For many years, we couldn't talk with the deaf. These deaf people couldn't use a spoken language.

    But beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using this language, they could share thought sand ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language.

    How did this sign language work? The deaf learnt to make certain movements with their hands, faces and bodies. These movements stood for things and ideas. People might move their forefingers accross their lips. This meant "you are not telling the truth". They might tap their chin with three fingers. This meant "my uncle".

    The deaf learned to see a finger alphabet. They used their fingers to make the letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute.

    The deaf don't use the sign language andfinger spelling as much as they once were. Today, the deaf learn to understand others by watching their lips. They also learn how to speak.

    Switzerland (瑞士) is one of the most developed countries in Europe. It is famous as one of the cleanest countries in the world.

The Swiss (瑞士人) think that recycling is important. The government has made laws which require everyone to recycle. In 1998, the Swiss government passed a law which says that people cannot throw away any electronic machines. Instead, people are told to bring old ones, such as televisions, computers and fridges, to special centers when they don't need them. Many parts of the old machines are reused, and only the parts that can't be used are thrown away.

The government also charges (收费) a rubbish bag tax (税). If people want their rubbish to be collected, they must buy yellow stickers and put them on their rubbish bags. In 2003, 47G of all rubbish in the cities was recycled. This included 70% of paper, 95% of glass, 71% of plastic bottles and 85--90% of cans. Until recently, people can get a small amount of money when they recycle their bottles. Recycling has become a daily habit for the Swiss.

     Everyone should learn from the Swiss, and our country will be clean like Switzerland.

    We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.

    Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China

    "It'll soon be Chinese New Year. Before it we'll clean the house and decorate it for good luck.

    Every shop is going to close for a few days and we'll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival."

    Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

    "Australia Day is on 26^th January and it's an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there's lots of music and dancing. What fun!"

    Amy, 14, New York, USA

    "The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It's still a very important day for families to be together. This year we're going to visit my grandparents and we'll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year."

    We have three meals a day. In the morning, we have breakfast. It is at about 6 or 7 o'clock. Breakfast should be good. We can have milk, eggs, and other things. Some students often have no breakfast. It is very bad for their heath. In China, lunch is the main meal of the day. It is at about 12 o'clock. It is a big meal. There are often three or four dishes. We should be full after lunch. We usually have supper at about 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening. We should have a small supper. But in England， people call the main meal dinner. It often means supper.