A

    Nina and Julia are two lovely girls．They are 14 years old and go to school in London．But they weren't at school last week—they were doing work experience．And this week they are back in the classroom．Now a school reporter is talking with them about their work．

(Q=Question；N=Nina；J=Julia)

O：Where did you work?

N：I worked in a restaurant．

J：I worked for a TV company(公司)．

O：What did you do?

N：I cleaned the tables and swept the floor and I also served the customers（顾客）．I gave them their food and drinks and took the money．I started really early—at 6：00 a．m．The restaurant opened at 7：00 a．m．and closed at 6：00 p．m．I didn't stay until 6：00 p．m．一I finished work at 2：00p．m．The staff(全体员工)were friendly but we didn't have much time for talking．We were all really busy!

J：I worked in an office of the TV company．I started at 10：00 a．m．and finished at 6：00 p．m．I helped my boss(领导)with different jobs．Sometimes he told me to answer the phone．Other times he asked me to use the computer to look for  information he needed．I was really busy all day!

Q：Did you enjoy it?

N：No．I didn't! I wanted to work in a restaurant because I like cooking．But I didn't do any cooking all week．I am very happy to go back to school．

J：Yes，I did! The boss was kind and the staff were nice．I've really learned a lot from them．

    Shenzhen is a city in South China．It is not very big, but it has attracted people of the whole country and the whole world as well．

    Just about thirty years ago, it was only a small fishing village．There were not many people there． Most of them lived on fishing．Things have greatly changed since the 1980s．It became the first special economic zone(经济特区) in China．

    Because of the opening policy(政策), economic changes between China and the outside world have increased greatly．People can come and go easily between Shenzhen and Hong Kong．Both foreigners and Chinese have built a lot of factories, companies and tourists' attractions there．People all over the country have come to find jobs．Many of them have settled down in this new booming(兴起的) city．

    Shenzhen has been developing so fast that it has become a well－known metropolis(大都市) in China．

    In early spring, the changing temperature usually makes a number of Chinese people uncomfortable. Cold air, bringing rain or even snow, easily tears up(破坏) the warmth of the spring within a night(一夜之间).

    However, with the coming of Guyu-the Grain(谷物) Rain, the blue sky and gentle winds would finally stay. Falling usually on or around April 20 every year, Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms(节气). It means the beginning of a lively summer and people get busy from now on.

    Sow(播种) grains

    This is an important period of the growth of grains. The ancient Chinese already knew that as Guyu comes, the weather will become warm enough for sowing. The farmers usually catch the chance to plant rice, corn and beans.

    Hope for safety and harvest

    For those living near the sea, they will hold some ceremonies(仪式) on Guyu, hoping for safety as well as harvest during the coming fishing season.

    Watch the peony

    It's also a great time to see the peony(牡丹), which is known as “the Queen of All Flowers” in Chinese culture. As a result, watching peonies becomes one of the most enjoyable activities for many. The flower is said to be the favourite of Empress(女皇) Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, who was the only woman ruler in Chinese history.

    Pick tea leaves

    Tea leaves picked before Guyu are among the best tea leaves. People believe that the tea leaves picked on the day of Guyu can make eyes clear and drive away bad luck. So the habit of drinking tea at this time of year has become a tradition in some places of China.

    Your schooldays should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you get the most from them, and be sure you do not waste (浪费) this great chance to learn?

    Be active (积极的) at school. Don't say things are difficult or boring. Take an interest in your school life and school subjects. Take part in lots of activities (活 动). Put up your hands quickly in class. Go around the school with a big smile. If you are not working, you are wasting your time at school. Teachers can not make everything enjoyable (令人愉快的).

    Keep fit. If you don't eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class.

    If you go to bed late and don't have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play enough sports every day in order to keep your body strong.

    Face the problem. Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get behind the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish the race if you rest all the time. Everyone fails (失败) some exams, loses some matches and has a bad day. Don't make small problems very big and important. Don't forget to ask for help if you cannot solve the problems. You are young, and no one thinks you must do everything quite well!

    Spend the weekends. Don't waste time lying in bed on Saturday or Sunday morning. Go and play sports, get together with friends in the park to relax, learn to play the piano, or help someone with problems. If you don't want to go out, there are also a lot of things to do. You may read a book, practice English or help your mum with housework.

    Follow our advice, and have a happy school life!

    A middle school teacher from Jiangxi Province gave up her job in e 2005. She has spent the past few years establishing(建立) the first intangible cultural enterprise(非物质文化企业) in China to support the traditional art of paper-cutting at home and abroad. He Hong has already held many large exhibitions since she took up the traditional art. Her beautiful creations and outstanding skills attracted lots of people. Now, she is considered as the "Queen" of Chinese paper-cutting by many people nationwide.

    Her father worked in the local cultural center. She had an opportunity to learn from some experienced folk (民间的) artists when she was five. With the increasing skill day by day, she began travelling far and wide to find modern ideas from more people. She looked for inspiration(灵感) wherever she went.

    She worked as a teacher for over ten years. In her teaching time, she coached many students in paper-cutting. And over 150 students received first prizes in paper-cutting contests under her guidance. By chance, she established her own company, aiming to further increase the traditional art's influence. She centered great efforts on studying modern consumption trends(消费趋势). And she has created all kinds of household things to meet the need of the market. To her surprise, all her paper-cutting products have sold well in more than 3,000 stores across the country.

    In the course of running her enterprise ,she has set up a complete supply chain(供给链) including design and production as well as sales. It has made many improvements compared with traditional business models. In addition, she spreads her business to clothes, electronics and gifts, along with other industries.