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    Halloween was Monday, Oct 31. Trick or treat! We had a whole week to celebrate. It was called the spirit week.

    On the Friday before the spirit week, we were allowed to wear Halloween costumes to school. I dressed up as a witch (女巫). That was pretty fun! We got points for our class by dressing up.

    We also had performances during the week. Each class had a theme. We performed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on Monday during the spirit week. The performance included a dance and skit (滑稽短剧). I was in the skit, and I played the character March Hare.

    On Monday, we arrived at school at 6 am to do our last rehearsal (排练). I was so excited, even though it was early in the morning and it was very cold outside. Our performance was in the main gym, and every student was there.

    I think we really did an excellent job! Although I only had four lines in the skit, I was still proud and happy. The other two classes performed on the following days during spirit week. Theirs were also very nice, but I think ours was the best.

    Our hallway was also beautifully decorated. Everyone's locker was painted with colorful pictures. The curtains (窗帘) were hung below the lights to make the hallways look dreamy. I liked it so much.

    By the way, we still had our classes as usual during the week. Anyway, I really had a wonderful time! I am looking forward to next Halloween.

My Favorite Sweater

——by Taylor Brown

My favorite sweater grew too small.

I love that sweater best of all.

My grandma made it when(当) I was three.

She made that sweater just for me.

I picked the yam(纱线), a special blue.

The color of bluebells, wet with dew(露珠).

When I was three, I was very small.

But now I'm five and much too tall.

I have a new jacket now that's green.

So I gave my sweater to our cat Queen.

Queen just had kittens out in the shed(小屋).

My favorite sweater is now their bed.

Science and technology help people a lot. Check out how fast China is developing.

Driverless(无人驾驶) helpers

You can see different kinds of driverless cars at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. For example, when you feel tired, you can have a rest in a driverless minibus. When you feel hungry, you can buy food from a "driverless car store". Another kind of driverless car can even send things to you just like a postman. They help to make the Games a bigger success.

Space classes

On March 23, 2022, three Chinese astronauts gave their second lecture(课程) from Tiangong space station. They did several experiments(实验). They also showed some tools to study science. The three astronauts gave their first lecture last December. Millions of students watched them and learned many fantastic science facts.

3D photos

This May, a middle school in Beijing used 3D­printing technology to print graduation photos(毕业照) for Grade 9 students. Students can touch the "faces" of their classmates. This technology can also help blind students "see" their classmates.

Of all the Chinese 24 solar terms, Clear and Bright (清明) is the only one whose first day is also a traditional Chinese festival, the Qingming Festival. The words "clear" and "bright" describe the weather during this period. Temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, making it an important time for growing crops in the spring. As is known, it is a time to worship ancestors (祭拜祖先). However, here are some things you may not know about Clear and Bright. 

Spring Outings

Not only is it a period to honor the dead, but it is also time for people to go out and enjoy nature. As trees turn green, flowers come out, and the sun shines brightly, everything returns to life. It is a fine time to enjoy the beauty of nature. 

Flying Kites

Flying kites is an activity loved by many Chinese during Tomb-Sweeping Day. Kites are not only flown during the day time but also in the evening. Little lanterns are tied to the kites. And when the kites are flying in the sky, the lanterns look like twinkling stars at night. What makes flying kites during this day special is that people cut the string while the kite is in the sky to let it fly freely. It is said that this brings good luck and that diseases can be driven away by doing this. 

Cuju

Cuju is an interesting game played during this period. Ju is a ball made of leather with hairs in it. It is said that the Yellow Emperor first invented it for training warriors. Later, Cuju was used by people to build up their bodies when they were unable to eat hot food during the Cold Food Festival. 

Qingtuan

In the lower parts of the Yangtze River region, qingtuan is very popular on Tomb-Sweeping Day. Qingtuan is a kind of round green cake. In order to make the cakes, people mash (捣碎) barnyard grass (艾草) to squeeze juice from it and mix the flour and juice to a paste. Then they put fillings into the paste and steam them. Pretty and delicate, qingtuan tastes special. 

Anger is a kind of feeling. Many things can make you angry. When your teacher gives you too much homework, when your team loses an important game or when a friend borrows your favourite thing and then breaks it, you may get really angry. 

Usually, your body will tell you when you are angry. For example, you breathe faster, your face turns red, and you may want to break something or hit someone, but sometimes, you hide your anger. For example, you may hide it in your heart. The problem is that if you do this, you may get a headache or your stomach may hurt. 

In fact, it's not good to hide your anger, and it's normal for you to get angry sometimes. But anger must be let out in the right way, without hurting others or yourself. 

When you get angry, you can talk with other people about it. It's helpful to talk about your anger with an adult, like a parent or a teacher. When you talk about anger, those bad feelings can start to go away. Here are some other things you can do when you start to feel angry: talk with a good friend; count from 1 to 100; get a hug from someone; go for a bike ride; think about good things and so on. 

Remember that how you act when you are angry can make things better or worse. Choose a good way to deal with your anger, and don't let your anger control you.