The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It lifts the curtain of spring.After that everything turns green and full of energy and people clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer.

1．Flying a kite.

    Spring is the best season for kite－flying.A traditional folk activity，it has a history of more than 2，000 years.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  It also has the effect of promoting blood circulation and speeding up metabolism.

2．Wearing fabric swallows.

    Wearing fabric swallows is a custom in some regions in Shaanxi.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The custom originated during the Tang Dynasty (618－907)．The swallow is a harbinger of spring and a symbol of prosperity and happiness.

3．Making a Spring Ox.

    Skilled artists build the frame of an ox out of bamboo strips and the legs with wood.Then they paste some paper and paint onto it.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  It is said that if more red and yellow paper is used，then there will be a good harvest that year.

4．{#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    People in China began holding a special ceremony on the first day of Start of Spring about 3，000 years ago.They made sacrifices to Gou Mang，the god of Spring，who is in charge of agriculture.By the Qing Dynasty (1644－1911)，welcoming spring had become an important folk activity.

A．Welcoming spring.

B．The image of an ox is complete.

C．At that time，there were eight solar terms.

D．Start of Spring is the first solar term of the year.

E．Flying a kite can help build one's health and prevent diseases.

F．It is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring.

G．People like to wear a swallow made of colorful silk on their chests on Start of Spring.

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resting your body clock{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here is how to make one.

    ● {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why it's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reason, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    ● Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    ● Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ● Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

    Every boy and every girl expects their parents to give them more pocket money.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} One main purpose is to let kids learn how to manage their own money. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get weekly pocket money.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    First of all, children are expected to make a choice between spending and saving. Then parents should make the children understand what is expected to pay for with the money. At first, some young children may spend all of the money soon after they receive it{#blank#}3{#/blank#} By doing so, these children will learn that spending must be done with a budget.

    In order to encourage their children to do some housework, some parents give pocket money if the children help around the home.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} They believe helping at home is a normal part of family life.

    Pocket money can give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with the money.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can spend it by buying things they want. They can save it for future use. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. Saving can also open the door to future saving and investing for children.

A. Others get monthly pocket money.

B. They can spend it by giving it to a good cause.

C. Why do their parents just give them a certain amount?

D. Some children are not good at managing their pocket money.

E. Learning how to get money is very important for every child.

F. Some experts think it not wise to pay the children for doing that.

G. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the right time.

    We often describe spring as a time of rebirth, renewal and awakening. However, when the weather turns warm, many of us suffer from spring fever Are we actually sick when we have spring fever? Originally, yes,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When the weather turned warm, some people developed sore throats, headaches, or stuffy noses. The definition of “spring fever” slowly changed in the early 1800s, Now people come to use the term to mean a sudden increase of romantic feelings. Elvis Presley describes this feeling in the song “Spring Fever.” “Spring fever, comes to everyone. Spring fever, it's tune for fun. There's no doubt now, love is everywhere. Get up, get out, spring is everywhere.” These days, we use “spring fever to describe a restless feeling after the long, cold days of winter. But the word “spring” is not just a season.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Imagine that you are resting on the couch when suddenly you see a mouse run across the floor. You spring into action! You jump from the couch and run after the mouse! But you miss,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Audit works! But when you tell your roommate that you caught a mouse in a trap, tears spring to her eyes. You feel bad and awfully sorry, but she really should have told you about her pet mouse Charlie! After all, your apartment doesn't allow pets.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You say to her, “You can't just spring that on me! I'll need time to find another roommate!” But then you think that maybe it's for the best. Every time you see her, you feel guilty about Charlie, her pet mouse.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} She always expects you to compensate her for her loss of the mouse: she wants you to spring for lunch, spring for movie tickets, and sometimes even spring for groceries. When you spring for something, you pay for someone else.

    These expressions are really cool, aren't they? Next time, you can say to a friend, “I have spring fever. Let's leave early and go to an outdoor cafe, I'll spring for coffee.”

A. Things art conning to life in spring!

B. Your roommate turns her back on you.

C. It is also a verb that means something happening or appearing quickly.

D. Spring fever used to refer to an Actual illness.

E. Then unexpectedly, your roommate is moving out tomorrow.

F. That night you spring a trap with some cheese in it

G. Even so, she constantly annoys you.

Time for a Brainstorm

    A brainstorm is a session （会议）where a small group of people come together to solve a problem. People voice spontaneous ideas, sometimes just shouting, and a note-taker writes them all down.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By getting different ideas out there, ideas are said to bounce off each other and even can help solve the problem at hand. Brainstorming is often a group exercise but individuals can also conduct personal brainstorms.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He defined it as using the brain to storm a creative problem and do so in commando (突击队）fashion，with each stormer attacking the same objective. According to him, it was easier to tone down a wild idea than think up a new one. He placed importance on the collection of as many ideas as possible and dismissed scientific thinking.

    Brainstorming has become one of the most popular ways to solve problems and hold discussion in schools and businesses. Many students brainstorm for a group assignment or even for a personal essay.  Sarah Grace, 24, is an Australian marketing analyst and uses brainstorming during all her creative duties.  She thinks brainstorming is the best way to work as a team. The sessions get everyone on the same page，everyone moving together and with a clear understanding about the foundations of an event or idea. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    However, a big problem with brainstorming is creating a mess that leads people further away from a solution. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you don't have a strong moderator or leader of the brainstorm, can go really off track，and people just start discussing something totally different.    
     Brainstorming can sometimes confuse the human brain.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you brainstorm too much and your page is filled up with all the messy links, you can paint yourself into a bit of corner and get trapped with ideas.  You need to move past brainstorming as soon as you have something workable.

A. The ideas can be smart，strange or crazy.

B. It is caused by a lack of direction from a leader.

C. Brainstorming really helps her organize her thoughts.

D. Brainstorming really is the best way to build team spirit.

E. It can open too many doors and not suggest a clear direction.

F. They can be words, phrases, paragraphs and anything that can help answer the question.

G. Brainstorms were popularized in the 1940s by American advertising boss Alex Osborn.

    Eco City Farms is an educational nonprofit organization. It seeks to empower the community by teaching economic development, job training and a healthier way of living. The group has set up farms near automobile repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.

    Social activist Margaret Morgan-Hubbard founded Eco City Farms. She says that lack of fresh produce is a major health problem for children and their families living in Maryland. "What's critical is that 70 percent of the people in these towns are either overweight, have some illnesses, for example, diabetes, or have other kinds of diet-related ailments because they don't have access to healthy food.

    Eco City Farms offers several programs for agriculture, food and finding jobs with environment-friendly businesses. People can also learn how to cook healthier foods and teach others how to prepare meals. On a recent day, Philip Sidibe demonstrated his cooking skills. He prepared Aloco, a popular food in Cameroon where he grew up. He and other young people not only cook their food, they also grow it in a large garden.

    Tameka Barbour-Gaskins lives in Autumn Woods. She says her whole family is eating healthier meals because of the local produce. "I like junk food. I like quick meals. Not easy to just go from eating a certain way all your life to switching over to being healthier… With the urban garden here, with my son learning, he can help me switch around my style of eating. I want a healthy family."

    Margaret says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters. "Our program is about planting seeds. It's about planting seeds not just in the ground, but in other human beings so that the movement can grow and it's really exciting because these young people will be working with us throughout the year to help plan the actual farm and to finally own it."