Mr Li: Sam, did you enjoy your first Spring Festival in China?

Sam: Yes, I did. During this festival, many family members get together.

Mr Li: Yes. I hear that at Thanksgiving Americans also get together for a special meal. It sounds similar.

Sam: Yes. It's similar. During these holidays, both the Chinese and Americans come home and have a big dinner. It's great fun.

Mr Li: What do you think are the main differences between the Spring Festival and Thanksgiving?

Sam: Well, we take part in different activities and eat different kinds of food. In China, people usually set off fireworks and eat dumplings. In the US, we usually watch a Thanksgiving parade and an American football game on TV. We also eat turkey.

Mr Li: That's interesting.

    Have you ever seen the movie Dragonball Evolution? It is about a high school boy called Goku. He lives with his grandfather. His grandfather is dying. He asks Goku to find the great master Roshi. Goku also has to collect all the seven Dragon Balls. The balls can make wishes come true.

The evil lord(魔王) Piccolo is looking for the balls too. He wants to use them to take over the world. Goku must find the balls before Piccolo. Can he make it? Go to see the movie and you will know it. It hits Chinese cinemas on March l4.

    The movie is based on the popular Japanese comic book Dragonball. By 2007, Dragonball had sold over 150 million books around the world.

    Japanese Akira Toriyama is the creator(创作者) of Dragonball. He got the idea for Dragonball from the Chinese novel Journey of the West. 

    Some people love going to museums，while others absolutely hate it and would rather stay at home，enjoying their favorite TV shows．Increasingly，museums are being seen as outdated and boring by today's youngsters．I have just returned to the UK after travelling around the USA． While there，I visited lots of museums  I must say，museums are typically educational, either to develop knowledge gained at school in particular subjects，or to enhance knowledge of other cultures

    In Chicago，we visited the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago．It was filled with paintings，drawings and sculptures by a huge variety of artists，such as Picasso，Monet，Matisse and Dali．

    There was a mixture of traditional and modern art，including colorful stained glass windows and abstract art．

    When we were in Washington D． C． ，we visited a few of the Smithsonian museums．These are all free to visit-which is great if you just want to see a few things，and not spend all day inside．

    The Air and Space Museum was particularly good：it had lots of aircrafts and rockets on display，interesting information and also some interactive parts．We also went to the National U．S．Holocaust（纳粹大屠杀）Memorial Museum．Naturally，it was sad to read about the horrors of this tragedy which affected so many people in World War II．However，it was also incredibly interesting to read the stories of those who survived the Holocaust，as well as those who helped others．

    Last but not least，I also found the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to be of great interest．This museum is dedicated to those who lost their lives，as well as their families，when the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists in 2001It tells you how the terrorists planned the attack，how they hijacked the planes，and ultimately what happened as a result of their actions．Surviving pieces of the towers are shown in the museum，alongside damaged fire engines．It was a truly thought-provoking visit，which made me value my own life that little bit more．

    I think museums play an important role in preserving artifacts of historical importance for future generations．Whatever your interests，there is likely to be a museum for you．You can visit waxwork museums to see models of your favorite celebrities（and get photos with the Queen！），science museums for a more hands-on，interactive visit and so much more！Best of all，if you're ever in the UK，many of them are free！

    Disney's princess stories are famous around the world. You must know some of them, such as Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

    All princesses are very beautiful. Princes fall in love with them at first sight. In the end, the princess and prince have a happy life together.

    However, princesses often cannot protect themselves. They need help from others. This is the old image of Disney's princesses.

    A few weeks ago, Disney made 10 new rules. To be a princess, you must follow these rules. Surprisingly, no rule talks about having a "pretty face". Instead the rules are about good characteristics like honesty, loyalty and never giving up.

    Princesses need to grow up. When they meet problems, they need to protect themselves. They need to find ways to get away from dangerous people.

    For example, Elsa and Anna fight against the bad prince in Frozen. They need to believe in themselves and their friends. Mulan shows her courage to fight in the army. "Beauty" cannot help them. But a strong heart can. In the real world, these are the rules you need to follow.

    In 2014, Buzzfeed, a US news website, did a survey called "which Disney princess do you like most?". As it turned out, the most popular one was Belle ！More than 18 per cent of people chose her. Belie is in the movie Beauty and the Beast. She is very kind and gentle. She takes care of the Beast and uses her clever mind to get out of trouble.

    We are lucky to live in a rich country where we have many things. However, most of us usually {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (waste) some things.

    Electricity is one thing that we waste most. Lights, TVs, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (radio) and other things are often kept on even when no one is using them. We should turn them off {#blank#}3{#/blank#} we do not need them. It takes  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (little) than a second to do it. Anyhow, not wasting electricity saves money, because we do not have to pay for the electricity we do not use. The {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (two) thing that we often waste is water. Fresh water is precious, so it shouldn't be wasted. It is only a simple matter of turning {#blank#}6{#/blank#}a tap. I am sure everybody can do this {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (easy) if he wants to. Another big waste is food. My mother used to cook so much food that much of it was thrown away. I told her we had wasted so much {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (food). She thought I was right and now cooks mainly what we can eat.

    It is not right to be wasteful. I find there is a simple way of not wasting things. That is {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (use) only what we need. Do not touch what we do not need. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}this way, we can stop being wasteful.

    Americans think much about time. From childhood they learn to {#blank#}1{#/blank#} time. They are taught to be on time to go to school, to work and to do everything. When they are having a good time, they time goes easily. When a person is dying, they say he is living on borrowed time.

    Time is money. Time is knowledge. Time is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}in America. A working American has to work hard for eight hours a day or forty hours a week. This is the working time. In his free time, he also works hard for more money. Even on Saturday and Sunday he also works hard as {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the street you can hardly see a man walking{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They walk very fast. In fact, they are running.

    They love time because time can bring them money and lots of things.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}sometimes they also hate time, because they feel they have become servants of the clock.