Some people may think I'm crazy when I say “work is rest”. But that's the way it is — we need to rest. Without rest, we will die. At a minimum, we won't have the energy to work.

    Nobody forces us to be so stupid about this. We just don't know how to rest properly. We rest in ways that are not restful, even stressful. Some of our ways of rest interfere with our working energy. Instead of sleep, we go to the movies and clubs, drink or have a smoke with friends. This is because we misunderstand the meaning of “rest”.

    We should remember that rest means not working, both physically and mentally. Only then is it real rest. When tired, rest. It's simple. Actually, dogs and cats are smarter about this than people. People are stupid enough to rest in ways that destroy their capacity to work.

    Rest and work always go together. There must be a balance: work during the day and rest at night. When the sun comes up, one has plenty of strength to work well and enjoy it. In other words, rest is a kind of investment, so that one has the strength and energy to continue working. So we need rest to work, recognizing that we can't have one without the other. Rest is what recharges our batteries. We need enough time to charge up adequately to the tasks we undertake. Thus, we need to rest correctly; otherwise, illness will occur and also can affect the efficiency of our work.

    Rest can't be skimped. Without enough rest, good work is impossible. This is why we say that rest is another kind of work.

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    Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone­faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had read carefully, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way？”

    Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails，my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

    Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly class, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear，“My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?

    Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re­dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my opinion to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!

Where Is Spring Break

    Where is Spring Break going to be? The options are endless. Do you want to get your blood pumping from thrilling travels? Look no further! These tours and destinations will keep you on your toes all week long.

    Panama: This underrated destination is a little-known secret of the most travelers! Through this tour you'll get to hike, snorkel (浮潜) and explore all the best sights this beautiful country has to offer! Eight days tours for $ 250 / day.

    Canada: This diverse country is full of options. Explore the East of Canada and visit cities such as Montreal, Quebec or Toronto. If you're feeling adventurous, explore the Western part of the country with a Canadian Rockies Tour. During this twelve days tour you will hike a glacier to beautiful scenery and wander through postcard-worthy villages. Tours to Canada for $200 / day.

    Iceland: Check off one of the seven wonders of the world with a tour of the Northern Lights and Golden Circle. Spend seven days full of adventure like hiking glaciers, snowshoeing through Thingvellir National Park, relaxing in the Geysir Hot Springs and of course experiencing the glory of the Northern Lights! Seven days tours for $ 300 / day.

    South Africa: Discover the diverse culture and wildlife that makes up South Africa. Your tour plan includes a journey along the coast known as “Rainbow Nation.” Here you will enjoy beautiful scenery, a hunting travel through Addo Elephant National Park and the wildlife in Tsitsikarnma National Park. Nine days tours for $230 / day.

    Whatever life threw at us each year, our family had one tradition at Christmas: our dog Pepper opened our presents for us.

    Last year, everyone made it home for a Christmas get-together. However, it couldn't feel perfect because Pepper's health was becoming worse. Her life had already been longer than we expected-she was fourteen-and yet her mind was still sharp. Her love for life made us feel better. But her body could not keep up with her mind.

    Probably it was Pepper's last Christmas, so we decided to make sure she would enjoy it. On Christmas Eve, we each prepared presents for her.

    Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas gift. She turned the present, just as she was a young dog once more. She pulled the paper off the dog treat before she chewed (咀嚼) it slowly. Our family was so happy.

    Pepper saw the remaining three presents, and then turned to Mom as if asking, “May I open another?”

    “Go ahead, girl!” Mom encouraged.

    For the next few minutes, Pepper opened each of her Christmas presents. While she did, she reminded us of the joy of being together. Our family felt as a whole-not because we were in the same room or city, but because our love brought us together.

    Pepper passed away after Christmas. Her peaceful passing made us tearful. Her passing was also a celebration of life, because she gave my family so much love and laughter.

    I still treasure Pepper's final Christmas gift. She taught me that no matter where we each spend the holidays, the smallest act of sincere giving can unite our family through our love. For me, that knowledge is the longest-lasting gift of all.

    Can you imagine how great the United Kingdom is? The queen of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II, is also the queen of other 16 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica. Her face is seen on stamps and coins all around the world.

    Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21st 1926. Her parents were George, the Duke of York, and Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl and Count-ness of Strathmore. As a child, Princess Elizabeth lived with her parents and younger sister in London and Windsor. Every summer, she traveled to Scotland to visit her mother's parents. She was interested in all sorts of sports, but her favorites were horse riding and swimming. She was also fond of acting, art and music.

    As princess Elizabeth grew older, she started to play a part in British public life. When she was 14, she broadcast a radio message to all the children of Britain and the Common-wealth(共和国). Two years later, she carried out her first public engagement, and started to go on official tours shortly after that. After a tour to South Africa in 1946, she married Philip Mountbatten. The couple had four children: Prince Charles, born in 1948, Princess Anne, born in 1950, Prince Andrew, born in 1960 and Prince Edward, born in 1964.

    After her father died, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony held in London in 1953. As a queen, she has many duties, and leads a very busy life. She travels throughout the world, meeting the leaders of other countries, and attends a large number of official functions. She also holds a meeting every week with the British Prime Minister. Every year, on Christmas Day, she broadcast a message to the people of British and the Commonwealth, talking about her hopes for the future.

    Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for more than 40 years and has become one of the most famous women in the world. Lots of people in British believe that she tries hard to understand her people and be a good queen. More than her title, this quality has earned her much love and respect.

    My father loves his garden. He planted some seeds in it. But at that time I didn't understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.

    Unfortunately, in early May, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips so she couldn't take care of the garden. I didn't want my father to worry, so I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often so I didn't think much about the garden.

    One Saturday morning, my father said to me, "Christine, the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let's have a salad today!" I went out to the garden and was upset to see that many of the lettuce leaves and carrots had been half eaten by bugs. There were hundreds of bugs all over them!

    I panicked for a moment, but then I quietly went to the nearest store to buy some vegetables.

    When I gave the salad to him, he said, "Oh, Christine, what a beautiful salad! I can't believe the carrots are this big already. You must be taking very good care of my garden." I felt a little bit guilty.

    Coming home, my mother saw the bag from the supermarket in the kitchen. I was embarrassed and I admitted, "Dad wanted a salad, but the garden was a disaster. I didn't want to disappoint him so I went to the store." She laughed but promised to help me in the garden and weeks later I was finally able to pick some.

    I carefully made a salad and took it to my father. He looked at it with a hint of a smile. "Christine the carrots are smaller in this salad, but they taste better."

    Now, I better understand how putting a lot of effort into caring for something can help you appreciate the results more, however small they maybe. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for my father's love of gardening.