—It's on M{#blank#}1{#/blank#} and Friday.

    The villagers in Mhangeni, Africa. faced a very big challenge(挑战).They didn't have a school for their kids.

    Then the village elder thought of an i{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. He said that there was an old, abandoned (废弃的)farmhouse. It could be changed into classrooms after cleaning and furnishing(装设备)it. All the villagers were p{#blank#}2{#/blank#}with his suggestion and started the project immediately

    The parents repaired the broken walls. Some villagers d{#blank#}3{#/blank#}the house into three classrooms by using pieces of wood. The others helped make desks and chairs for the students. Still, there was much more work to do. But the rains were coming. They had to s{#blank#}4{#/blank#}working for the school as it was now the best time for them to plant.

    So the children of Mhangeni decided to finish the house by t{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.They had to hurry as summer had ended and other schools had already opened.   They didn't want to delay(耽搁) their studies. Every day they were busy with cutting the grass and clearing the bushes(灌木).

    The news about the project s{#blank#}6{#/blank#}and many people knew it. Two teachers who worked for the country's Department of Education arrived to help out. and two foreign visitors were also touched (感动) by the children's a{#blank#}7{#/blank#}.They donated money for them to buy textbooks and stationery.

    After 10 days of hard work, the new school was r{#blank#}8{#/blank#}.The kids were very happy but a bit worried—they were behind in their studies.

    Besides(除…之外)this, they also faced many d{#blank#}9{#/blank#}.There were not enough classrooms to hold all the students. And two or three students had to share one book.

    However, the children are happy to study in school—e{#blank#}10{#/blank#}in their new school which they helped to build. Though their school might not be modern, their dream of having a school near their homes has come true.

    Augie Dobson, a 9-year-old American boy is proud of his ability to speak Chinese. He has been studying the language for three years from Shanghai Community International School.

    Augie is one of a group of three and took part in a drama performance competition It was organized to e{#blank#}1{#/blank#}overseas students to understand Chinese culture. Their play is based on Tang Dynasty(618-907) poet He Zhizhang's "Hui Xiang Ou Shu. "L{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, the play got the second prize at yesterday's ceremony.

    "Hui Xiang Ou Shu" means writing something after returning home. It describes an old man who left his hometown at a young age but feels like a s{#blank#}3{#/blank#}when he returns a couple of years later.

    Mrs Sun, a Chinese teacher in school said she tries to teach her pupils to sing and dance to the poem. "Children are interested in singing poems rather than just reciting t{#blank#}4{#/blank#}."

    Students at Shanghai Community International School now learn an ancient poem every day. "It's difficult b{#blank#}5{#/blank#}I'm trying to remember." said Augie

    The first prize went to drama Kong Cheng Ji, performed by students at Dulwich College Shanghai, Kong Cheng Ji, tells of Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period(220-280) . He had no army to protect and guard the city but m{#blank#}6{#/blank#}to make the enemy's leader Sima Yi believe that the city was full of traps and ambushes(遵伏). As a result, Sima gave up.

    Li Zihao, 9, plays Sima in the drama, Li is a fan of chengyu, Chinese four-charac-ter idioms(四字成语)

    "I've downloaded an app about telling stories with chengyu, and he loves it. I think chengyu is a very s{#blank#}7{#/blank#}and important part of Chinese culture. Four words alone can mean a lot, and chengyu shows the great wisdom of old Chinese people." said his mother.