Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, but the result is the same: increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel use- less, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. It's a major problem in many societies.

    That's why intergenerational programmes, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world, supported by UNESCO and other local and international organisations. There are examples of successful initiatives all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.

    One successful scheme in France is combining a residential home for the elderly with a creche/nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting, gardening and caring for the pets which the residents are encouraged to keep. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading or telling stones to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle (依偎). There are trips out and birthday parties too.

    The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention and respond well because someone has lime, for them. They also learn that old people are not different or frightening in any way. And of course, they see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too. And the staff are happy because they see an improvement in the physical and psychological health of the residents and have an army of assistants to help with the children.

    Explore the possibility of using the iPad App Store in the classroom.

    App Name: Bridge Constructor/Cost: $1.99

    Bridge Constructor lets players build increasingly challenging bridges over deep valleys, canals and rivers. Stress tests reveal whether the bridge kids build can withstand continual use from cars, trucks, and more recently, super-heavy tank trucks. Players can choose from among a range of bridge-building materials such as wood, steel, cables and concrete pillars (混凝土柱). Each bridge also has a budget, and there are numerous ways to successfully complete each challenge.

App Name: Pyramid Adventure 3-D/Cost: $13.99

    The interface allows users to fly around the plateau where the pyramids and the Sphinx are located at Giza near Cairo. Interactive, three-dimensional maps let students wander around the labyrinthine tombs and passageways. Uses can examine wall paintings in detail, or view royal statues and objects with a 360-degree feature. To help explain the world of ancient Egyptians, the app offers an accompanying interactive book, specially written by world-famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.

    App Name: Grammar Up/Cost: $4.99

    Grammar Up is a multiple-choice quiz system for English grammar. Kids and adults can learn most quickly when playing learning games with real-time error feedback, which Grammar Up provides. The app also offers students practice tests so they can see how much they've learned. A summary is presented at the end of each test, showing the time spent, a score, and the questions answered correctly and incorrectly. The results are also e-mailable.

    The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.

    ⒈How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?

    Finding: A full 3% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day

    Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes at least twice a day.

    ⒉How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?

    Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.

    Step: We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs（病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most importantly, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.

    ⒊How often do you think about fighting germs?

    Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.

    Step: Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge（海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.

    On a Friday night, a poor young artist stood at the gate of the New York railway station, playing his violin. The music was so great that many people stopped to put some money into the hat of the young man.

    The next day, the young artist came to the same place, and put his hat on the ground gracefully. Different from the day before, he took out a large piece of paper and laid it under his hat. Then he began to play the violin. It sounded more pleasant than ever.

    Soon he was surrounded with people who were attracted by the words on that paper. It said, "Last night, a gentleman named George Sang put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Please come to claim（认领）it soon."

    After about half an hour, a middle-aged man rushed through the crowd to the violinist and said, "Yes, it's you. I knew that you were an honest man and would certainly come here." The young violinist asked calmly, "Are you Mr. George Sang?" The man nodded. The violinist asked, "Did you lose something?" "It's a lottery ticket（彩票）," said the man. The violinist took out a lottery ticket on which George Sang's name was seen. "Is it?" he asked. George nodded and took the lottery ticket and kissed it, then danced with the violinist.

    The violinist was a student at an arts college and had planned to attend advanced studies in Vienna. Later his classmate asked the violinist, "At that time you needed money to pay the tuition （学费）and you had to play the violin in the railway station every day to make money. Why didn't you keep the lottery ticket for yourself?" The violinist said, "Although I don't have much money, I live happily. But if I lose honesty I won't be happy forever."

    Through our lives, we can gain a lot and lose so much. But being honest should always be with us.

    Simpson is 53, "not sporty" and has suffered from asthma all her life. Two years ago her son Jay, now 10, took up BMX (自行车越野赛). "I enjoyed watching him and thought I'd like to try it," Simpson recalls. "But I didn't want to embarrass myself. I hadn't ridden for over 40 years."

    Then she noticed a session for women and girls at Burgess Park BMX Track in Peckham, south-east London, where Jay trained. This season Simpson raced at the London BMX series and finished third in her category.

    "It was the most worrying experience of my life. But it was also exhilarating," she says cheerfully. "My son is proud of me. We now share a real love for the sport. It has brought us closer together."

    Since becoming part of the Olympic Games in 2008, the popularity of BMX has risen. A program introduced in London in 2011 by the sports development charity Access Sport has seen tracks built in several London regions, backed up with investment in coaching, and the program is being rolled out to Bristol.

    Wright's children Skye, 11 and Xander, 10 are sponsored riders who have represented Great Britain in every world championship since 2014. Wright says she was motivated to start BMX herself out of an interest aroused by watching so much of it. "It's an eye-opener to share your children's interests," she explains. "You comprehend what they go through in a much more direct way. It adds another dimension to your relationship."

    It is also a high-impact sport and the risks are fairly obvious. "I totally get the fear," says Emma, 51, a BMX exercise coach and cycling instructor. "It's the fear of doing something new, of getting hurt. But I say 'Come and give it a try.' The chance of having an accident is slim, and you can spend time on the flat to improve your confidence."

    The annual celebration of St. Patrick's Day is coming soon to the Canton Tower. St. Patrick's Day is an Irish cultural and religious celebration occurring annually on March 17. The festival celebrates the life of St. Patrick, who helped the poor and taught the Irish people good things, The Lanton lower has become one of, the premier (最初的)party sites for this international and lively event. As part of the celebration, the tower will brighten the night with brilliant light shows. Participants (参加者)are sure to enjoy the festive Irish atmosphere.

    As in the past years, camping lovers will gather to spend a night beneath the Canton Tower, The time for the camping adventure will be from 3 p. m. on March 17 to 9 a. m. on March 18. The event offers people a great chance to enjoy this special and free camping site.

    Artists will perform a range of music with instruments played typically in Irish folk music, featuring tin whistles and wind pipes. Foodies also will be in for a treat, as the taste of traditional Irish food will surely attract everyone.

    To celebrate this festival, dancers dressed in Irish green, the colour of Ireland, will pop up around the Canton Tower. The parade will go along the main streets and thousands of people will watch, waving flags. Good luck if you meet with these "green spirits."