While thousands of college students headed for warm climate to enjoy sun and fun during their week off from classes, seven local students had other plans.

        The Northern Essex Community College(NECC) students and one of their teachers spent part of their spring break in New York City, helping repair an area {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (destroy) by the hurricane.

        “I wanted to see for myself what happened,” said Terry. “I couldn't imagine{#blank#}2{#/blank#}it is like to lose your home and everything that you know and the{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (power) effect the hurricane had on thosepeople. I wanted to do something, to understand their feeling of helplessness.”

        The group headed into Brooklyn's RedHook district, which was hit hard by the hurricane. There they met people fromother parts of the country, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}had also volunteered to help. Together, thosevolunteers and the NECC students{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (work) to clear rubbish out of at hree-story building. They put on protective suits and gloves{#blank#}6{#/blank#}they enteredthe building.

        Inside the building, the students saw nothing but broken walls and doors and pieces of the building   {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (lie) all over the place.

The students returned to school with{#blank#}8{#/blank#}sense of achievement, a feeling that{#blank#}9{#/blank#}helped people in need. I was remarkable how a community lost so much and was still able to recover, and this left the deepest impression{#blank#}10{#/blank#}thestudents.

    With the new term {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (approach）, Bertha Berger struggled to put on her blue jeans. She stepped on the bathroom scale（秤）. She had never seen such a high number on the little scale, so she decided to change. That day she threw out all the junk food in her fridge and went grocery shopping,{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (determine）to lose weight; she bought low, fat versions of all her favorite foods. She had two low - sodium（钠）bacon {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（sandwich）with a diet soda for lunch. The food contained over 1, 200 calories but had very little salt. For dinner she ate two turkey burgers with reduced - fat cheese{#blank#}4{#/blank#}she had received over 2, 000 calories, Bertha felt that she needed a reward. Then for dessert she ate one low- calorie ice - cream sandwich. And {#blank#}5{#/blank#} bed she ate a bag of baked potato chips, which she thought were{#blank#}6{#/blank#}（healthy）than normal chips, even if they had {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (rough) the same amount of calories. She dipped them in low - fat cream cheese. Bertha{#blank#}8{#/blank#}（consume）around 6,500 calories that day, but she felt skinny. When she woke {#blank#}9{#/blank#}the next morning, she stepped on the scale. She couldn't wait to see how {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(success）her diet had been.

    A free program {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (help) Milwaukee Public High School students realize their theater dreams at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

    "My mom put me in acting classes {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I was seven because I was {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (extreme) shy," says 17-year-old Beatrice Low.

    "And I just {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (take) to it like a duck to water, I guess."

    Today, she's having the chance {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (work) one-on-one with a professional, touring actress through program at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

    "I can't describe it, it's amazing, I love it," Low says.

    It {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (call) "Arts Connect" and pairs a class of young actors with theater professionals for a weeklong workshop.

    During one session, Beatrice works with actress Teri Hansen. She was in Milwaukee for the Marcus Center's recent touring {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (produce) of "An American in Paris."

    "It's the favorite thing that I do, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (work) with aspiring artists," Hansen says.

    Together they work {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a song from the Andrew Loyd Weber musical "Tell Me on a Sunday," with an audience of Beatrice's young peers. No pressure.

    The Marcus Center makes the Arts Connect program free for students from three Milwaukee public high schools. It's has been {#blank#}10{#/blank#} invaluable—even life-changing—experience, Beatrice says.

    It is well known that the Chinese have great respect for their elders, and here is an occasion to show it-the Chongyang Festival. It falls {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. In Chinese, nine {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(regard) as the number of "yang". The ninth day of the ninth month is the day that has two "yang" numbers, and "chong" in Chinese means double, which is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the name "Chongyang" came into being.

    The festival can date back to the Warring States Period. However, it was not {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (formal) set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. In 1989, the Chinese government {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(declare)the ninth day of the ninth lunar month to be Seniors' Day-a day to respect {#blank#}6{#/blank#} elderly and to let them enjoy {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(they).

    Traditionally, people climb mountains, drink chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, and eat double-ninth cakes. Since cake in Chinese is pronounced "gao" meaning"high", people consider climbing a high mountain to be the same as eating cake in the hope of {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (promote) to high positions. And people often think that chrysanthemum wine can get rid of all kinds of diseases and {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(disaster).

    Today many activities are held {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(show) respect for the seniors like organizing a trip for them, sending them gifts and more on the day of the festival.

    Tons of waste is being left on Mount Qomolangma by a{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(grow) number of visitors, which bothers many people. A team will deal with the task{#blank#}2{#/blank#}the climbing season ends this May, by which time there will be fewer visitors. Garbage{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(collect) on Qomolangma requires two to three years of training, according to Cering Dandar, a mountaineer and guide.