Some people love going to museums，while others absolutely hate it and would rather stay at home，enjoying their favorite TV shows．Increasingly，museums are being seen as outdated and boring by today's youngsters．I have just returned to the UK after travelling around the USA． While there，I visited lots of museums  I must say，museums are typically educational, either to develop knowledge gained at school in particular subjects，or to enhance knowledge of other cultures

    In Chicago，we visited the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago．It was filled with paintings，drawings and sculptures by a huge variety of artists，such as Picasso，Monet，Matisse and Dali．

    There was a mixture of traditional and modern art，including colorful stained glass windows and abstract art．

    When we were in Washington D． C． ，we visited a few of the Smithsonian museums．These are all free to visit-which is great if you just want to see a few things，and not spend all day inside．

    The Air and Space Museum was particularly good：it had lots of aircrafts and rockets on display，interesting information and also some interactive parts．We also went to the National U．S．Holocaust（纳粹大屠杀）Memorial Museum．Naturally，it was sad to read about the horrors of this tragedy which affected so many people in World War II．However，it was also incredibly interesting to read the stories of those who survived the Holocaust，as well as those who helped others．

    Last but not least，I also found the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to be of great interest．This museum is dedicated to those who lost their lives，as well as their families，when the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists in 2001It tells you how the terrorists planned the attack，how they hijacked the planes，and ultimately what happened as a result of their actions．Surviving pieces of the towers are shown in the museum，alongside damaged fire engines．It was a truly thought-provoking visit，which made me value my own life that little bit more．

    I think museums play an important role in preserving artifacts of historical importance for future generations．Whatever your interests，there is likely to be a museum for you．You can visit waxwork museums to see models of your favorite celebrities（and get photos with the Queen！），science museums for a more hands-on，interactive visit and so much more！Best of all，if you're ever in the UK，many of them are free！

    Have you ever heard of Weifang, Shandong Province? What is it known for? There is an international kite festival every April in Weifang. It is a modern city with many traditions. People from all over the world compete in the kite flying in Weifang. There are also competitions for the best kites. The kites in the competition are all made by hand.

    Most people have flown a kite. It makes people happy. It's easy to make it. It's made of bamboo and paper. But not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese made and flew kites even before they could write.

    A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed and they made strange sounds in wind. Men who were at war against them would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky.

    The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops (稻谷) grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings and hooks(绳子和钩子) to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.

    The Chinese use sticks, string and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees and others look like houses.

    Cambodia (柬埔寨) is going to open the Angkor Wat temples (吴哥窟) at night to interest more tourists to the poor country.

    Tourism is an important foreign currency earner (外汇收入) for Cambodia. More than 1,000,000foreign people are going to visit it this year, and most of them are from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of visitors will visit the Angkor Wat temples.

    Now visitors must walk out of Angkor Wat temples at sunset, but Cambodia is going to extend (延长) the visiting hours to as late as 8:30p. m.

    "We want visitors to see all views of the temples, even in the dark places where they may not see some of the sculptures and statues," Bun Narith said.

    But as hotels are more and more, people need lots of underground water. People say the uncontrolled pumping (无节制地抽水) of underground water is bad for the Earth under the temples.

Zhalong(扎龙) is a nature reserve（保护区） in Heilongjiang in north-east China. It is one of the world's most important wetlands. The reserve covers an area of 210,000 hectares. The area provides food and shelter for wildlife. It is an ideal home for different kinds of plants, fish and birds.

Many birds live comfortably in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round, while some only stay there for a short time. There are many fish in the wetlands, and the birds can easily catch them for food. Zhalong has long been called "the home of the crane". There are 15 crane species (物种) in the world. Eight of them are in China and there are 6 species in Zhalong area. It is an important living area for the rare red-crowned cranes. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world. Every spring and summer, red-crowned cranes lay and hatch (孵化) their eggs in Zhalong.

Some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife. More and more birds are in danger because they do not have enough living space. Many of them died. The Chinese government wants to protect these endangered birds, and they can be safe in Zhalong.

Every year, a lot of tourists go to Zhalong to watch birds. This year, members of our Bird-watching Club are going to study the different kinds of birds in Zhalong and the changes in their numbers. The study begins next month.

We ____ once a year. We are now inviting secondary school students to help. We need more people to help us count and do something to help the birds.

Many people do not understand the importance of the wetlands. We hope this information will help them understand and make them actively take action to protect wildlife.

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My Family

Hello, everyone. My name is John Smith.