How do you often spend your summer vacation? Do you sometimes get bored? Here are some ideas for you to help spice up(调剂) your holiday, and keep you busy either inside or outside.
A happy cook
Help your mom cook a dinner in the kitchen. Washing vegetables may be a good choice for you. You can also learn to make a simple meal, like egg-fried rice. When you eat a meal you have cooked, you'll feel very proud.
Make a photo wall
Collect your family photos. Choose some special ones with your family and make a photo wall. We can talk to parents and listen to family stories behind those photos. You can also DIY a photo album and keep the photos safe for a long time.
Help others
Encourage yourself to do something you can to help others every day. For example, give your seat to those who need it on the bus, give directions to someone who is lost, and pick up the litter on the road. These small acts will help make the world a better place.
Travel to the countryside
Traveling to the countryside is a great way to be close to nature. Experience life in the countryside with your parents, and find the differences between the city and countryside. Explain which one you like better, and write down your feelings.
Masks mark a hero
What is a hero? We may think of the fictional characters with supernatural powers or great people who can influence world events. Now, as the nation continues its all-out efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (新冠肺炎), medical staff have become heroes in the eyes of the public.
As of Feb 19, a total of 32, 000 medical staff outside Hubei province have been working to treat patients around the center of the outbreak.
Zhang Dingyu, the president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, is one of these heroes. Since the hospital received the first seven patients in December, Zhang has been so busy that he barely gets any sleep. Even suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (肌萎缩侧索硬化), the 56-year-old doctor is doing his best to quicken his pace to save precious time for infected patients.
"I have to run, racing against time to save more patients from the deadly disease, because I don't have much time left in my life, " Zhang told Xinhua News Agency.
With the duty of saving lives, many medical professionals like Zhang have been working long hours for days, despite their fear and worries.
Lu Jingjing from Wuhan Children's Hospital also works at a temporary mobile hospital. She does not let her parents know that she is now working with novel coronavirus-infected patients.
When her parents ask for a video chat, Lu says she is working and lets her husband and children chat with them instead.
"It's dangerous but we should win the battle with the virus as soon as possible, so that medical staff and patients can go back home, " she told China Daily.
US writer Khalil Gibran (1883—1931) once wrote, "Tenderness (温柔) and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair (绝望), but the manifestations of strength and resolution. " It's true for the medical workers.
Everyone has fear, especially when it comes to deadly diseases. But for medical staff, saving lives comes first and is enough for them to be brave and stay on the front. They may look like ordinary people in daily life, but in these extraordinary (不同寻常的) times, they are heroes.
Do you have the experience of taking music lessons against your wishes? Perhaps you have complained about it because you thought it took you much playtime. But now you'd better thank your parents for their time and money spent on your musical training. A recent study suggests music lessons can make children have better memories than their peers(同龄人).
The Canadian study showed that after one year of musical training, children did better on a memory test than those who didn't take music lessons.
The researchers(研究者) made the children aged between 4 and 6 into two groups — one group of children took music lessons outside school, and the other didn't take any musical training. In one year, they took four tests in different times. The results showed brain(大脑) development changes at least every four months.
The children taking music lessons not only did better in musical listening but also made faster progress in other ways, such as reading, writing, Maths and IQ.
People say music is the good medicine for a broken heart. Now it seems music can also help us to improve our memories. We are sure to find more and more in the wonderful world of music.
Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what the first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying.
As you grew older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously(好奇地). You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things. Then you began to try making the sounds you heard.
And step by step, you were able to make the right sound for one thing. On that day you came to understand the secret of language: a certain sound means a certain thing.
When a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, they can understand each other. Then, and only then, these people have a LANGUAGE.
After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words described things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "I want to go out and play with my friends. " This is language. By means of language, people can communicate.
So we say that languages are means of communication.
What kind of music do you like? How do you feel when you listen to your favorite music? Do you think music can make people feel better or help them to learn?
Jen Morgan is a music therapist （治疗师）. Jen uses music to help her patients learn new skills. She can also help patients with their speaking and their memory.
Jen uses different activities with her patients. She gets them to listen to music and sing or play along. Jen might get them to clap, jump or dance. Jen also asks her patients to try to remember songs they like.
Jen writes songs and uses them in her therapy work. She says, " I write songs about everything: about getting dressed, about flowers, about my favorite food — you name it! Sometimes my patients help me write songs. "
Jen loves her job as a music therapist. She says, " It's wonderful to see how music therapy can help children with disabilities. Often children are shy when I first meet them. Music makes people feel good!"
A. I'm very lucky to have this job.
B. She works with children with disabilities.
C. Jen plays with children to sing and dance.
D. I've probably written more than 200 songs.
E. Her patients also enjoy moving to the music.
F. But they soon start having fun and enjoying the music.
My name is Broody. I'm a middle school student. I want to tell you 1 about my new flat. The rooms are not big 2 comfortable. There are five rooms in my flat. They are one bathroom, one living room, one kitchen and two bedrooms. I'm very happy now, for I have 3 own room in our tlat. My bedroom is my favorite room in our flat because I can be alone(独自的） in it. I can read books or draw pictures. I can also 4 music or play CDs there. I can use my 5 to send e-mails to my friends. My 6 favorite room is the kitchen. I love helping mother 7 the meals. She's a good cook. She's teaching me 8 to make many different kinds of dishes. And I'm learning 9 very hard. I want to be a good cook when I grow up. I have more to tell you about my flat, but I have to stop. Because I have a lot of 10 to do. let me tell you next time.
Spring Festival is the most important festival in China. It usually falls the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar. It is a time for family members to enjoy being together. The most popular food for the festival is dumplings. Just as an old saying goes, "Nothing tastes (good) than dumplings. " Also, many people believe eating dumplings will make them rich, because the food looks like "yuanbao". People usually put a coin or a candy inside a dumpling. They believe that the person will be (luck) in the new year when he/she gets the dumpling.
—Yes, please.
—It's mine.
Hi Li Ping,
How is everything going with you? My cousin Mike is staying with me. We're having a party next Saturday. Please come! The party will start at 3 p. m. And I'll need one or two people to help me tidy up after the party. Do you think you'll be able to stay and help?
Looking forward to your reply.
Matt
Dear Matt,
It's good to hear from you.
All the best for you.
Li Ping
