We have a two-day holiday every week. We don't have any lessons on Saturdays or Sundays, so every weekend I have a good time.

    On weekends, I like taking a trip. I sometimes go to the country with my classmates by bus to breathe(呼吸) the fresh air, watch the green hills and the blue sea, and walk in the beauty of the countryside. Sometimes I go for a picnic in the open air with my friends by bike. There we draw many pictures and take photos. Sometimes I go to visit a place of interest with my parents by car.

    Sometimes on Saturdays, I take a long trip with my parents. We don't go home at night and make a fire on the hill. We sit around it, singing and dancing happily. If we feel tired, we get together, look at the stars and chat for a long time. And then sleep for a few hours.

    My weekends are always full of interest and happiness.

    Today is Saturday．It's also the Teachers' Day, Lily and Tom's mother's festival．They get up early in the morning and want to help their mother do the housework．They first clean the room and then wash the clothes．And then they make breakfast for their mother Lisa．

    It takes Lily and Tom a long time to make the breakfast．They make a chicken hamburger and some salad．These are Lisa's favourite food．They also prepare(准备) a glass of milk．They think it's healthy for their mother．Then they go to their parents' room with the food and drink.

    Dad sits on the sofa and reads a newspaper to Lisa．There is much interesting news(新闻) in it．Lisa also thinks it is fun．They seem very happy．“Good morning, Mum and Dad,” say Lily and Tom．Then they walk to their mother and say: “Mum, Happy Teachers' Day!”

Lisa looks at the children and the breakfast．“Thank you so much!” Lisa feels very warm now.

    You may think that English dictionaries have been used for many, many centuries. The spelling of English has always been a problem, but it was more of a problem in the days before a dictionary. In those days people spelt words in different ways which you might find interesting. But it made reading English much more difficult. So dictionaries were invented to encourage everybody to spell the same. In fact, an English dictionary like the kind you use today wasn't made until the time of the Qing Dynasty.

    The largest dictionary in the world is the Oxford English Dictionary, or OED for short. The idea for this dictionary came from an important meeting in Britain in 1857. Twenty-two years later, Oxford University asked James Murray to be the editor of its new dictionary.

    Murray had not been to college. At the age of fourteen, he left his village school in Scotland and taught himself while working in a bank. Later he became a great teacher. After Oxford gave him the job, Murray had a place built in the garden behind his house to do his work. Part of it was one metre underground. In winter he had to wear a heavy coat and put his feet in a box to keep warm. Every morning, Murray got out of bed at five o'clock and worked several hours before breakfast. Often he would work by candle light into the evening.

    Murray hoped to finish the new dictionary in ten years. But after five years, he was still adding words for the letter A! Then others went to work with Murray, and his two daughters were among them. He worked on the dictionary until he was very old. Forty-four years later, in 1928, other editors finished it. It had more than 15,000 words in twelve books. And you thought your English dictionary was big!

    Do you know how the kids in different countries spend their holidays in spring?

    In China, when spring comes, students have difficulty sitting quietly. They want to be outside. Teachers know this. In spring, schools usually organize a spring outing for kids. It might be a trip to a mountain. But typically, teachers take kids to a martyrs' park (烈士陵园).They can show their respect(敬意)for those who lost their lives in war. And also they can enjoy spring.

    In Japan, things are a little different. The school year begins in April. In some parts of the country, the first day of school is also the start of the cherry blossom (樱花)season.这是一年中孩子们旅行的最佳时间。People go to parks early in the morning with their family and friends.

    UK children have many great choices when it comes to school trips. They can visit the seaside, or a theme park. They can look around a castle or a stately home (庄园). One special place to go is a wetland and bird center. The kids spend time in a beautiful place and also learn about the natural world. The people at the center are scientists. This means they're able to teach kids about the knowledge of nature. They also find out how some animals today are in danger.

    Good news or bad news? It depends on how you see things. You can be angry after being cheated. Or you can choose to move on with your life …

    Robert De Vincenzo, the great golfer (高尔夫球手), once won a competition, after receiving the check (支票) and smiling for the cameras, he went to the club and got ready to leave. While he was walking alone to his car in the parking lot, a middle-aged woman came over to him.

She said "congratulations" to him and then told him that her child was seriously ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor's bills.

    De Vincenzo was touched by her story, and he took out a pen and signed his winning check for payment to the woman. "Make some good days for the baby," he said as he gave the check to her.

    The next week he was having lunch in a country club when his friend came to his table. "Someone told me you met a middle-aged woman there after you won that golf competition." De Vincenzo nodded. "Well", said the friend, "I have news for you. She cheated you. She has no sick baby. She has not even married."

    "You mean there is no baby who is dying?" said De Vincenzo.

    "That's the best news I've heard all week," De Vincenzo said happily.

You can complain because roses have thorns (刺) , or you can be happy because thorns happy roses.