Summer holidays are coming soon. Are you going to travel? If you plan to take a plane, you will have a healthy trip by following these suggestions:

    There are many libraries in Britain. Let's learn something about them.

Public libraries

    Most towns in Britain have a public library. A library usually has a large selection of books and other resources, which library members can use and borrow for free.

    Britain's First Public Library

    The first Britain's public library opened in Manchester in 1852. Its first librarian was a man called Edward Edwards. Edwards attended the library's opening ceremony and two famous writers called Charles Dickens and William Thackeray were there, too.

    Services of library

    Modern public libraries have something for everyone. Most of them have audio books, CDs, newspapers and DVDs as well as books to borrow.

    How to Join a Library

    To join a library, go to your local library and fill in a form. You'll receive a library card which is needed when using library services.

    Mobile Libraries

    Not everyone can get to a library. Some people live far away from towns and cities. Other people find it difficult to go out because they have an illness or a disability. Thanks to mobile libraries, these people can still borrow books.

    The libraries are special. Unlike most libraries, which store books in buildings, mobile libraries usually keep their books in a mini-bus. The back of the mini-bus has shelves for the books, and it is big enough for borrowers to step inside and look around. A driver take the mini-bus to a certain place at a certain time, so people know when to expect it. They can return their books and borrow some more.

    All Aboard the Library!

    A school in London didn't have space for a library inside the building. However, everybody agreed that it was still important to have a school library. So, the head of the school, Graham Blake, decided to park an old bus on the school car park and change it into a library. Pupils helped to paint the bus, and after eight months, the new library was ready.

    Playgrounds offer kids fresh air, friends, and exercise. However, each year, more than 200,000 kids go to hospital because they are hurt in one way or another when playing on the playground. So what can we do to improve the situation(状况)?

    We should make sure the playground is safe for the children. It should be soft and thick enough, so when the children fall, they won't hurt too much. Things like water, rocks or broken glass might cause danger to the kids. Cleaners should check the playground from time to time and clear away these dangerous things. In fact, children themselves also need to help keep the playground clean and safe. That means each time after playing they should pick up the rubbish they've produced. If someone finds there is something wrong with the equipment(设施), he should report to the keeper of the playground, so people will come to fix it.

    Teaching kids how to play safely is also very important. Kids should know the rules of the playground, so they won't get hurt easily. For example, they should never push when others are on seesaws or swings. If someone is going to jump off some equipment, he should first look down to make sure no other kids are in the way. Of course, wearing right clothes may also help to keep safe. Clothes with strings (绳) can get caught on equipment which may hurt the kid badly.

    In short, our kids can both enjoy themselves and be safe if we are working together to improve the situation.

    New York is a very large city with more than eight million people. How do so many people move on their way to work or school? In New York you can travel by subway, bus, taxi and private car.

    The subway runs on the railroad lines under the city. Travelling by subway is the fastest way to get around the city. The second way to travel around the city is by public bus. It is a slower way to travel. This is because the traffic is very heavy.

    You can also travel around the city by taxi. This is very expensive, but the taxi will take you to every place you want to go. If the traffic is heavy, the taxi will be slow too.

    During the mornings and afternoons, there is the "rush hour". This is the time when the traffic is very heavy with people going to and from work. The last way to get around New York is using your private car. It is inconvenient（不方便的）because you will perhaps be driving during the "rush hour". The best time to travel around the city is from 9 am to 4 pm, because it isn't the "rush hour".

    Bike­sharing is new for short journeys in cities. It is a good choice for the big cities to develop healthily.

    A report found that shared bikes started the nation's love for bikes again. The love is not only among young people born in the 1980s and 2000s, but also among people over sixty. Now they are choosing bikes instead of cars to make short journeys in cities. If you have a smart phone, the nearest bike equipped with GPS will be easily found through a certain app on your phone. It can also be unlocked through the app and left anywhere in public for the next user. The cost of riding depends on the time that you spend. Normally, every hour you ride, you just need to pay one yuan.

    It is said that bike­sharing will help improve the cities' environment. It not only helps solve the traffic problems, but also will help to make more use of space in cities. Take Beijing as an example. If more people choose shared bikes, an area of five Bird's Nest Stadiums (体育场)will be saved.

    At the same time, there are some problems with shared bikes that people need to solve properly. For example, some people park the bikes in their home; some break up the bikes on purpose; and others even throw them into the river. Facing all these problems, everyone should raise their own awareness of protecting the bikes. We should not only enjoy them, but also value them and put them to good use.

Information Card