— At about 4:00 p. m. yesterday.

— _____, Michael!

— Of course.

A: Hi, Kitty. I went to Beijing with my family in the summer holidays.

B:  

A: It was wonderful! The Chinese were kind to us. We had a good time there.

B:  

A: By plane. It took us 10 hours to get there.

B:  

A: For only six days, because my holidays were too short.

B:  

A: We visited the Tian'anmen Square (广场) and some other places of interest.

B: What was the weather like in Beijing?

A: Oh, it was warm.  

B: It sounds interesting! I want to go to Beijing next summer, too.

    People celebrate Mother's Day in the USA. It's also a holiday in some 1 countries. It is on 2 Sunday in May. It's a day 3 mothers. On this day mothers usually get flowers and cards 4 their children. On the cards children will 5"Thanks, Mom", "To my dearest mother", "Best wishes for Mother's Day" and so on.

    How does the 6 for this holidays come? It was from Miss Anna M. Jarris. She 7in Virginia(弗吉尼亚). Her mother loved her very much. And she loved her mother very much, too. But her mother died(死) 8 she was young. After that, she wrote letters to some important people. In her letters she asked them 9 a day for all mothers. Then the first Mother's Day 10 on the second Sunday in May, 1913 in the USA.

    It was Betty's birthday, December 6th. She received(接收) a letter from her uncle. "Dear Betty," he wrote in his letter, "Happy birthday! I'm sending you some hens(母鸡). They will arrive(到达) the day after tomorrow. I hope you'll like them. Uncle Tony. December 5th."

    Betty was very happy. She likes eating eggs and chicken. "I can keep the hens for their eggs or eat them." She thought.

    When the hens arrived, they were in a box. Betty was very pleased (高兴). She took the box off the truck and began to carry it into her garden, but the box of hens was so heavy that she dropped (掉落) it.

    The box fell on the ground and broke(摔坏). The hens all ran out. They ran here and there. Betty spent hours trying to find them.

    A few days later, her uncle came. He asked, "Did the hens arrive safely(安全地)?" "Yes, but I dropped the box. It broke open and the hens ran everywhere. It took me the whole(整个) morning to look for them." Betty said.

    "Did you find them all?" asked her uncle. "I hope so," Betty answered, "but I only caught (抓到) eleven of them."

    "That's interesting. I only sent you six." her uncle said with a smile.

    Hello, I'm Bill. Do you like school trips?  Now let me tell you some great things about school trips.

    First, school trips can make you relaxed(放松的) and give you a lot of fun.

    Second, you can learn some things different from what you learn in class.  For example, if you go to a zoo, you can learn a lot about animals.

    Third, you can learn to do things by yourself.  When you go out, you need to think about what to wear and what you need to take with you.

    At last, school trips can teach you how to get on with others.  For example, if you go camping in the mountains or have a picnic, you may need to work with each other and help each other. Then you can learn to get on with each other.

— OK, Mom.

A: Hello, Michael!

B: Hello, Kangkang! Can you tell me something about the Lantern Festival?

A: Sure.

B: Well, when is the Lantern Festival?

A:  

B: What do people usually do on this day?

A:  They eat sweet dumplings for good luck.

B: Great!  

A: Yes. People watch lantern shows and guess riddles on lanterns.  

B: How interesting! I learn a lot today. Thank you.

A: You're welcome.

There are many holidays and festivals. Dads have Father's Day. Children have Children's Day. Is there a special day for old people?

Double Ninth Festival is a special day for old people in China. It started long ago. The festival is on lunar September 9th. This year it is on October 13th. On this day, people show love for their grandparents.

People do many different kinds of things on this day. They enjoy flowers, eat special cakes and drink wine(酒).

      It's very interesting. The best way to celebrate it is climbing hills or mountains. People think climbing will bring them good luck and help old people live long lives. Double Ninth Festival is also a good time for a family get-together. And young people give their presents and best wishes to the old.