Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some ways. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.

    In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year from midnight on December 31st to January 1st, People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal(正式的)clothes, and they may drink champagne(香槟) at midnight. During the first minute of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead, But some cultures prefer to celebrate the new year by waking up early to watch the sunrise. They welcome the new year with the first light of the sunrise.

    Many cultures also do special things to get rid of(摆脱)bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes, The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh(重新). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.

    Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year's Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck he will have in the new year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck on New Year's Day. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck-but to get good luck for a whole year, you have to eat 365 of them!

    Most English people have three names: a first name, a middle name and a family name. Their family names come last. For example, my full name is Jim Allan Green. Green is my family name. My parents gave me both of my other names.

    le don't use their middle name very much. So "John Henry Brown" is usually called "John Brown". People never use Mr., Mrs. or Miss before their first names. So, you can say John Brown; but you should never say Mr. John. They use Mr., Mrs. or Miss with the family name but never with the first name.

    Some people ask me about my name. "Why do your parents call you Jim? Why do they choose(择)hat name for you?" The answer is they don't call me Jim. They call me James. James is the name of my grandfather.

    In England, people usually call me Jim for short. That's because it is shorter and easier than James.

Kids' Health

The flu(流行性感冒) is a common illness. Children easily catch the flu in winter months. It can pass from one person to another very quickly. Sometimes, the flu is just like a common cold. In fact, it can cause serious illnesses. But don't worry. Most people can be all right without any problems.

Symptoms(症状):

◇a fever ◇a cough ◇a headache

◇a sore throat ◇feeling tired

What to do if your child gets the flu:

Make him or her have a rest.

Ask him or her to drink more hot water.

Take his or her temperature often.

Don't give medicine to children under 6years old. Go to the doctor first.

When the following happen to your child:

His or her illness gets worse.

He or she has a severe cough or a bad headache.

He or she has trouble breathing(呼吸).

He or she has a fever and is 3 months old or younger.

You must take your child to the hospital right away.

①What did people do to communicate in ancient times? Here are some very interesting answer s to this question.

②Alphorns(阿尔卑斯长号角) were once used to communicate in the mountains in Switzerland. They are very long and they are very heavy, too. So, alpharns are hard work to blow. Then why use them? Well,they make a loud sound which travels much further than the human voice. Herdsmen(牧民) used them to call cows in the distance for milking. At sunset, alpharns were also used to send a message down to villagers that all was well. These days, they're mostly used as musical instruments.

③The people ofLa Gomera, an island in Europe, have their own special way of sending messages from mountain to mountain. They use a whistled(口哨的) language called el silbo, which comes from their language . Spanish. Whistling can be heard within five kilometers, which means it can be used across much greater distances than shouting. El silbo can be used for all kinds of messages, including greetings and announcements. El si lbo is used a lot less than it used to be, but primary school students in La Gomera have to leave it.

④Did you know it's also possible to send messages without making a noise? This is called visual communication, and it includes the use of flags and even smoke. Long ago, soldiers along the Great Wall of China used smoke as a warning. If they noticed the enemy from their signal(信号) tower, they li t a smoky fire. When soldiers in other towers saw the smoke signal, they lit fires too. In this way, messages about the enemy's arrival could travel as far as 800 km in just a few hours.

Hello! My name is Coco. I am two years old. I don't know(知道)my mother's name. Look at this nice room, but it is not mine. It's m y owner's. She is a nice girl. Her name is Jenny. Jenny is not always in this room. She is in her school during(在......期间)the day.Here i s a photo on the desk. Jenny and her friend Alice are in it. This is a sofa, and it is a bed for me. Jenny likes green. Her quilt is green, and my quilt is green, too. I like bones(骨头). I like playing with Jenny and Alice. I like my family.