One of the latest trends（趋势） in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, Conn, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from aero to around 4, 000 since 2004. And that's true all across the country.

    “I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age” Joseph Stocke, the managing director of a company, says of his 2-year old son. “I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future, ” After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.

    Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China. She didn't want her children to miss out on their roots. ” Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to(接触) the language and culture. ” she says.

    “Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom,” says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of Children. ”But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12. ”

    The popularity if au pairs from China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.

    Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. With a social worker mother, the Sutton children had inherited her commitment to service, and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted. This year, Kinzie, her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself.

    The phone rang on Sunday. A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing.

    Ann saw the cheer vanish from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, Kinzie ran into her bedroom. She returned, her face set with determination. Opening up her piggy bank, she put all the coins onto the table: $3.30. Everything she had.

    “Mom,” she told Ann, “I know it's not much. But maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”

    At a breakfast meeting the next day, Ann told her coworkers about her daughter's story. To her surprise, staff members began to open their purses and empty their pockets to help Kinzie. By day's end, the story of Kinzie's gift had spread beyond Ann's office. She received a call from an unknown donor. If a seven-year-old could give everything she had, he said, he should at least match her gift 100 to 1. He contributed $300.

    On Christmas Eve, Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashleys lived. Then she began to unload the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one.

    Ashley was very moved. Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need. “Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away,” Ashley says. “She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be.”

    When I was a kid in the 1960s, my parents had a country store in the small town of Frankfort, Maine. No neighboring houses could be seen From our place， and new salesmen were always amazed at the amount of business we did. Dad's motto was, “We sell everything.” If he didn't have something in store, he would pick it up for customers on his weekly trip to Bangor.

    One time Dad was in Bangor getting shoes for someone at a shoe factory, He saw big boxes full of shoes and asked about them. They were the mates(一双鞋中的一只) to faulty shoes that had been thrown away. He looked through the boxes and realized that there were usable brand-new shoes in there. He offered the manager five cents a shoe, Dad made the deal and got the manager to reserve any future boxes for him.

    Of course Mon, his business partner, was more practical, and her first reaction was, “But what are you going to do with them?” Dad bought an old school bus. He cleaned it up, removed the seats and placed big containers down both sites of the aisle(通道). When all was ready, the whole Family helped to put the shoes in place. At first， it looked like we had plenty of room on the bus, but Dad kept bringing home more boxes.

    There was no sign on the Shoe Bus. 'The only advertising Dad did was to place a piece of paper beside the store exit that read “Shoes $1 a pair. "When folks asked about the deal. They learned it wasn't that easy because they had to find their own pairs. The attraction was a combination of getting a good deal on a quality pair of shoes and the thrill of the hunt.

    To this day I still run into people who talk about the fun they had searching for pairs in Dad's Shoe Bus.

Building your healthy diet

    Although some extreme diets may suggest something else, we all need a balance of protein ( 蛋白质), fat, carbohydrates ( 碳水化合物), fiber, vitamins, and minerals in our diets to keep a healthy body. You don't need to remove certain kinds of foods from your diet, but rather select the healthiest ones.

Protein

    Protein gives us the energy to get up and go — and keep going — while also supporting mood and cognitive function. Too much protein can be harmful to people with kidney  ( 肾 )  disease,  but  the  latest  research  suggests  that  many  of  us  need  more high-quality protein, especially as we grow up. That doesn't mean you have to eat more animal products — a variety of plant-based sources of protein each day can ensure your body gets all the essential protein it needs.

Fat

    Not all fat is the same. While bad fat can destroy your diet and increase your risk of certain diseases, good fat protects your brain and heart. In fact, healthy fat — such as omega-3s — is necessary to your physical and emotional health. Understanding how to include more healthy fat in your diet can help improve your mood and your well-being.

Fiber

    Eating foods high in dietary fiber (grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and beans) can help you stay regular and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also improve your skin and even help you to lose weight. Depending on your age and gender, nutrition experts suggest you eat at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber each day for optimal (最 佳的) health. Unfortunately, most of us aren't eating even half that amount.

Calcium (钙)

    Your body uses calcium to build healthy bones and teeth, keep them strong, send messages through the nervous system, and regulate the heart's rhythm. Not getting enough calcium in your diet can also lead to anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. Whatever your age or gender (性别), it's necessary to include calcium-rich foods in your diet.

    If life is a beach, then a village in Ireland has come back from the dead after the sand returned 33 years later due to a freak tide.

    Dooagh beach on Achill Island in the west of Ireland, was washed away in 1984 after storms hit the area, leaving a rocky foreshore. The tourists left, causing the hotels and guesthouses as well as the cafes to close down. But in April this year, the sand returned over a ten-day period caused by an unusually high tide that deposited hundreds of thousands of tons of sand along the 300m beach, bringing the beautiful beach back to its former glory.

    Emmet Callaghan from Achill Island Tourist Office told the journalist that the people of the island were excited at the beach's reappearing. “It's so nice for the villagers to have their beach back. It is an incredible example of the force and power of nature and how the coast can change in a matter of days. Yesterday we had traffic block here in the village with cars and people coming from all over Ireland and the UK to see our new beach,” he said. “The people here have always spoken about their days on the beach and how they enjoyed it as children. To have it back with their kids is unbelievable. Now locals are hoping that the beach is given the blue flag status. We already have five blue flag beaches and hopefully, if we keep our beach here, we'll have a sixth.”

    Dr Ivan Haigh from the University of Southampton said there were two explanations as to why the beach has reformed. “It could be a change in sediment (沉积物) supply, from further up or down the coast which has brought a fresh amount of sediment to the beach,” he said. “It could also be due to a change in environmental conditions, either a change in the wave climate or a series of tides that have provided the ideal conditions for this beach to reform.”

    The tourism office and locals hope the new beach will stay, at least for the summer of this year.

Brazil sports are out of control! Brazil may be one of the most sports­crazy countries in the world. Whether you are into watching or playing, Brazil sports have a lot to offer everyone.

Football in Brazil is more than a sport. It's a way of life. Football is popular in Brazil for several reasons. One reason is that it is fast paced and fun to watch. This is the reason why the World Cup Soccer is the most watched sports event in the world aside from the Summer Olympics. Also, you don't need anything to play soccer except for something to kick, and a big area in which to play. Few will argue if you say that Brazil leads the world in football. No nation has won as many world cups as Brazil.

Volleyball is a close second in Brazil sports. In the world of international volleyball, Brazil wins many championships of all kinds, including indoor and beach volleyball. Brazil has nearly 5,000 miles of coastline. If you go to a beach in Brazil, there will always be a volleyball game going on somewhere, and usually two or three.

Footvolley was created in Brazil in the 1960s. It is a mix of football and volleyball, where the players must use their feet and head to get the ball over the net and into the opponents' court, and is also played in sand. It is one of the most popular beach sports in Brazil.

Swimming, tennis, rugby, boxing, judo, sailing, golf, surfing, and handball are all greatly popular in Brazil.