Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.
Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.
Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country's “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.
The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race's 16,000 competitors.
On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16^th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.

    There is a zoo in my town. I often go there with my parents by 1 on the weekend. It usually takes my father about 2 minutes to drive there. We often leave home at about eight and 3 there at about twenty past eight.

    I like many kinds of animals, but I like  4 best. First, they are very cute. Second, they are friendly, and they are one of China's 5. but now pandas are in great danger, so we must  6 them.

    Now, I'm watching the two pandas in the zoo. I  7 want to go near and play with them. 8 I also want to give them some food. But 9 the rules in the zoo: 1. Don't go near tothe animals. 2. Don't give10 to the animals.

    To make animals live a happy life, everyone needs to follow the rules.

    As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let's look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, "a homeless dog", "a mad dog", "a running dog" and "a dog catching a mouse" have negative(消极的) meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的) actions. For example, "you are a lucky dog" means you are a lucky person. And "every dog has its day" means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person's serious illness, they say "sick as a dog". The word "dog-tired" means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, "cat" is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(残酷的)。

    The rose is regarded as a symbol (象征) of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

    The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

Perhaps you are looking for an after school hobby, or something to do on the weekends. Gardening with children can be a great way.

Most children love to get dirty. Gardening is a good reason to let them touch the soft earth and enjoy sunshine outside. It can make them stronger.

Gardening can make children learn about their favorite plants at an early age. It helps them know where their food comes from. Children can also understand why it's important not to waste food.

Don't mind if it takes your children some time to take care of the plants. Be sure to encourage them to keep watering and feeding their plants as needed until the end of the growing season. Gardening is a great way to teach your children about responsibility.

Children always have questions. Gardening can help them develop their curiosity (好奇心). A few minutes in a garden, kids will start asking questions. Feel free to let them guide the conversation. Make sure to take the chance to learn together about anything you can't answer.

Start with small projects that children can follow and enjoy, and get them to choose what they want to plant.

Do you know World Book Day? It is on April 23rd every 1 . Many countries 2 it. On that day, in the UK, students can 3 books at a special price (价格). There is a discount (折扣) in 4 kinds of books.

In China, we also celebrate World Book Day. Some people are 5 , but they still do a lot of reading and they encourage (鼓励) young people to 6 more books. "Books can't 7 the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves if they often read" they said.

In our school, we celebrate World Book Day, too. We have a Reading Week. The 8 and students read lots of books. Some of 9 are from our homes. We 10 them with each other.