I can't remember when I started collecting litter. But it was when I got tired of 1 litter nearby that I realized no one else was going to pick it up.

    I live near a forest in Ohio, America. I can walk there  2 three minutes. I used to love going there to play with my dog. But one day there was 3 much litter there that I became very unhappy. I decided to clean up the forest, and I wanted to 4 happy when I went again. I made my first trip to clean the forest that afternoon. I took a big black rubbish bag with me. Ten minutes 5  I started to pick up litter, my bag was full! There were cans, bottles, broken glass and newspapers in it.

    From then on, I 6  to the forest four times a year to pick up litter. I often stay there for three hours. It makes me feel 7 to do something for the environment. After each trip, I look through all the litter that I've collected. If 8  of it is recyclable（可回收利用的）, I'll keep it. I can't understand why people drop litter. But I will keep on picking it up  9they stop dropping it. I know I am only doing a small bit  10 the earth, but I still think it is important.

Abingdon School Open Day

    The Open Day this year will be on Saturday, 1 October 2011. The Open Day is for all the family, with activities and displays(展示) about all aspects(方面) of the school. All the teachers, students and parents will attend. The day starts at 9:30 a. m. and finishes at 2:30 p.m.  You are welcome to arrive at any time during the lessons in the morning and afternoon. Please read the outline of Open Day events.

    If you can't come to the Open Day, that's all right. There are many other chances(机会) to visit Abingdon School

    St Helen School and St Katharine School Open Day will be on the same date, so you can also visit those two.

    Parking at the school on the Open Day may be limited(有限的), so you can also park your cars in Lotus Supermarket's car park.  It's just a three-minute walk away.

The map of Abingdon School can be found on the school website-www. abingdon. edu.

    It is difficult for the parents of every family to teach their children to be responsible (有责任的) for housework.

    The Shatian School in Shanghai is making its students do housework for their parents. The third graders(三年级学生) must learn how to cook and clean, sixth graders do the laundry(洗衣服) and seventh and eighth graders cook balanced meals with 15 yuan.

    Many parents think it's a good way for children to try housework but they don't know how to do it at home. With the following ideas, you really can get your children to help at home.

    If you want to make your children think that they can do everything quite right, please don't always scold(批评) if them but give them lots of praise at home. Talk more about what they did right, not about what they didn't do. If your child finishes some difficult work, give him or her a Sunday trip or a ball game with Dad as a reward.

Do you like having wafers(华夫饼)? Do you like reading books? If you do, you can have the" wafer book". It is a new kind of story(故事) book in America.

The paper(纸张) of book is made of wafers, so we call it" wafer book". And the paper comes in four flavors (口味): peach, orange, carrot and tomato. Bostjia n Gorenc Pizama writes the stories for wafer books. Now people like playing with the computer and the phone in their free time. They spend(花费) less time reading. The stores sell the books at very great prices. So many parents want to buy the wafer books for their sons and daughters. Parents think it's a good way to help them have reading habits.

After reading a wonderful story, you can have some delicious wafers. Many families buy the books in America now. Because they also get fun from the books.

Do you know how to celebrate (庆祝) a birthday in the UK? People usually have dinner at a nice restaurant. If it is your birthday, you can choose the food and drinks you want.

Going to an amusement park (游乐场) for your birthday is also popular. There are many things to ride on, such as the roller coaster(过山车)and the big wheel (摩天轮). You can invite your friends to go with you. Of course, your parents will pay all the cost.

If the weather is nice and you have enough time, you can have a garden party. People usually play interesting games in the garden. For example, you can use a black cloth to cover your eyes, so you cannot see anything. Then you should use your ears to find and catch the other people.

We drink one of the world's most popular drinks—tea—on May 21, International Tea Day. We all know that China is the birthplace of tea 1 . But do you know about the tea cultures of some 2 countries? 

Tea was brought to 3 from China in the ninth century. Then in the late 12th century, the Japanese monk（僧侣）Eisai 4 tea to Japan from China again, Eisai wrote a book praising tea as a 5 that was especially good for the heart. The custom（习俗）of tea—drinking later became an important part of Japanese culture. In Japan, 6 tea is an art. People use beautiful tea bowls and 7 the peace and calm of the tea room. 

India is one of the largest tea producers in the world. It also learned the art of tea-drinking from China centuries ago. Tea is very 8 in India. In fact, 70 percent of the tea it produces is loved 9 its own people. "Chai" is the Hindi（印地语）word for tea. Traditional Indian chai is a type of 10 tea. But unlike Chinese black tea, chai is 11 together with strong spices such as ginger（姜）. 

Turkey also has a tea culture. If you ever find 12 in Turkey, one thing you have to do is to enjoy special tea there. Tea was brought to the country 13 China in the nineteenth century. The traditional Turkish tea cup is in the shape of a tulip（郁金香）. The tea is 14 served very hot and one has to hold the cup by its lower rim（边沿）. Most often, salty or sweet biscuits, 15 "kurabiye", are served along with the tea.