The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It lifts the curtain of spring. After that everything turns green and full of energy and people clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer.

    ⒈Flying a kite.

    Spring is the best season for kite-flying. As a traditional folk activity, it has a history of more than 2, 000 years.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It also has the effect of promoting blood circulation and speeding up metabolism(新陈代谢).

    ⒉Wearing fabric swallows.

    Wearing fabric swallows is a custom in some regions in Shaanxi. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The custom originated during the Tang Dynasty (618—907). The swallow is a harbinger(预兆) of spring and a symbol of prosperity and happiness.

    ⒊Making a Spring Ox.

    Skilled artists build the frame of an ox out of bamboo strips and the legs with wood. Then they paste(粘贴) some paper and paint onto it.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is said that if more red and yellow paper is used, then there will be a good harvest that year.

    ⒋{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    People in China began holding a special ceremony on the first day of the Start of Spring about 3, 000 years ago. They made sacrifices to Gou Mang, the God of Spring, who is in charge of agriculture. By the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), welcoming spring had become an important folk activity.

A. Welcoming spring.

B. The image of an ox is complete.

C. At that time, there were eight solar terms.

D. The Start of Spring is the first solar term of the year.

E. Flying a kite can help build one's health and prevent diseases.

F. It is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring.

G. People like to wear a swallow made of colorful silk on their chests on Start of Spring.

    What is the easiest way to stay warm in the super cold?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. At least that is what Santa Claus told me.

    During Christmas, Dennis and I went to Finland. We brought back some tips for keeping warm in a cold temperature.

    ⒈There layers(层)work wonders.

    Start with the base layer, which sits right on your skin: choose something that can absorb sweat{#blank#}2{#/blank#}A sweater is a good choice. The most important layer is the outer clothes, which should be waterproof(防水的)and windproof.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    You lose heat from every millimeter of uncovered skin, which was the biggest lesson I learned on this trip. My whole body was well covered. But I missed one sport: my face. So it often felt like the wind was going to blow my nose off.

    ⒊Exercise, don't just stand still.

    When it's cold, exercising may be the last thing you feel like doing, but be smart.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}and you will feel the difference. When we first got to Finland, we were freezing. But after a couple of minutes jumping around, we felt less cold.

    ⒋If you have a heater

    You may want to turn it all the way up, but it's best to keep it at between 18 and 20 degrees{#blank#}5{#/blank#}but not create a huge difference between inside and outside.

A. Grow a crazy beard.

B. The key is what your layer is

C. Cover every bit of your skin

D. That will keep you comfortable

E. Take a walk, faster than your normal speed

F. Don't forget to keep your hands and feet warm, too

G. The middle layer keeps your body heat from getting away

    Maybe you are an ordinary student. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}This is not necessarily so. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how:

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First arrange your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc, then decide a good, regular (有规律的) time for studying. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

     Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will probably discover them after you have tried these.

A. This will help you understand the next class.

B. You probably think you will never be a top student.

C. Don't forget to leave enough time for entertainment (娱乐).

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. There are other methods that might help you with your study.

F. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

G. Make full use of spare time to take note of what the teacher says in class.

    When trying to make a successful career, which is better: being a generalist or a specialist? Inother words, should you generalize and know a little about a lot of things?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Natasha Olinger, a human resource expert, talks about the benefits of both. She said Generally speaking, the common wisdom is that it's always better to specialize and then you can demand a higher salary.

    To explain her idea, linger uses a fairly commons situation-choosing a restaurant {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    If you go to a restaurant that only serves sushi, you can expect high quality products, and you also should expect to pay more. If you go to a place that serves sushi, tacos and pizza, the quality of the sushi may not be so great, but the prices will probably be lower. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, she adds that all is not perfect in the world of the specialist. If there is a drop in economy, a generalist may get more job offers.

Olinger suggests thinking about the size and type of business you would like to work for.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Also, companies that are just getting started often need people who are able to perform many different tasks. For example, your job description may be that of a graphic designer, but you may also have to do some writing. Larger companies can be just the opposite. They often need specialists-experts in a given field. But perhaps the best solution is a mix of generalization and specialization. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The top of the T would be the generalized part. The upright stem of the T would be the deeper understanding of a person's general knowledge-their expertise

A. Or should we combine these two with each other?

B. Some career planners call this a "t-shaped" career.

C. Say you want to eat a favorite Japanese meal: sushi.

D Olinger says the world of work is not all that different.

E. Small businesses often need people who can do many things.

F. Olinger also warns that the world of work is more complex than this.

G Or should you specialize and have a deep understanding of only one area.

    Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy, as there's no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, children can give more logical, complete and creative answers.

    Watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don t jump in with "That's right" or "Very good". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying "That's interesting or "I have never thought of it that way before", or coming up with more questions or ideas. Never force a child to think. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, as children are always thinking, without your telling them to.

    What's more, giving them freedom to think can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass (放大镜) and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates (蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

    The history of writing instruments, with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts and feelings, is the history of civilization itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their life.

    The handy sharpened-stone was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

    Before paper came along, people used clay or wax tablets on which they wrote with sharp objects such as metal sticks or bones. Around 6000 years ago, the Egyptians invented the first paperlike material called papyrus. The word "paper" actually comes from the word "papyrus".

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Bones or metal sticks were no longer useful as the papyrus could not be scratched. So the Egyptians created a reed-pen perfect for the papyrus. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And thus, ancient Egyptians transformed bamboo stems (茎) into an early form of a fountain pen.

    Another writing instrument that remained active in history for a long period was the quill (鹅毛) pen. Introduced around 700 AD, the quill was a pen made from a bird feather. Goose feathers were most common. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For making fine line drawings, crow feathers were the best.

    When writers had better inks and paper and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man's inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Now something was needed to write upon the papyrus.

B. The papyrus became the most popular material at that time.

C. Swan feathers were of a high quality, being rare and most expensive.

D. Bamboo stems were better and much more expensive than goose feathers.

E. This led to the development of the modem fountain pen in the 19th century.

F. These were mostly the stems of grasses, especially from the bamboo plant.

G. These drawings showed events in daily life like the planting of crops or hunting victories.