Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.
Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.
Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country's “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.
The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race's 16,000 competitors.
On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16^th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.

    Sumo wrestling (相扑) is a national sport in Japan. Every year there are six tournaments, and millions of Japanese watch them on television. A tournament is a series of matches.

    Sumo wrestling is almost as old as the nation of Japan itself. Stories say that there was sumo wrestling over 2,000 years ago. There are written records of national sumo tournaments in the 8th century.

    In many sports, athletes are thin and can move very quickly. However, sumo wrestlers weigh from 100 to 160 kilograms. One famous wrestler weighed 195 kilograms. Sumo wrestlers do not move quickly, and sumo wrestling is a very slow sport.

    Sumo wrestlers start hard training when they are boys. They exercise to make their bodies strong. They also eat a lot.

    They wrestle in a round ring with a sand floor. A wrestler loses the match if he leaves the ring. He is also the loser if any part of his body except his feet touches the floor. Each wrestler tries to push the other down on the floor or out of the ring. Sometimes one wrestler just steps aside when the other wrestler rushes towards him. Then, the wrestler who is rushing falls down or moves out of the ring.

    Sumo wrestling is not very popular in other countries, but the Japanese think that it is a very exciting sport.

Charity Cause in UK

    If you watch British television on March 15. you might be surprised to see celebrities(名人) wearing funny red noses and joking around But don't worry. They're not mad. It's all part of a money raising event called Red Nose Day. Founded in 1985 by two British actors, the aim of the event is to raise money to help poor people in the UK and Africa. Celebrities support the event by making appearances on special TV shows. For example. UK Prime Minister David Cameron once appeared in a music video by One Direction, which the band produced for the event.

    British don't just raise money for charitable(慈善的)causes on one day year, but they do it all year round. One way of doing "is by shopping in charity shops. These small shops sell clothes, books and household goods just like any other shop except that it's all secondhand.

    There are nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK. Their business model is simple anybody who has things they don't want any more can give them to a charity shop. Where they are checked, cleaned and priced. The money that is made by selling them is used for a charitable cause.

    The idea of buying used clothes may sound unpleasant, but for shoppers who have less spending money, it has been a welcome choice. Now, shopping at charity shops is also becoming popular with young people looking for another kind of fashion. "You can find very beautiful and special clothes for a very cheap price. I don't mind wearing the clothes that other people may have worn them, I simply wash them before I wear them," said Anne Marie, a 19-year-old from UK.

    So next time you see a charity shop. Why not go inside? Who knows, you might find a lovely dress for just a few pounds. Even better, you can enjoy wearing it, it means that your money helped a good cause.

    As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let's look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about dogs, for example, a homeless dog, a mad dog and a dog catching a mouse, have negative meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, you are a lucky dog means you are a lucky person. And every dog has its day means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person's serious illness, they say sick as a dog. The word dog-tired means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, cat is often used to describe a woman who is cruel.

    The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

    The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

    A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

    Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.

    Even so, travel isn't difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

    Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.

    Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.

    Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) melt (融化).

    Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

    Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.