House Sitting

    In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting. It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away.

    In Australia, many people travel. After people retire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy. House sitters might have to care for pets. Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

    There are some requirements to be a house sitter. You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything. You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need to be good with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have.

    Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owners have a short holiday. Sometimes it is for much longer. We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there. One of  the important things to get is references from the home owners where you have stayed. A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well. You can show these letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A. I have done house sitting many times.

B. Thousands of people do this all the time.

C. It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D. Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E. You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F. This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G. You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

    I stand outside waving at the car pulling slowly out of our driveway. I force a smile, hoping it will cover up my tearing eyes, but I know it's not working. I run into the house, slam the door behind me, and begin crying. It's just occurred to me that I can't see my elder sister, Monsura, in the next four months.

    I ask myself why it is that I'm crying when I know she's doing something good for herself. I feel selfish for thinking about it but I'd be lying if I said I was happy for her choosing to study in a university in Boston. When my brother, Shafat, left for college, it was different. I still had one sibling at home to call me the stupidest person on a daily basis.

    I am reminded of the things we did together as kids. In our old two-bed-room apartment, our parents gave in to our constant begging and traded rooms with us for one night. It was like being part of the amusement park, using our parents' big bed as a trampoline (蹦床).It was during the first night that I witnessed a full moon. My sister and I believed my brother. He said that the moon was yellow because it was made from cheese. We made plans to visit the moon so we could melt a part of it and make cheese dip. But now I laugh at myself for being so innocent.

    Sitting in front of my computer, I listen to songs that remind me of my two best friends. I come to terms with the fact that there's no longer anyone here to laugh uncontrollably with me or to turn to at night when I have a nightmare.

    I'm shaken into reality by the sound of my cell phone ringing. Shafat is calling. I pick up and he immediately says “Thank you for such a great childhood.'' Those few words mean the world to me. We three-way call Monsura and spend the next hour reliving memory after memory, and by the end, I forget that I'm alone at home.

    Looking for a great summer read? Kid reporters from Time For Kids have reviewed the season's hottest new books. They have recommended a list of kid-approved page-turners (令人爱不释手的书) to our readers. Whether you're fond of mysterious, fantastic or realistic fictions, there's always one that suits you.

    Three Bird Summer

    By Sara St. Antoine

    Genre: Realistic Fiction

    Number of pages: 256

    What's the basic story line?

    For his entire life, 12-year-old Adam has spent summers at his grandma's cabin in Minnesota. But this year things are different. His parents have divorced. Apart from that, Adam's cousins won't be vacationing at the cabin with him. Also, Grandma seems to be acting differently. At first, she's just a bit more forgetful than usual. But after spending more time with her, Adam realizes Grandma is “slipping.”

    There are new neighbors at the cabin this summer, including a girl at Adam's age named Alice. At first, Adam isn't interested in spending time with her. But as time goes by, their friendship flourishes(繁荣). Throughout this unusual summer, Adam searches for hidden treasure with his new friend and begins to uncover family secrets as well.

    Are the characters believable?

    The characters are believable because they don't have cookie-cutter(千篇一律的) personalities. Adam is quiet and shy and finds girls difficult to understand. Alice is adventurous and unlike any girl he has ever met. Readers will likely see aspects of their personalities in the characters and recognize their friendship too.

    Who would like this book?

    Anyone who appreciates memories of family vacations or summertime in general will enjoy the vivid imagination that fills ThreeBirdSummer. Readers will fall into the story, almost as if they're actually spending the summer exploring Three Bird Lake with Adam and Alice.

    Both are so much related to each other. And both are so dissimilar! What are the differences between friendship and love? Is platonic (理想的) friendship possible between persons of opposite sex? Let us try and understand.

    What is friendship? Why do we call a person our friend? When do we call someone a very good friend? If we care for a person, if we are always ready to help that person and if we share most of our thoughts with a person, they are our good friends. We can always count upon our good friends in an emergency. We are always sure that our friend will understand why we acted in a certain way. We need not explain anything to our very good friends. The friendship is so deep and the relationship is so close.

    What about love? In a relationship of deep love, all the sharing that we discussed above are taken for granted. But love transcends (胜过) all this. During love, we are attached with a particular person, while in friendship, one may have many friends. A loving relationship makes one so much attached to the other, that one gets pained if his/her beloved is hurt! Love also involves a physical element. Friendship does not have that. This is a vital difference. Nature gives us love but does not give us friendship.

    Your heart beats will never increase in expectation of meeting your friend. You will not lie awake at night thinking about your friend. You will not feel totally lost, if you don't meet your friend for a few days. You will not have dreams in your eyes thinking about your friend. But in love, you will do all this and much more. Indeed, there is no comparison between love and friendship.

    To find out how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of discovering and controlling more land, of expanding(扩大) trade beyond their borders and of spreading their beliefs across the world. In 1535, Francois I, king of France, ordered a navigator(航海家) named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a way to India.

    Carrier first arrived at the gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he intended (打算) to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Standalone, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term "Canada" entered the country's history. Apparently the word "Canada" came from an India word" kanata", which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Standalone or Quebec. What a huge "village" Canada is!

China's tea culture is an ancient and profound（意义深远的）cultural heritage that has been passed down and developed for thousands of years. It weaves an complicated and fascinating pattern within Chinese society.

Tea growing in China is an art form in itself. The tea- growing areas, with their special climates and lands, produce teas of exceptional quality. From the misty mountain s of Fujian to the green landscapes of Yunnan, different areas offer a rich variety of tea types.

The process of making tea is careful and detailed. It involves exact measurements of water temperature, the right amount of tea leaves, and a certain steeping time to get the fullest flavor and smell. This care for details shows the Chinese people's search for excellence in all parts of life.

Tea is not merely a beverage; it is a thing that helps social relations. It brings people together, whether in family get- togethers, friendly meetings, or business talks. The act of sharing a cup of tea is a sign of kindness and connection. And the many tea- houses all over the country offer places for people to relax, talk, and enjoy the peace that tea gives. Moreover, tea ceremonies are an important part of Chinese culture. These ceremonies are complex and formal, showing the grace and elegance of Chinese traditions. They involve exact movements and a deep respect for the tea and the process.

In addition to its social and cultural importance, tea in China is also known for its possible health benefits. It is thought to have anti- oxidant（抗氧化的）features and is linked to various good effects on physical health.

As China keeps moving forward and modernizing, its tea culture is still strongly fixed, a proof of its historical and cultural importance. It keeps attracting both the Chinese people and those from around the world, inviting them to explore and enjoy the beauty and depth of this great cultural phenomenon.