How do you feel about your Chinese? Is it good or bad? If you think youare good at Chinese, you can take part in the competition named the “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition (中国汉字听写大会)”. The competition became popular among teenagers. Let's know something about it.

    More and more computers and smart phones are used by teenagers. They spend too much time onthe Internet in playing or chatting. They are used to sending messages by computers and smart phones. As a result, some teenagers forget how to writethe Chinese Characters by hand. The teachers and parents are very worried about it. What can they do?

    Not long ago, they found an interesting game called the Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. The program was similar to the American show “National Spelling Bee”. In this program, middle school students competed among themselves and wrote down the Chinese Characters by dictation. Over two hundred competitors were from forty-six middle schools. The audiences(观众) loved this new kind of competition, too. They tried to write down the Chinese Characters while the competitors were writing them. Butthey found it was also difficult for them to write down all the Chinese Characters.

    Is it an interesting competition? Can you be the winner?

    During the summer holidays there will be a new schedule(时间表).

    Changes for meal and library service hours and for bus schedules will be shown on the wall outside the dining room. Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being made, will be shown each Wednesday outside the library.

    Buses to the town center will leave the North Beijing every hour on the half during the day. The dining room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the weekdays and two meals from noon to 7:00 p.m on weekends. The library will continue its usual hours during the weekdays, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5:00 p.m.

    All students who want to use the library borrowing service must have a new summer card. This announcement(通知) will also be shown in the next week's student newspaper.

    A famous scientist made some great inventions. A newspaper reporter asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than other persons. What made him so successful and different from others?

He said it all came from an experience with his mother when he was about two years old.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} when he lost his control on the bottle and it fell, pouring the milk all over the kitchen floor — a sea of milk!

    His mother didn't shout at him，instead, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made!{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Well, something bad had happened. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

    Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, you have to clean it up{#blank#}3{#/blank#}? We could use a sponge(海绵）or a towel. Which I do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled(溅出的) milk.

His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to carry a big milk bottle with two small hands.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} and see if you can find a way to carry it without dropping it." In the end, the little boy learned how to carry the bottle without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

Good Habits of Successful People

    Have you ever wondered how some people have gotten so successful? Sure you have. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But most successful people share certain habits. Here are several habits that have helped place them on the top.

    They get goals and imagine.

    Ninety-five percent of the successful achievers practice writing down their goals, plans, or visions for success on a regular basis. Successful people do this the night before, or early in the morning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    They wake up early.

    President Obama, Richard Branson and Tim Cook are known to be early risers. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Because early risers are able to start their days ahead of everyone else to respond to others, exercise and find some personal time, they tend to be happier and more proactive (积极的).

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Sixty-seven percent of rich people only watch TV for one hour or less per day. Corley also found only six percent of the wealthy watch reality shows, while 78 percent of the poor do. Additionally, 86 percent of the wealthy love to read with an impressive 88 percent claiming that they read for self-improvement for 30 minutes or more per day.

    They know when to say "no".

    Successful people realize that by saying "no" to negativity, extra work and activities that waste time, they can focus on increasing their productivity. If they say "yes" to everyone or everything, they'll be too distracted. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}