Mobile phone (手机)has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned (禁止) students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the schools this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas presents, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official(官员), said mobile phone use is a distraction(分心) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy, because they couldn't get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school; they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would like their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.

    China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them.

    This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 10.

    The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the "descendants(传人) of the dragon". Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs(传统) about dragons.

    On the day in ancient times(古代), people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to "lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.

    Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat "dragon whisker (细须)" noodles and dumplings called "dragon teeth".

    Today, many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

    The Monkey Buffet Festival is on the last Sunday of November. It is a great day for monkeys in Thailand (泰国). The festival has a history of 25 years. People there think monkeys can bring good luck to them. So, to thank monkeys, they have this special festival.

    On that day every year, people put lots of fruit, vegetables, cakes and even drinks on the tables outside. They are all for monkeys. Many people come to see the monkeys on that day.

    During the festival, there are a lot of interesting activities about monkeys. Young people always dress like monkeys and they sing and dance and play some music on the street.

    Monkeys always live in groups. Most of them live in the trees. They are good at running and jumping. They eat fruit, vegetables, flowers and birds' eggs. Monkeys are clever. Do you think so?

    Almost every child likes sweet things, such as candies, chocolate, ice cream and desserts. But do you know there is a holiday called Sweetest Day in the USA? Does it mean people can eat lots of sweet on that day?

    Sweetest Day is a popular holiday for Americans. People celebrate it on the third Saturday in October. On that day, people show their love to the elderly, children, their good friends or anyone else they want to help. Orphans(孤儿) and patients can also enjoy people's greetings. In fact, anyone may get a gift on that day. It's just a day that offers people a chance to show their love and care to others.

    How did the holiday originate? Here is a story. In 1922, a very kind man in Cleverland, a city in Ohio of America, thought that many poor people in the city needed care from others. He wanted them to be happy and he hoped they would find people always remembered them and cared about them. So he gave them boxes of sweets or small gifts to show his love. He also asked his friends and neighbors to help him do these things. Many people thought it was a great idea. After that, more and more people in Cleverland began to do things like him every year. Gradually(逐渐地) it became a popular holiday for lots of Americans.

    Everyone in the world knows the Chinese tiger, the Indian elephant and the African lion. In America, everyone knows the Thanksgiving turkey. It's on the last Thursday in November. It's important to Americans the same as the Spring Festival is for us. The Thanksgiving turkey is a wild bird much larger than the chicken. When the American Indians helped the first Europeans find food for the first Thanksgiving meal, they brought turkeys because they were very usual. The farmers sell the turkeys to a processing plant(加工厂)that packages the bird to be sold at the supermarket. Mothers and grandmothers cook the turkey all morning for the Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey may be as large as 20 pounds or 10 kilos. One turkey can feed a very large family and still have some left over. When the turkey is cooked, the juice from the meat falls on bread to make it very delicious. There is always a fruit at the meal called cranberry. It grows in Alaska and has a bitter(有苦味的)taste so it's cooked with sugar. Vegetables include cooked corn, beans and sweet potatoes. There is a special kind of bread that is served called dinner rools(晚餐包). They're the size and shape of a small orange. The dinner ends with either apple pie or pumpkin pie.

    Whether Americans travel throughout the world, this is the dinner they like to eat on Thanksgiving Day.