If you can't wait until the summer for your sunshine fix, why not fly off on a winter break? Here are some great deals for all budgets.

    1. ST LUCIA

    The beachside resort(度假胜地)of St James's Club in Morgan Bay is fairly quiet—the local market is nearly 5 kin away—but it has six bars, six restaurants and four outdoor pools. There are plenty of water sports, you can travel through the rainforest, go on a jeep trip or enjoy dolphin-Spot-ting. Average temperature in March is 27℃.

THE DEAL:A seven-nightstay with flights from Gatwick for 1,429pp. From March 1.

    2. GOA

    With an average February temperature of 26℃, scenic Goamakes for a warm winter get away. In the village of Arpora, the Resorte Marinha Dourada is a 10-minute walk from the clear beach—the hotel provides transfers for guests. Alternatively, relax by the outdoor pool and have a drink at one of the hotel's two bars. A visit toArpora's lively Saturday night market is also recommended. Go bird-watching, beating on thelake, or fishing.

    THE DEAL: 10 nights' bedand breakfast with flights from Manchester for 1,157pp. From February 18.

    3. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    Bayahibe is a beautiful fishing village on the shores of theCaribbean and it is also the Dominican Republic's premier scuba-diving destination. There are around 20 dive sites just off its coast. Enjoy golf, spas, watersportsand large outdoor pools. If you simply want to relax, the CataloniaGran Dominicus hotel is right on a pure white sandy beach, complete with palm trees. With average February temperature of 28℃, it's theperfect escape．

    THE DEAL: A seven-nightstay with Gatwick flights for 1, 403pp. FromFebruary 20.

    4. SOUTH AFRICA

    February is summer in South Africa, with average temperatures in the mid-20s℃. If you fancy chilling out in the sunshine, the Southern Sun Waterfront hotel has a large outdoor pool. But it is also in the heart ofthe city, which makes it easy to explore its many historic attractions. Take a cable car ride up TableMountain, or a shortboat trip to Robben Island，where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner.

    THE DEAL: 10 nights for 1, 662pp, with Heathrow flights. From February 18.

    Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.

1).If you're obese, blame your genes.

    Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.

    At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.

2).If you're obese, you lack self-control.

    Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can't understand. Even the most vigilant (警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.

3).Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.

    Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation's population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.

4).The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don't exercise.

    Michelle Obama's “Let's Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.

    Ali, the boxing legend, died on Friday night at 74，after a Long battle with Parkinson's disease.

    Cassius Clay (Ali) was just 12 years old in 1954 when he got ready to beat the boy who stole his bicycle in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. But a local policeman warned him that he'd need to learn to box first. At just 89 pounds, Clay had his first fight and his first win just weeks later, according to Bleacher Report. By 1964, he was the heavyweight champion of the world, alter upsetting Sonny Liston.

    In 1969, he was forbidden to do boxing over his refusal to join the army and go to Vietnam. Ali was reportedly drowning in debt and still appealing his conviction(上诉).He made pocket change by touring colleges to discuss the war, and, as Playbill points out, he starred in the Broadway musical, Buck White.

Ali sang nearly every song in the musical, playing a black lecturer addressing a meeting organized by a black political group. But he would never return to the stage after his conviction was cancelled.

    In November 1990, Ali met with Iraq president Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on a "good-will tour" in an attempt to negotiate the release of 15 Americans held hostage(人质)in and Kuwait.  Ali was criticized by then-President George H. W, Bush and The New York Times, both of whom expressed concerns that he was fueling propaganda (宣传) machine.

    Despite running out of medicine for his disease and waiting more than a week to talk to Hus-rein, Ali was able to bring all 15 of a group of American war prisoners home.

    “That one looks just like a sheep! And look over there. That one looks like a horse!” Do you remember lying on your back in a grassy field on a summer afternoon, discovering the soft shapes in the clouds in the sky? Those were the good old days when you could see anything and everything in the clouds.

    But now people look at the sky and see clouds in the shape of a motor company's advertising logo (商标),or a message inviting them to go out and buy a certain brand (品牌) of beer. These cloud pictures are not products of their imaginations. Instead, they are produced by a machine. These new floating advertisements are called Flogos; the name stands for “floating logos.” They' re made from a mixture of soapy foam (泡沫)and a lighter-than-air gas such as helium, and they can be made into different sizes and shapes depending on the advertisement.

    Flogos can last up to an hour if weather conditions are good, and they can fly several kilometers high. Advertisers can rent a Flogo machine for$2,500 a day. The set-up is normally performed within 1 to 2 hours, and it will release four Flogos per minute. Advertisers can fill the air with any shape or message they want.

    Some people are worried that the Flogos might not be pollution-free. However, the Flogo's inventor insists that the soap he uses is natural, and that a Flogo just dissipates in the air, leaving nothing behind. Though it may be true that Flogos are environmentally friendly, some people believe that the natural clouds in our memory may be replaced by man-made ones. They are afraid that soon there will be nowhere left where their imaginations can float freely.

    The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. "Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira"

    He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn't have change, so I told him not to worry.

    He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

    When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it's not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.

    I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. "What's up?" I asked him. "I… I don't have money to buy books for school." I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.

    "Will this help?" I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. "Thank you, sir," he said. 'Thank you very much."

    When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he's a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn't know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

    Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face

    "Oh, gosh! Long time."

    "Are you in school now?" I asked.

    He nodded.

    "That's good," I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. "Here," I held out a 500 naira bill. "Take this." He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. "What's wrong?" I asked. "It's a gift"

    He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat (汗水). He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, "I've been waiting to give these to you."

    Many kids help out around the house with chores such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances or other rewards such as extra computer time.

    But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn't worth doing unless you get something in return. "Running any kind of household is a team effort, Susie said. "A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It's important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look."

    Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other rewards motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also new applications that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed (兑取) either online or in the real world. With the ChoreMonster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real-life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. "Our goal is to encourage kids to earn rewards," says Chris Bergman, founder of ChoreMonster. "Kids need positive reinforcement to help motivate them."

    What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting anything in return?

    Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids.com. Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade and contact information of your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is February 18.