hot! They still have Christmas trees and Santa still wears winter clothes. They know he comes from the North Pole, where it's cold, so that's why. I used to think Santa must like coming to Australia because many other places he visits are just too cold!
But some Christmas songs have been given a "hot" twist (改编). It changed the original line from "Oh what fun it is to ride in my one-horse open sleigh(雪橇)" to "Christmas in Australia on a scorching (酷热的) summer's day". Singing these kinds of songs is a nice way to acknowledge the unique way that Australians spend Christmas.
One year, I went to Canada to see some relatives at Christmas time. On the morning of Christmas, I woke up to the sight of fresh snow outside. I was so excited. "Now this really looks like Christmas," I thought to myself.
So, no matter whether you are freezing cold or boiling hot, as long as your loved ones are nearby, the Christmas spirit will be there.
A. Still, they sing the same Christmas songs, all about snow.
B. The followings are what Australians usually do at Christmas.
C. But of course, the real meaning of Christmas is to be with your loved ones.
D. People who live near the ocean might go to the beach and play on the sand.
E. For example, there is an Australian version of the famous Jingle Bells carol (颂歌).
F. It is a nice way to acknowledge the unique way that Australians spend Christmas.
G. But in Australia, where I'm from, most people don't do these things at Christmas.
Last year a group of friends and I began a project called The World Needs You. Its aim is to show how 1 it is to make a positive difference in our community. Over the holidays, we collected hats, 2 and other cold-weather equipment for the "store" at an elementary school, where students can "buy" things with3 earned through good behavior. It was a 4 way to get these items to children whose families might not be able to 5 them.
"Do the children need anything else?" I asked the coordinator(协调人) when we sent our 6 to him.
"Umbrellas!" she said. "Most of our 7 have to walk to school, and when it rains they come in very 8."
Of course! I thought. It doesn't snow much here, 9 we do have a lot of cold rainy days. Parents who are poor might not buy 10. My friends and I began to 11: We sent e-mails, called people and 12 the project at social events. Everyone had the same 13: "I've never thought about that before!" We collected more than 50 umbrellas for the school 14 April showers. We were very satisfied. 15, the kids will be singing in the rain!
My family has lived in one big city after another because of my dad's job. I love living in the city because I can find opportunities for culture, (educate)，and entertainment. Now, I live in London. my free time, I can visit the museums, the zoo, cinema and community centers. I can also read good books in public (library) and bookshops. Besides, I can visit lovely and peaceful parks (relax) myself. However, some people who live in the country don't like to live in the city because they feel stressful, noisy and (crowd).
I also like living in the country. I can feed cows, goats and chickens, and even learn to ridehorse. I can also go on nature walks, and explore forests, caves and beaches. However, some city people think country life is lonely because they think they (cut) off from the outside world. They are also more likely to be lonely when(live) in a big city.
So it is hard to decide city life is better than country life or not. (actual), it's not where you live but how you live that decides your happy life.
