In summer, it's common on the street to see many Chinese women holding parasols¹ to protect themselves from the sun.  But when Amy, an exchange student in Beijing from the US, first saw this, she found it strange, even impossible to understand.  She wrote on her blog, "Unlike Chinese women, American women like to put on their tank tops and sunglasses during summer. If you walk around an American college campus², you will probably see girls out on the grassy fields reading, but they really hope to get a head start on their summer tan³."

    This may be caused by the different standards of beauty between the US and China. Many Americans don't want white skin. They would rather be tanned³. Amy also wrote, "Having darker skin is so popular that many women and men will pay for fake⁴ tans so that they can keep their sun-kissed appearance during the winter months, too."

    Why do they like tanned skin? Michelle Louis reported in her research, "The process of tanning can help make people's skin smooth and hide marks." She further explained, "Tans make people's skin appear healthier and make them appear thinner than when they have pale skin."

    Perhaps there is no real ideal standard of beauty. In different cultures and at different times of history, the standards change. On Amy's blog, she also gave two examples: Some women carried parasols around trying to keep their white skin in the US 150 years ago; During the Tang Dynasty in China, heavy women were thought attractive. But now, Chinese women prefer to be slim.

    In a word, different standards of beauty should be respected. People may grow up with only one idea of what beauty is, but it doesn't mean that it's necessarily the correct or the best idea.

New words:

①parasol n. umbrella used to protect people from the sun 阳伞

②campus n. grounds of school, college or university校园

③tan n. the brown colour of sun-kissed skin 晒成的棕褐

④become brown by the sun 晒成棕褐色，晒黑

⑤fake adj. not real 假的

    As we know, the 2012Olympic Games will be held in London, the UK. The torch relay (火炬接力) is starting. It begins on May 19, 2012and it ends on July 27. During the 70-day torch relay, it will pass through towns and cities including Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, and Dover. London's Olympic Games will be held from July 27 to August 12.

    The Olympic Flame(火焰) will travel 8, 000miles across the UK. 8, 000torchbearers (火炬手) will carry the Olympic Flame for about 300meters each. Half of the torchbearers should be aged between 12and 24and the rest include people with a story of achievement.

    The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osger by. It looks like a large triangle (三角形), which stands for the three words faster, higher, stronger. It also means that London is hosting(举办) the Olympic Games for the third time. This is great in Olympic history. The torch has 8, 000circles, standing for the 8, 000torchbearers. The torch relay is one of the most important parts of the Olympic Games.

    There are many online food shopping sites. Things l{#blank#}1{#/blank#}CDs, books, and DVDs sell well online. But it is quite different to sell food online because people like to see food with their o{#blank#}2{#/blank#} eyes. It is very I {#blank#}3{#/blank#} for people to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Customers like to c{#blank#}4{#/blank#} their food by its color. They also want to touch and smell it. Some people like going to the same shop to buy food with good quality. So if the food is always g{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, they will feel comfortable buying it online.

    Boxes of fruits and vegetables have been d{#blank#}6{#/blank#} to homes around Britain for a few years now. Dried or canned foods are almost the same all the time, but fresh things are not. For example, People may want to pick their own apples so they can take the o{#blank#}7{#/blank#} that look nice. Buying dried and canned food online is easier. A person can buy this kind of food on the Internet and then buy fruits and vegetables at a store or a market.

There are many humanistic monuments (人文古迹) and natural scenic spots (景点 ) in textbooks. Children are always interested in them, and they want to go there in person. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This kind of tour allows parents and children to deepen their understanding of the scenes (场景) mentioned in the textbooks. 

Many families have taken part in the textbook tour. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can understand the cultural background and experience the historical period in the textbooks. For example, in Fuzhou, parents and children can watch lively shows and visit the museums to learn more about the famous writer Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty. In addition, they can learn about the local customs. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The textbook tour is a connection between "reading thousands of books" and "travelling thousands of miles". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, the textbook tour further increases children's pride in them other land. It also helps them learn about the excellent traditional culture of China. 

The rise of the textbook tour is a great chance for the connection between culture and tourism. For example, the Wen chuan government holds some activities on the birthday of Dayu. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This spreads local culture and provides an unforgettable experience for tourists. As the text book tour becomes a new fashion, the government should offer warm services to achieve a win-win situation for both scenic spots and tourists.

A. This further makes their journey colorful.

B. That's why the textbook tour has become popular these days.

C. They follow the stories in the textbooks and choose places to travel.

D. Cultural workers teach "Dayu culture" to tourists in these activities.

E. Through the practice, children can have a deeper understanding of the textbooks.

F. Textbooks can broaden my horizons.