Once there was a boy who was afraid of the dark. He thought that when it was dark his bedroom was full of monsters. But there came a time when he was too old to be allowed to keep sleeping with the light on.

    The first night he was so frightened that he couldn't fall asleep because he kept thinking about the monsters in his room. So he got up and went over to his wardrobe to get a torch. But when he opened the wardrobe door he came face to face with a monster, and he let out the loudest scream(尖叫)in the world.

    However, the monster didn't jump out to eat him as the boy had always imagined. To the boy's surprise, the monster took a few steps backward, grabbed(抓挠)its hair and started crying！The monster cried for so long that the boy's shock and fear slowly went away. He calmed the monster down as much as he could, and started talking to him, asking him why he was crying and what he was doing there.

    The monster told him he lived in the wardrobe, but almost never went out, because he was afraid of the boy. When the boy asked him why, the monster told him the boy's face with two eyes, ears and a nose seemed to him the strangest thing he'd ever seen. The boy felt exactly the same way about the monster who had a huge head with many mouths and a lot of hair.

    The two of them talked so much that they became quite friendly, and they realized that both of them had bee afraid of the same thing:t he unknown. To lose their fear, they had to get to know each other.

The video "Hello! Spring Festival" by China Dailytells us what the Spring Festival is like in some foreigners' eyes. 

"Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China, and the beautiful thing I like is the way we put up ‘Fu (福)' outside. We change the direction, and it means that Fu has already come, " said Emma, from France. Running a French restaurant in Hangzhou, Emma seems to know everything about it. Actually Barbara, a German designer who is running a children's wear brand in Shenyang, is full of praise for Chinese food, especially Yuanxiao (元宵). "We always prepare some handmade lanterns (灯笼) to celebrate the Lantern Festival, " she added, "This year for Chinese New Year I gave out some special Hongbao, but the most important thing is the money inside. " 

Zhang Luka from Italy is a big fan of Chinese culture. He told us what his first experience with the Spring Festival was like. "At that time, I saw everyone leaving, taking big bags and going back home. All of a sudden, all the restaurants were closed and take-out food was pretty difficult to order as well. What an unbelievable story! Luckily, after the first year, I got to meet many Chinese friends and enjoyed the holidays in a Chinese way. This was the opportunity for me to really get close to Chinese culture. "

Brick­or­Treat is back this fall in__△__！

BrickorTreat returns for 2023! And you won't want to miss the best Halloween sleepover ever. Join in our BrickorTreat event with your family members and your best friends! Don't forget that the Monster Party is newly included!

LEGOLAND New York Resort is now open in the beautiful Hudson Valley，Goshen Town，Orange County，New York City，just 60 miles northwest from the center. 

Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don't give friendship back. That is why some friendships don't last（持续）very long. To have a friend, you must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat(对待) you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding. 

Honesty helps start a good friendship. Friends must be able to trust（信任）each other. If you don't tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you are not honest, you may lose your friend's trust. Good friends should always speak and act honestly. 

Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You don't have to give your lunch money, your clothes, or your hobbies. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them, you help your friend know you better. 

Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend's place so you can understand the problem better. 

No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friendships, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding. 

Gift giving is an important practice that can show a number of different meanings. Here are some gift giving traditions from a few different countries. 

◆ In Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, it is common to ask for a gift straightly. When a gift has been bought even without asking for it, the worst thing you can do is to refuse(拒绝) the offering, even if the giving family is poor.

◆ In Japan

The Japanese show a great importance of the act of gift giving. For example, people don't like uncovered (裸露的) money. So whether you're sending money as a gift or just leaving a tip (小费), put your money in an envelope (信封). 

◆ In India

As people think left hands are unclean in Indian culture, acts such as touching, passing money, or giving gifts must be done with your right hand.

◆ In Russia

Vodka (伏特加酒) might seem a perfect gift for a Russian, but in fact, a lot of them would see it as an unimaginative (缺乏想象力的) gift. Many even think the idea is terrible. 

◆ In Ireland

Don't be astonished if your gift is refused a couple of times in Ireland. This tradition comes from a time when they didn't have enough potatoes to eat in the 1840s, and because of this, the receivers are making sure that you can really part from the thing that you are offering.