A: Could you please introduce yourself?
B: Sure! My name is Irma Castro. I was a teacher, but now I'm retired(退休)and volunteer at a hospital.
A: Oh, that's interesting! What's your volunteer work there?
B: Our main job is to hug(拥抱)newborn(新生)babies, mainly those in the NICU.
A: Interesting!
B: Well, about 15percent of the parents can't hold their babies for different reasons.
A: Wow, they do need your help.
B: Well, the touch can help the babies' brains develop and they can sleep better and grow faster.
A: What do you think of your work?
B: I find it meaningful. I hope to show them that they are loved and cared for.
A.I come from Argentina. B.But can't their parents hold them? C.Then in what ways are hugs good for babies? D.I'm glad to be able to help these little ones. E.We have a team of volunteers at the hospital. |
Long ago, there was a man named Lord Ye. He liked drawing dragons very much 1 he never saw a real one. Dragon patterns(图案)were everywhere in his house-on the walls, the doors and the windows. He also had dragon patterns on his clothes.
As time went on, Lord Ye's love for dragons slowly reached the ears of a real dragon. And the real dragon was touched, "I didn't know that someone would have a 2 love for me. I must go down and pay him a visit."
One sunny afternoon, Lord Ye was 3 in his study. All of a sudden, the sky darkened. Before he realized what had happened, the real dragon hung its head at the window and looked straight into Lord Ye's eyes. Lord Ye was so scared and jumped up in 4 . He raced to his bedroom, leaving his painting behind and 5 under the bed. Lord Ye did not really like dragons. He only liked things that were like dragons, not the dragon itself.
Many years ago, when my girls were in primary school, they loved the dance breaks that would sometimes happen during the school day. Their teachers would play a video to 1 the kids to get up and dance, and then they'd get back to work. Moreover, my kids' teachers are not 2 with a growing number of educators bringing movement into the classroom.
A recent 3 in Pediatrics was done on more than 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 13.It shows that kids who get more movement in school do 4 in study performance. Susan Kamin, the leader of the study, said, "Activity breaks during the school day also 5 to fewer problems. This is because moving helps to cut down on stress and worry."
Julie Goldstein, the headteacher of Breakthrough Magnet School, said her third-and fourth-graders who are 6 in the programme are the highest-scoring students in maths and reading in the area. There are also advantages(好处)outside the classroom. For this school year, 7 of the students from this group has been to her office for a conversation. However, before the programme, she might have had one or two office conversations with some of them every month.
The programme also faces some challenges. The main challenge is to 8 more schools to take action. I know lots of teachers who say, ‘Yeah, I wish I had more time to do this,'" Kamin said, "Even in schools that can find the time, there is still some 9 because it's different from the way things were done in the past. It's a big change for some teachers. They're not sure if they will make that step 10 , even if it can help all students learn better."
If you are a fan of wild animals, you're going to find "Wild World" a wonderful gift. This map, created by artist Anton Thomas, takes you on a trip to see animals on the earth.
"I've thought about making ‘Wild World' since childhood," Thomas says. The artist was born in New Zealand. He grew up in a beautiful area with natural wonders. "I also remember watching nature documentaries." I had feelings of love for nature and was driven to protect it," he continues.
The "Wild World" project started in July 2020. "I didn't have a plan. And I just wanted a world map with some animals," Thomas says. "Not until six months later did I begin to understand how difficult it was."
The artist wanted to make the map as true to life as possible. He spent a lot of time researching where different animals live and the different kinds of land and water on the earth. The whole piece is hand-drawn in colored pencil and pen. It took him three years to complete the map from start to finish.
From pandas to kangaroos, you can see 1,642 animals on the map. These animals are native(本地的)to different places across all seven main land areas and four oceans. All animals are still alive today.
Henry is writing a summary and feedback(反馈)about School Day to his teacher.
Summary
School Day was held on May 11th. Forty-four student helpers from Grade 8 were put into groups of eleven, selling the products in three different areas: Second-hand Area, Artwork Area and Handwork Area.
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
Handma de kites(Leader: Jack) | Chinese paintings(Leader: Tina) | Used toys(Leader: Lisa) | Homema de drinks(Leader: Ben) |
All of the group did a good job on that day and all students from other classes complimented us. In short, our School Day went well and we have collected more than 500 yuan in total for the Blind and Deaf School.
Feedback
Opinions from 200 students have been collected. Most students were interested in used toys and homema de drinks. However, half students thought handmade kites were a little expensive. And some students thought the Chinese paintings were beautiful but the students who sold them were not friendly enough.
Follow up
Have a meeting with the headmaster about prizes for excellent student organizers.
Have you ever thought about spending the whole day in the library? Let's take a closer look at some special libraries around the world!
Stuttgart City Library | Opened in October 2011, this nine-floor library is in Stuttgart, Germany. Korean designer(设计师)Eun Young Yi planned the building. It's an all-white library. Visitors can not only get in from any of its four sides, but also go up to its top freely. Here visitors can borrow works of art as well as books. |
Biblioteca Sandro Penna ____ | Built in 2004, this three-floor library is in Perugia, Italy. Although Italy is famous for its traditional buildings, the design of this library is quite modern. Architect Italo Rota designed it to look like a flying disc. Its rose-colored glass walls and disc shape let light in by day. |
Beach Library | Reading on the beach is a treat. And a free library in Albena, Bulgaria, invites readers to do so. So every visitor can not only enjoy the perfect beach read, but also enjoy the sea bath, sand bath and sun bath. The library is first of its kind in Europe and has over 6,000 books in 15languages. |
The Kenyan Camel Library | Have you ever seen a library on four legs? Here is an example. Opened in 1996, this library is in the northeast of Kenya. It has 9 camels that work in 3 groups and serves 3,500 members. Members can borrow 2 books at one time. And they have 14 days until the library returns to the same place again. Then they can renew their books or return and get new ones. The library travels four days a week. |
A: Hi, Jack. How are you going to spend your summer vacation?
B: Jeff and I plan to travel around Asian countries, like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Count you in?
A: Well, , I may choose to volunteer in the 2024 Horticultural Exhibition(Expo).
B: The Expo? What's it about?
A: It's international event Chengdu hosts after the 31st summer Universiade, from April 26 to October 28 this year, showing a greener and smarter Chengdu.
B: Greener? Smarter? Can you give me a clearer ?
A: The Expo shows different gardening cultures around the world. To show the world an eye-catching Chengdu, the government has also visitors with a special high-tech experience—self-driven buses, 3D-photo studios, smart robot Tong Meier etc.
B: Wow, amazing! I think Chengdu can the world again as it did in the Universiade last year.
A: Everyone believes so. I still remember the experience of volunteering in the Universiade. Although I just helped out with some service work, I felt like a of the event. Every time the world spoke highly of Chengdu, I would also be with myself. Volunteering is a win-win experience for me.
B: I see. That's why you won't volunteering in the Expo 2024 this summer vacation, right?
A: Exactly.
B: Oh, you inspired(启发)me. Allow me a few minutes. I'm even joining you now instead of travelling abroad.
A: Haha, so count you in?
be create communicate include introduce mark science so succeed such write year |
From April 1st to June 30th, the Palace Museum in Beijing held a special event called "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles Exhibition". It's about how France and China had cultural in the 17th and 18th centuries.
At the exhibition, you can see a letter by King Louis XIV of France to the Forbidden City. Although the letter never arrived, it still the start of two rulers' friendship. Along with the letter are 200 other treasures, porcelain(瓷器), paintings, books from famous Chinese and French museums.
To make this exhibition held, the Palace Museum did a lot of preparations. The following is what its director(负责人), Wang Xudong, told us.
"The exhibition is a key event in the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism in 2024, which celebrates the 60 friendship between China and France. King Louis XIV had a strong interest in Chinese culture that he built a house full of beautiful Chinese porcelain and silk. Because of him, works with French authors Chinese culture became quite popular in France. At the same time, in the far East—China, five French mathematicians(数学家)having a much understanding of the world, became Emperor Kangxi's teachers, teaching him geometry()and other subjects."
At the exhibition, A small pocket watch, a gift from King Louis XIV to. Emperor Kangxi was from over 300 years ago. It a symbol to show the two rulers' common wish to build a bridge of friendship since then. It was, it is and it will always be.
Tough Mudder is one of the most difficult obstacle course races(障碍赛)in the world. It could be a challenge for anyone to get past the finish line, but 83-year-old Mildred Wilson from Missouri, the USA, surprised us.
In fact, Mildred just finished her third Tough Mudder race this May, becoming the oldest person to ever complete the race. " It's not so," Mildred said.
Mildred has always kept active and played sports with her son since he was old enough. So she wanted to give it a go at Tough Mudder when she watched her son Danny Wilson take on the world's Toughest Mudder challenge in Las Vegas.
Mildred joined Danny's youth group to prepare for the event. But first, she went to her doctor. The doctor checked her over and was sure she was strong enough to run the race. Finally, with the help of her son, she made it.
She used her second and third races to raise money to build a fresh water well in Africa. "I will get muddy so others can drink clean water," wrote Mildred on GoFundMe. As for her future, Mildred plans to take part in the races for as long as she can. "If I'm still alive and healthy, I will!" she said.
A.Her son is active in playing sports too. B.Runners need to pass through a lot of obstacles and run in the mud. C.Setting up GoFundMe, Mildred hopes to raise money to help people in need. D.A lot of people think as they get older, they have to sit down and give up trying. E.She even played for her company's volleyball, softball, tug-of-war and tennis teams. F.Then after months of exercising, Mildred's first Tough Mudder race arrived in May 2019. |
In China, it's common to see people on the streets using their fans to beat the heat in summer. However, the traditional Chinese fan is not just a tool for cooling down, but a symbol of traditional Chinese culture.
The history of Chinese fans goes back to the Shang Dynasty(about 1600 B. C—1046 B. C). One of the carliest fans was known as Shanhan. It was a bit like today's umbrella. It was tied(系)to a carriage(马车)to keep people away from the strong sunshine and rainfall. Later, Shanhan developed into a long-handled fan called Zhangshan(障扇).
In fact, the fan was not used to help people cool down until the Zhou Dynasty. At that time, fans were usually made of birds' feathers and mainly used by the emperors. Later, bamboo fans and cattail-leaf fans(蒲扇)were invented during the Han Dynasty. Both were most popular among the common people during the Song Dynasty.
Years later, the folding fan was introduced. As this kind of fan could be easily folded and carried, it soon became popular. However, the best thing of a folding fan was the pictures on it. If a famous person painted the fan, it could cost a lot of money. For example, a folding fan painted by Zhang Daqiari was sold for $252,000.Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong were also well known.
Throughout history, Chinese fans have stood the test of time. Today, there are more than 500 kinds of fans in China, attracting(吸引)a great number of fan lovers both at home and abroad. However, it's difficult to carry on our traditional skills of making fans among young people now for many reasons. Luckily, Tag Design made a meaningful try. It developed an app "Folding Fan" which introduces the skills for making traditional folding fans. With the help of technology, these fan-making skills are surely able to stay alive forever.