School Lunches from around the World

   Do you wonder what children are eating for lunch across the world? Take a look at different school lunches and learn something about kids'school lives across the world.

   In Japan, 99% of elementary school(小学)students and 82% of junior high school students eat kyushoku (school lunch). It includes a bottle of milk, a bowl of rice, usually some types of fish, a salad, some kinds of soup, usually with tofu and vegetables, and a piece of fruit.

   In the United States kids have hamburgers and chips for lunch. Those school lunches are making the kids so fat that many are unable to meet the physical fitness standards(标准). The good news is that Improving Nutrition(营养) for American's Children Act was recently passed. That will help to make school lunches more nutritional(有营养的).

   In Beijing, school lunches are usually provided from home. A food service worker picks up the fresh meals from home and sends them to schools.

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    If you're away from home, feeling a bit blue or searching for some comfort, the Danes have a solution. It's called “hygge”. Coming from Danish culture, but popularized by the British in 2016, hygge is much more than just a word, it's becoming a feeling around the world.

    The hygge refers to the sense of happiness you get when your family is gathered together at new year or Christmas. It is all about the pleasant feelings of home: the smell of your mother's cooking, your partner's arm around your shoulder and so on.

    Hygge is an antidote(良药) to stress. You know when you've got it, a gentle warmth starts spreading through your body. Another important part of hygge is that it has nothing to do with modern technology. It's a period time to relax your tired mind and eyes. So, put down that smartphone and turn off the computer.

    You should also know that hygge is not about healthy eating or more exercise. In fact, it's just the opposite. You're supposed to be lost in what you like: enjoy sweet snacks and calorie-laden cakes freely.

    Let yourself be carried on a wave of nostalgia(怀旧) back to your birthplace, and remember  the childhood songs of your distant youth with a smile. If it helps, wrap yourself in a warm blanket and sleep with one of your favorite books (not a pill or e-reader).

    If Denmark seems too far, then think of old Beijing with its hutong and courtyard houses. Picture yourself sit around a traditional stove with your loved ones, eating dumplings and chatting about the old days. Let yourself drift back in time to a period where everything is relaxing, and there is no need to reply to any e-mails or text messages. They did not exist(存在) back then.

    Now you've really understood hygge without even having to set foot in Copenhagen.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴The most unusual museum in London is the Science Museum. In most museums, there's no shouting and no running, and people aren't allowed to touch the exhibits (陈设品). But the Science Museum is different. It's noisy! People can talk about what they will see and do there, and some of the machines are noisy as well.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵When I visit the Science Museum, I go to the Launchpad (发射台). This is the most popular room because there are lots of physics tests. We can also learn how astronauts travel into space and back again here. I'm really interested in those kinds of things, so it is my favorite room.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶On the second floor there is Human and Nature room. We can compare our speed with animals there. If we aren't quick enough, the lion will catch us! There are also rooms on transport, the environment and space technology, as well as math, physics and chemistry.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷We can do a lot of things in this museum, but we have to obey some rules as well. For example, we mustn't take photos of the exhibits in the museum. But we can buy postcards of them in the museum shops.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Most important of all, the Science Museum is free. That means we can drop by for a few minutes or we can stay as long as we like—it's open from 10: 00 a. m. to 6: 00 p. m.every day except Monday. So if you go to London, make sure you visit the Science Museum. It's my favorite museum in the whole world.

    We did a survey (调查) about students' free time activities yesterday. One of our questions was about exercise and of course, it is the most important one. From the survey, we knew only 25% of the girls often have activities outside. Many girls do little exercise. They don't like P.E. classes and even don't play sports. These girls may face a lot of problems. They may get fatter and weaker, And they may get some kinds of illnesses(疾病) easily. Wang Jing, a 16-year-old girl, said, "I don't like doing exercise. I like watching TV on the sofa. I spend at least three hours watching TV a day. My sleeping time is no more than seven hours a day. I often feel tired

    Some girls said, "We don't have enough time to do exercise. We must help our parents with housework because they are very tired after a day's work. We do some washing, clean the house and finish the homework. We don't have time for doing anything else."

    Everyone may have these excuses(借口) for not doing exercise. However, we must know that if we don't do exercise, we will get sick easily. As students, we'd better exercise every day. That makes us live a healthy life.

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    Now and then we all get ill. Then we usually go to see a doctor. Doctors know a lot about what makes us ill. They may give us something to take. The medicine often makes us well again.

    But sometimes the doctor's medicine doesn't work. A sick person does not get well. The pain(痛), or hurt(伤), will not go away. This happened to a man named Walter. He was in hospital, but he was not getting well. Then he found a new "doctor" inside himself. This "doctor" was his own sense of humor(幽默感). He saw funny films. He read funny books. And something wonderful happened. Laughing took away his pain. Then he was able to sleep and rest. His own happy feeling helped him to feel well again. And he told his story in a book. He said laughing was his best "medicine". His doctor thought so, too.

    Another man called James was ill, and he had a terrible pain in his back. The doctor could not stop it from hurting. So the man began to "picture" his pain. In his head he "drew" a picture of a dog. He imagined(想象) it as a real dog. And he made friends with the dog. And his pain went away!

    These stories may surprise you. But more and more people are getting well in this way. So call on the "doctor" inside your own head. Stay happy and well.