"Late again, Mavis! How many times I have told you to come back in time to help me cook dinner?" asked Mrs. Muntari.
"But, mummy, I can't just , walk out in the middle of a game!" said Mavis.
"You shouldn't be playing the game in the first place."
"But, mum, why can't I? You never tell Adibe or Senze not to play football. I had to leave the game at half time and rush back so you wouldn't get angry with me,"said Mavis.
"You are a girl It is as simple as that, Boys and girls have different roles to play. I have 11 hungry mouths to feed and I need your help! You are the oldest girl not working, so it is your job to help me. That's the way of our people. Now go and fry some more chicken."
At the dinner table, Adibe and Senze were excitedly talking about today's game, while eating the chicken Mavis had fried. They talked about how Mavis scored in the first half with a power shot from the halfway line, It was a great goal as their team was losing by 0 - 1 at that time.
Dad came home then and brought the boys a local newspaper, in which there was news about football scouts (球探) from England visiting Ghana (加纳). These scouts had asked to be allowed to visit schools to look for players of the future. Adibe and Senze looked at each other and cheered. "Wow, I'm going to be like Essien!" And they started arguing which one would make it as a superstar.
Mavis decided to take this chance. She stole out of home. When she arrived at the playground, one player happened to get injured (受伤) and the coach was worried. "I can take his place!" Mavis shouted. Though it was unbelievable to let a girl play, the coach agreed. During the second half, she made an amazing shot!
When the game was over, the scouts all stood up, cheering.
A few years ago, my sister in-law started to feel worried about her teenage daughter. What was she doing after school? Where was she spending her time? Her daughter was an excellent student, and took part in all kinds of after-class activities. Even so, she decided to put a tracking (跟踪) app on the kid's phone.
At first, this made my sister-in-law "feel better". Then the good situation suddenly ended, She recalled, "I found out that she was someplace that she said she wasn't. I went out in the middle of the night and found her walking without shoes in the middle of the street with some friends,"Things went quickly downhill for the mother and the daughter after that.
With 83% of teens having their own phones now, according to a study in 2020, more and more of their parents are facing the question to watch or not?
Ann Homayoun, expert from Harford University, has advised many parents and their kids about this. "I've found tens are more acceptable to tracking apps when it is included as part of a family agreement to improve safety than when it is placed as a secret tool to watch them," she said.
Mark Bell, a father of a teenage girl, said, "We don't have tracking apps, but we have set some ground rules that my daughter must follow in exchange for us providing a phone," he said. For example, his daughter must "friend"him on social media (媒体) so that he can read posts, and must share all passwords. When you're trying to build trust, you need to create an environment that encourages it. So, to win their trust, you always need to be straight with your children,
"Parents must let children know how and when they'll be watching them," said Doctor White. "If they're not open about it", he warns, "it can greatly harm the parent and child relationship."
Homestays are becoming more and more popular, and people around the world are offering their homes as hotels. Homestays offer cheap places to stay and the chance for guests to see the area like local people. " They are very popular with students who want to stay in another country and learn a language. We asked three families who run homestays to tell us about where they live.
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The Atal family Our family home is in the north of Nepal, in the Himalayan Mountains, in the village of Manang. The village is small and quiet. It is a very friendly place. The mountains are very beautiful, You can go for long walks and swim in the rivers, but there are no shops, cinemas or café. |
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Kate and Julian Foxton Our two-bedroom house is by the sea in the southwest of England. It is 15 minutes' drive to the nearest village of Portreath. There are lots of beaches, rivers and forests, and it is very quiet. We spend a lot of time reading books, watching films and going for walks. Our area is great for sports like swimming and mountain biking. There are no buses or trains here, so it can be difficult to get around without a car. |
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Chafic and Aline Halwany Our home is near the historic city center of Beirut, Lebanon, a large city in the Middle East. There are lots of cafe and restaurants, which are open late at night. We love it here because it's so friendly and you can always find what you need. Lots of people can come here to learn Arabic and French. There are also a lot of jobs and businesses here. However, it can be noisy at night and there is a lot of traffic during the day. The best thing about Beirut is the weather. It is nice all year round; it rains in the winter, but there is no snow. |
Zhu Keming never thought he would be a hero one day, but he was just that on Saturday when he saved the lives of six runners during the mountain marathon (马拉松)in Baiyin, Gansu Province, in which 21 people lost their lives.
It started off as a normal day for the 49-year-old shepherd, who was taking care of his more than 30 sheep on the mountainside. But soon the weather was terrible, with rainfall and hail. The rain got so heavy that he couldn't see clearly and had to run into a cave where he normally went to have a rest. Soon he fell asleep in the cave after covering himself with some quilts he had stored there.
But he was awakened at 2 pm by an unusual sound that was not coming from his sheep. The sound that woke Zhu was the cry of a runner in the marathon. He was wet from head to toe and trembling because of cold. Zhu took him into the cave, lit a fire and covered the stricken (受伤的)runner with his quilts.
Zhu said that there were soon five runners huddling (挤作一团)in the cave, and he then decided to go outside to try to attract the attention of rescuers (救援者).
When he risked coming out of the cave, he found another stricken runner lying on the ground in bad condition. Then the other runners came out of the cave to give a hand. Zhu and the six runners remained huddled around the fire in his cave until 7 pm, when the rescue team arrived.
"I just did what I had to when I saw that these people were in danger. I think everyone would do the same thing in such a situation, "Zhu said to Beijing News.
Luo Chongchuan, the village head of Changsheng, where Zhu and his family live, said that the shepherd is a warm-hearted person who often helps his villagers.
Like most kids, Landon Kenstrick, 5 years old, has a favorite animal. However, his favorite animal is quite different from other kids'. He loves pangolins.
Pangolins have small heads and long, broad tails. They are toothless. They have small ears, but their hearing is good.
Their sense of smell is well-developed, too. But their sight is poor. When they feel frightened, they roll up into a ball to protect themselves. "My favorite thing about the pangolin is the scales (鳞片)it has on its body. They look cool, "Landon said.
Landon first learned about pangolins from a TV show, Wild Kratts. Knowing that pangolins are facing the danger of dying out, Landon quickly decided to take action to protect them. He wanted to tell everyone he knew about them. On Halloween, he had his parents carve (雕刻)a pangolin into their pumpkin (南瓜), so that when people asked what it was, he could tell them all about his favorite animal. When Christmas came around, Landon had only one wish: to save the pangolins. His parents had him "adopt (领养)" a pangolin in Landon's name. They also came up with a good idea. They helped Landon make Christmas gifts to sell to help raise money for the pangolins at a market. So far, he has raised $ 400.
If you think a 5-year-old boy is too young to save the pangolins, you'd be wrong. Landon told us nobody's too young to save anything.
The 6-year-old girl, Ruby, lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was supposed to go to school close Io her home. But all the students in that school were white. Ruby was black. School leaders didn't want to accept her, so they made Ruby take a hard exam and hoped she would fail. But Ruby was so smart that she passed the test easily and was finally allowed to go to the school.
Ruby was excited about her new school. Bui when she and her mom arrived on her first day, she saw a crowd of angry people shouting very cruel things at the gate. They did not want a black child to attend the school. "I had no idea what was happening, " remembered Ruby. She thought the crowd was celebrating something.
Each day. Ruby went to school with four police officers who worked for the national government to protect her. The sight of this small girl with her big bodyguards moved the artist Norman Rockwell. He created a painting of Ruby. He called it The Problem We All Live With", It became a very famous painting.
Ruby grew up to be a civil rights activist. She worked to protect the rights given to all citizens by the government. She even went to the White House to meet President Barack Obama. They looked al Mr. Rockwell's painting. It hung outside the Oval Office.
"We should never judge a person by the color of their skin, " Ruby said. " That's the lesson I learned in first grade. "
The Red Vineyards , 1888, by Van Gogh
Although it's said Van Gogh(梵高)(1853-1890) sold only one painting during his lifetime, different theories(理论) exist(存在).
It is true that The Red Vineyard is the only painting sold during Van Gogh's lifetime, and that was officially(官方地)recorded and accepted by the art world. It's recorded that Van Gogh started painting at 27, and died at 37. His famous paintings were produced after he went to France in 1888, only two years before he died. So it would be clear that he did not sell many.
However, others disagree. The leading Van Gogh scholar(学者), Marc, is one of them. Though the story that Van Gogh sold just one painting still goes around, he insists(坚持说) that Van Gogh sold at least two.
Also, according to the Van Gogh Museum website, Van Gogh actually sold a number of paintings for living during his lifetime. His first money came from his uncle, who was an art dealer(经销商). In order to help Van Gogh's career(事业), he ordered 19 paintings. And Van Gogh himself would often trade his paintings for food or art supplies(美术用品)when he was younger.
Van Gogh died in July of 1890. His brother was a wise dealer and saved lots of paintings by Van Gogh. His greatest wish was to make the works more widely known and make much money. Sadly he himself died just six months later. He left a large collection of art to his wife, who "sold some of Van Gogh's works, lent as many as she could to exhibitions, and published(出版) many of Van Gogh's letters to his brother. Without her, Van Gogh would never have become as famous as he is today." After her death, her son founded the Van Gogh Museum.
When Wang Haiyan was young, her favorite toys weren't Barbie dolls. Instead, she started learning to make shadow puppets(皮影)from her father at 13. Now 43, Wang has spent 30 years practicing and spreading the art.
Shadow puppetry is a form of theater that uses puppets made from leather(皮) or paper, accompanied(伴奏) by music and singing. It was invented during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 24). It tells us about folk tales and historical stories, passing down culture and customs over thousands of years.
Shadow puppetry is all about creating the puppets and performing with them. Wang's hometown of Hua county, Shaanxi, is known as the birthplace of the folk art.
Puppet—makers must follow 24 steps to make the puppets including washing the leather, carving(雕刻) and painting, according to Wang. Carving is the most difficult part.
"We have a special carving skill—moving the leather under the knife," Wang said. It took Wang three years to master this skill. She used a brick(砖块)to strengthen her left hand while practicing. It takes about 3,000 carves to make a shadow puppet. "The complex (复杂的) steps make it hard to hand down the folk art," she said.
But Wang has found a way to do so. In recent years, she has made shadow puppets based on some cartoon series and given a live streaming performance. She used colors like blue and purple that were hardly seen in shadow puppetry and added more sticks to the puppets to make the performance more lively. "I hope more and more young people enjoy shadow puppetry and pass it down," she said,
What a shiny scooter(踏板车)!Sophie couldn't keep her eyes off it. Her dad noticed.
"Sophie, you have a scooter already, a really nice one!" "I know, but this one is so shiny and new," Sophie said. "It is great, but we have to go," said her dad.
They left the store. Sophie knew her scooter was nice, and it still worked. She just couldn't stop thinking of that new scooter!
A few weeks later, Sophie and her dad were back in the store.
The scooter was just there, with a big sale sign on it! The girl ran right over to it. Her dad looked at the price.
"I know you've been thinking about this scooter a lot, Sophie. The sale price is pretty good, though it's still a lot of money. I can't just buy this for you. But what if I pay for part of it, then lend you the money for the rest, and you promise to pay me back?" her dad asked.
"Really?" Sophie said excitedly. "I promise I will pay you back!"
As they were walking towards the cashier desk(收银台),her dad asked Sophie if she knew what it meant to borrow money.
"Yes, it means that I have to give it back to you," Sophie answered.
Her dad responded, "You're right, but you can give it back to me a little at a time. Now you get five dollars a week for your allowance(零用钱). You could pay it back to me once a week until you pay off your part of the scooter. It will take several months."
"Thank you, Dad! I will pay you back with my allowance until I return all the money."
Friendships light up our lives. Everyone needs friends. Friends are very important. If you want to have good friends, you should be a good friend yourself first.
When I was 5 years old, I had a lot of friends. Almost every kid liked to play with me because I always shared my toy cars with others, Never be mean（小气的）if you want to be a good friend.
As an 11-year-old, I was captain（队长）of my soccer team I was also the best player. At the beginning, I wasn't captain and I was the weakest player of the whole team. At that time, nobody wanted to make friends with me Then I trained harder and harder. I made a lot of effort to catch up with the team. As the old saying goes—no pains, no gains After a lot of hard work, I finally became a god player. My teammates wanted to make friends with me. If you want to be a good friend, always remember to make yourself stronger and stronger.
Now I'm 14. My friends and I have a lot of stress at school. I'm good at math and one of my best friends is good at English. We often help each other. I help him make progress in math. It really does work! Many of my classmates who are bad at math come to ask me for help. They become my friends as well…
Bea helpful study fellow（伙伴）if you want to be a good friend Make yourself into a good friend and you'll never walk alone.
It just hadn't been a very good week. On Tuesday, Sam's father lost his job. Then on Wednesday, Sam's mother announced that the (房租) on their apartment was going up. Now it was Friday, and Sam received an invitation from Rosa to her birthday party.
Sam knew Rosa from Adventure (冒险) Club. He knew he would enjoy Rosa's party, but he didn't want to go without a gift. What could he possibly buy her with the little bit of money he had? Sam knew he couldn't ask Mom or Dad for any money—not this week!
Later that afternoon, Sam noticed a second-hand book sale going on. He went there and had a quick look. Two books caught his eye, The first was a cookbook of Puerto Rican foods, and the second was a book about women explorers (探险家) . "Rosa would like these, " Sam thought, "but would it be tacky (蹩脚的) to give her second-hand books for her birthday? "
Sam decided that a second-hand gift was better than no gift at all. Besides, Rosa supported recycling in a big way. So, she would probably like it. With his last dollar, Sam bought the books and went home. He felt a little better.
The party was on Saturday. Rosa opened all her gifts and thanked everyone for the nice things they had given her. She paused (停顿) when she opened Sam's gift, which made him wonder if she liked the books, but nothing was said.
When Sam got home, he opened his e-mail and found this note from Rosa.
Dear Sam,
Of all the gifts I received today, yours was the nicest. How did you know I would love a book about women explorers and a cookbook of Puerto Rican foods? Now I have something to read that will inspire me to follow my dream of becoming an adventurer, and I have a book that I can share with my grandmother. She is getting older and wants to be sure her granddaughter knows how to make the -wonderful foods of Puerto Rico. Thank you so much.
Love,
Rosa.
The week turned out to be a good one after all.
Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564. His father taught music while his mother cared for kids at home. The family was not wealthy, but Galileo's parents paid for him to go to school.
At first Galileo planned to become a doctor, but he changed his mind. He liked a different kind of science—physics. In Galileo's time, not much was known about how objects moved. Centuries earlier, a Greek (希腊人) named Aristotle had written down his ideas about movements, and everyone seemed to believe them. Galileo questioned those ideas and did experiments (实验) that showed how things really worked. For example, Aristotle thought that a heavier object would fall faster than a lighter one of the same size and shape. No one had ever really tested this idea. It just seemed to be true. Then Galileo came along, dropped two balls from a high tower, and discovered that they hit the ground at the same time!
In later years, Galileo became interested in how the stars and planets move. He watched the sky with a telescope (望远镜) he built himself. Once again, he saw things no one had ever seen before. For example, he saw that the moon was not smooth. Then he noticed that the sun had spots (斑点) that seemed to move. Galileo realized from his observations (观察) that the earth was moving around the sun. A Polish (波兰的) scientist named Copernicus had said this recently, but no one believed him. Galileo knew that Copernicus was right. Unluckily, Galileo's announcement got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church said that the earth was at the center of the universe (宇宙) with the sun traveling around it. This was what people had long believed, but Galileo said it was untrue. So he was sent to jail (监狱) . He was soon set free, but for the rest of his life he had to stay in his house and yard
Galileo died in 1642, but his work helped to change the world. He is sometimes called the "father of modern science" because he showed us how important it is to look carefully at things and to test out ideas with experiments.
