Treasure hunting(寻宝游戏) is not just a story from m{#blank#}1{#/blank#} or books, but can also be part of your next holiday.

Five years ago, US art collector and writer Forrest Fenn h{#blank#}2{#/blank#} a treasure box somewhere in New Mexico, the US. The box was f{#blank#}3{#/blank#} of gold coins, diamonds and other treasure. It's worth about ＄1. 8 m{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (12, 400,000 yuan), and it will go to whoever finds the box. The 84-year-old millionaire(百万富翁)7 l{#blank#}5{#/blank#} some clues(线索) in his book The Thrill of the Chase.

    Fenn said the i{#blank#}6{#/blank#} came to him after he got cancer(癌症) in 1988." I wanted the monetary value(金钱的价值) to be a consideration for those who are l{#blank#}7{#/blank#} for it, but mostly my motive(动机)was to get kids off the sofa and a{#blank#}8{#/blank#} from their texting machines and out in the m{#blank#}9{#/blank#} ."he told KOAT News in the US. Fenn said about 30,000 people came to find the box last year. He g{#blank#}10{#/blank#} that this year more than 50,000 people would come.

    Three kinds of bears live in the United States. They are the black bear, the brown bear, and the polar bear.

    Black Bears

    Black bears are the most common of the three. They live in forests in many different parts of the country. Even though they are known as black bears, they are not always black. Sometimes they are brown or tan (黄褐色的) , and a few are even white. Black bears are usually about five or six feet long, and they are the smallest of the three kinds of bears.

    Brown Bears

    Brown bears are found in a few western states and in Alaska. They live in forests as well as in open areas called the tundra (冻土地带). Brown bears are usually light or dark brown and can grow to be very large. In fact, some are eight feet long!

    Polar Bears

    Polar bears can be found in Alaska. It is in a cold area near the North Pole called the Arctic and there are no trees there. Polar bears are white, and they are the largest of the three kinds of ears. They are a little longer and usually heavier than the brown bear.

    Other Interesting Things

    Bears eat different things. Black and brown bears eat fish and other kinds of meat, roots, and berries. Polar bears eat fish, other meat, seaweed, and grass. All three types of bears eat as much food as they can find just before winter. Then during the cold months, they sleep in caves or hollowed-out trees called "dens". They keep them warm. Winter is when the female bears have their babies. All three types of bears have between one and four cubs (幼兽). The cubs are born while the mother bear sleeps!

    All people are afraid of bears. However, bears are actually shy. Most bears try to stay away from people, but still, bears can be dangerous at times.

Children in the United States think that the long summer vacation can be a great time to learn or to do something new. The long summer vacation is always from the beginning of June to the end of August. That means young children can spend more time relaxing. Some like to do some reading or drawing at home. Some spend time outdoor activities, hanging out(闲逛) with friends, playing sports or just enjoying nature.

It is also a great time for families to travel to see interesting places for a few days or weeks. Families sometimes go to big cities to see famous buildings or places, but usually they like to find quiet places such as beaches or mountain areas.

It is also fun to go to a camp. During the summer vacation, there are many camps for school children, such as horse- riding camps, computer camps, science camps and music camps. Most children enjoy joining different camps every summer. They can make new friends and have a lot of fun.

There are also some kids spending their time in doing voluntary work— work for free. Kids will clean or paint schools, sing for the old people or read to children. Parents would like their children to do voluntary work because most of them think it is a good way for children to show their kindness.

People use languages to communicate. Any language has its ways to express people's minds. One of the ways in common is the use of idioms. An idiom is a group of words. It has a special meaning that is different from the usual meaning. For example, under the weather is an idiom meaning ill. So when people say "I'm under the weather", they are saying that they're not feeling well. Another example, in all weathers means in all kinds of weather. So, "There are homeless people sleeping on the streets in all weathers" tells us that homeless people sleep on the streets no matter whether it is cold or hot.

Different languages may have different ways to make idioms. For people who are learning a foreign language, idioms could cause misunderstandings and bring them endless problems. On the other hand if things are done right, idioms can also be a fun way of looking into a new culture and understanding how the people think and talk.

Metaphor（比喻）is often used in idioms. Let's read the following two examples:

▪Example 1: It makes my blood（血液）boil（煮沸）when my brother breaks my computer.

▪Example 2: The night was dark and quiet; my blood ran cold when I heard a strange noise outside on a dark night.

In neither situation above, can our blood reach the point so high or so low in temperature. However, with the situations the two sentences created, it is not difficult to understand the  ▲  feeling in the first example and very afraid in the second.

Of course, not all idioms are this easy to understand. When we come to idioms of a foreign language, a good dictionary of idioms is always suggested.

Education departments in several provinces have said that students should not be punished for not finishing summer holiday homework.Hefei required schools to give a "summer homework deferral period （缓交期）"，allowing for homework to be handed in within two weeks of the start of the school year.What do you think of the"summer homework deferral period"？

I think it's a good way to lower students' pressure.I believe most of the students who put off their homework in the last few days have their reasons for doing so.On the one hand，students today have many more things to do，like after﹣school classes，students sometimes procrastinate （拖延） under the huge pressure of classes and homework.Sometimes they just need more time to finish their homework.

Li Yixuan，a 14﹣year﹣old girl，Jiangsu

Holiday homework is a review of the last term and a preview of the next.As long as we organize our holiday time properly，it will not take up much of our time.Also，by doing the homework，it not only encourages students to organize their holiday time badly but also might influence our study in the new term.

Qiu Wenjun，a 12﹣year﹣old boy，Liaoning

This will not have any influence on students who already have high requirements placed on themselves.However，for those who are procrastinating，it will make their summer vacation time longer.This will lead them to always think（推迟）"when doing homework during the holiday.This brings down their learning efficiency and actually encourages them to be lazy as a result.

Wang Hexuan，a 13﹣year﹣old girl，Beijing

Hello, everyone. My name is Betty Smith. Betty is my 1 name and Smith is my family name. You can call(称呼) 2 Betty. I'm from America, 3 I'm in Beijing with my dad and mum now. 

I'm a 4 in Beijing No. 2 Middle School and I'm in Class 4 Grade 

7. There are 24 boys and 22 girls in my 5 . My classmates are all 6 to me and we are good friends. My Chinese is not very good and they often 7 me with it after class. The teachers are nice to me 8 . 

I like Beijing. Beijing is very 9 and there are many good places to go. But I don't like the 10 here. It's too hot in summer.