I started my school life at the age of six．At first the school for me，a boy，meant play，play and more play instead of sitting in the classroom and learning something．However，I changed the way I used to behave(表现)at school with the help of my teachers．I tried my best to do well in my schoolwork and follow the school rules．

    Growing and learning were great fun．Every year we had different kinds of school trips．Not only could we learn many things from them，but also we were given many projects(课题)as homework.  It helped US know more.  At the same time，we made many good friends．In Grade 8，I won prizes in drawing and English speech competitions．Ⅳhen I was in Grade 9，I realized that I should give all my attention to my studies because l was going to take the exams to get into senior(高级的)middle school．

Whenever I think of my school life，I feel very happy and I think in everybody's school life there are many ups and downs(苦乐；盛衰)that influence his life．School is a place where all of US learn to care and share．"School''is not just a place，but a large building made up of rules，knowledge and love．I think in everybody's success，school plays a key role．I can describe my school in"Three Ss"．They are：Small，Sweet and Simple．My school was the best，is the best and will always be the best．

    Do you like Sun Wukong? He is one of the most popular novel characters in Chinese history. Not only young children but also adults love him so much. In our mind, he is a great hero in the Chinese novel Journey to the West.

    In the novel, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng beat demons(妖魔) and protect Tang Seng when they travel to the Western Paradise(西天). Sun Wukong was born from a stone. He can change himself into a tree, a bird, or and animal. With one somersault(筋斗), he can travel 108,000li.

    Sun Wukong is clever, brave and always makes fun magic tricks. Chinese people love him very much.

    Sun Wukong is also popular in other countries. Many western children love him and learn kung fu because of him. To them, he is a super hero, just like Superman and Spiderman.

    Tom is a TV reporter. An amazing thing happened to Tom yesterday evening. He was walking alone on his way home when he saw bright lights in the sky. Then a spacecraft(航天器) showed up. At first he thought it was orange and white, and it was coming closer and closer. Then it stopped a few metres above the ground. He saw two people inside. They had big ears and small eyes, but no hair. Tom thought they were aliens. He had a camera with him then, but he was too scared to take a photo. Then he began to feel weak and fell to the ground. An hour later, he woke up. He found himself lying on the grass in front of his house. He couldn't explain how he got there. Of course he told his friends about this strange experience. All of them said he was kidding.

    For me, living in Canada for 25 years, China is a new world that I have longed to explore. This spring, I chose Yangzhou to be my first stop on a 16-month trip around China. It was like love at first sight. At 15, I bought a book of collection of poems about Tang Dynasty. Through it, I heard of Yangzhou for the first time. I was deeply attracted(吸引) by a poem written by Li Bai-“Sailing to Yangzhou in March”(烟花三月下扬州).

    Yangzhou,sitting 2,500 years at the crossing of the Yangtze River and the 2,400-year-old Grand Canal(大运河), is one of the first 24 historic and cultural cities in China. In the old town,there are many streets and houses. It's best to visit the city in spring. Spring paints the city in brigtht colors.

    Yangzhou has always been famous for its gardens. Among them ,the Slender West Lake, one of the biggest attractions in the city,was my first stop. The park with its fantastic landscape and lots of history has enough to keep a tourist busy for the whole day. What a shame I simply could afford half a day!

    My next stop was He Garden,one of the best prottected gardens in Yangzhou. It was once owned by the family of He Zhidao in Qing Dynasty. He Zhidao successfully brought Chinese and Western architectural(建筑的) features together.

    Yangzhou is also the starting point of the Grand Canal tour. Taking a boat along the part of the canal in Yangzhou, I was amazed at the liveliness of this ancient waterway and the city's history and culture.

    Luckily, my two-day trip to Yangzhou was filled with pleasure and wonder. It made me hungry for more China.

                                          Information Card

    Hi! My name is Jack. I am a middle school student. There are four people in my family. I live with my dad, my mom, and my sister, Irene. Irene is only two years old, so I usually play with my cousin, Kevin.

    Kevin is the only son of Uncle Frank and Aunt Dolly. He is in a middle school, too. He gets up at 6: 30 every day. Kevin's home is not far from his school. He usually takes the bus to school. It only takes him 15 minutes. Sometimes he walks to school. It's a 30-minute walk. But he thinks it's good exercise. In his free time, he likes dancing, singing, playing the piano and playing soccer. He dances very well. He gets some awards (奖) in dancing. Every day he dances and does sports.

    However, Kevin doesn't forget his lessons. He does his homework first after school. He is very busy, but he is one of the best students in his class. His classmates and teachers love him very much. He usually teaches me to dance. Kevin often says, "I want to be a great dancer one day." Can his dream come true?

    Is sleep important for children? A new study says yes.

    In America, most people don't get enough sleep. Children aged 5 to 12 are advised to sleep 10 to 11 hours every night, but most of them can't sleep that long. A study found that about 41 million American workers got less than six hours of sleep every night. Scientists worry that parents are passing their poor sleeping habits down to their children.

    In the study, Reut Gruber and some other scientists either added or reduced(减少) one hour of sleep for healthy children aged 7 to 11. They watched the children for five nights. They wanted to know if the amount of sleep can affect(影响) a child's behavior.

    Before the study began, students were asked to sleep the same amount of hours as usual. Their teachers were asked to record their behavior. After changing the children's sleep for five nights, the teachers had to record again. According to the two records, scientists found that those who slept one hour less behaved worse than those who slept one hour more. Students with less sleep were more likely(可能的) to feel sad and had more problems paying attention.

    The scientists chose to study children in their homes instead of in a laboratory, because they wanted to find out how everyday changes might affect children's behavior at school. "In the study, nobody became a talent, and nobody became crazy. But small changes in children can really make a big difference," says Gruber.