Tiehua Village lies in Taitung' Taiwan．It is a(n){#blank#}1{#/blank#}place to visit and is full of culture and life.Now many people live in busy places and have busy {#blank#}2{#/blank#}．They are always in a hurry and don't have a lot of time to relax.That's{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Tiehua Village is so nice．It is a quiet，relaxing place．But that doesn't {#blank#}4{#/blank#}it is boring!

    Tiehua Village isn't really a village．It's a small park with space(60){#blank#}5{#/blank#} concerts．In the evening，visitors can enjoy live(现场演出的)music．The music is played by local and foreign artists．Some visitors come to Tiehua Village in the late afternoon{#blank#}6{#/blank#}the sun goes down．They find good places to sit and wait for the concert to{#blank#}7{#/blank#}

    People can see a lot of art at Tiehua village too．Local artists bring their work there and show it．There are also a few{#blank#}8{#/blank#}and a small market．People can buy things there to remember{#blank#}9{#/blank#}visits．The Tiehua Bar{#blank#}10{#/blank#}special drinks made from local ingredient(原料)．

    At Tiehua Village，everyone can have a good time．

    My name is Jerry Zhang, and I am a father of two young daughters -- one is about four years old and the other is only about one.我来自中国，现在住在美国。

    One day, my older daughter, Madison, told me she didn't want to be Chinese. Those days she was quite interested in the book characters (角色) Madeline and Eloise. She asked me all the time why she was Chinese and they weren't, and how she could have yellow or red hair like them.

    This made me look for books with Asian (亚洲的) characters for Madison to read. However, I only found a few, and they were heavily cultural (文化的) and Madison didn't connect herself with any of the characters in them. And she wash' t interested in them at all Then she told me again that she didn't want to be Chinese, and it made me sad.

    In most of the books for children in the US, the characters look like Americans. There are over 17 million Asians and Asians and Americans in this count, but few of them have Asian faces. I think it's important for Asian children to see themselves in books as interesting and clever kids.

    So I created (创作) a book for Madison. Pepper Zhang in the book is an Asian girl. Her imagination (想象) takes her on a trip to creativity and art I want my children to know that being Chinese or being Asian is a great thing too.

    Mum and dad are two of the most important people in your life. You probably see at least one of them every day. And they influence (影响) you more than anyone else you meet in your 1ife. So if your mom loves to read, you just might grow up carrying a book wherever you go, just like she does.

    But parents do a lot more than just passing on their hobbies. Mums and dads care for（关心）their children from the minute they were born. So they are the people we should respect(尊敬) and love best. It's very important to stay close, get along, and build a strong relationship with your parents. But not every child knows how to do this. Here are some ways to help you.

    Spend time together. Don't play a computer game or watch TV, ask your mum and dad to play with you. Go outside together, or read a book out loud.

    Be kind. Little things might mean a lot to your mum or dad. You can make your parents happy with a hug (拥抱), a card, or a joke（笑话）. It's also lovely when a child cleans up his or her room without being asked. And if you try not to fight with your brothers or sisters, your parents might be very happy.

    Do your best at whatever you do. You don't have to be perfect, but when you do your best, you make your parents proud(自豪). It makes them happy to see how you're turning into a great kid. Why? Because it lets them know you're doing a good job.

    In the town of Lampang in northern Thailand, there is an unusual group of musicians. They play many different kinds of music—everything from traditional Thai songs to music by Beethoven. Both children and adults love this group. What makes them so popular? Is it their music? Their looks7 Yes, it's both of the things, but it's also something else: they're elephants.

    These musical elephants started at the TECC in Lampang. The TECC protects elephants. It teaches people to understand and love them. And, like many zoos around the world, the TECC encourages elephants to paint.

    Richard Lair works for the TECC. He loves his job there and knows a lot about elephants. He says some of the animals' paintings are very good. But, in fact, elephants hear better than they see. And so he had an idea: if elephants are smart and they have good hearing, maybe they can play music. To test his idea, Lair and a friend started the Thai Elephant Orchestra. During a performance, the elephants play a number of instruments, including the drums and the xylophone (木琴).

    But can elephants really make music properly? Yes, says Lair. They are very creative. Human encourage the animals to play, but the elephants make their own songs; they don't just copy their trainers or other people. There are now CDs of the group's music which make money for the TECC. And the music these artists create is pretty amazing

    Alice and John are in the music club at their school. Alice plays the violin and John plays the drums. There are two groups in the school music club: the training group and the concert group. Everyone starts in the training group!

    "When I first started to play the violin it sounded terrible!" Alice said. "My family asked me to practice outside."

    After a year's practice, Alice and John play much better. Now, they are both in the concert group and they are learning more difficult music. "We're learning the music from the film Pirates of the Caribbean. It sounds fantastic!" John said. "Playing in the club with other kids is a lot of fun."

    Playing an instrument (乐器) is not only fun. It also helps children learn to concentrate (集中注意力). "I have to concentrate when I'm practicing," Alice said. "And now it's easier for me to concentrate on my schoolwork."

    Playing an instrument can also help children become more confident. As John said, "I was scared when I played in front of a lot of people for the first time. But now I really enjoy it."