ACouchPotato

WhenIwakeupIdon’tgetupimmediately.Iturnonthetelevisionandwatchthechildren’sprogrammesandoldmoviesuntilabouthaft-pastten.ThenIgetup,godownstairsandswitchontheTVinthelivingroom.Forlunch,Ihavebiscuitsandaglassofmilk,andIwatchthenews.Intheafternoon,Ioftenwatchanotheroldfilm—they’reshowingsomegoodonesatthemoment.Intheevenings,IoftenwatchTVseriesorsportandthenewsagain.Ilikethemainnewsatsixo’clock.Atninethirty,ifthereisagoodplayonBBC2,Iswitchoverandwatchit.Thenatnight,IwatchmorefilmsandIusuallyswitchofftheTVatabouttwoo’clock.IneverwatchTVallnight.

IwatchTVforsixteenorseventeenhoursaday.Ialsodosomeexerciseeveryday.ItakeTina,thedog,forawalkeveryafternoon.Idon’tgofar,ofcourse.Iwalktothewalloutsidemyhouse.IalwaystakemyportableTVandIsitonthestonewallwhilethedogwalksroundinacircle.

Ofcourse,Icouldn’tlivethislifestylewithoutagoodwife.She’snotherenowbecauseshe’sworking,butshealwaysmakesmymeals.Wehaven’tgotmuchmoney,youknow,butwe’rehappy.SitdownandwatchTV.Here’stheremotecontrol.You’vegottheworldatyourfeet.Andinyourhand.Great!

AWorkaholic

Inormallywakeupaboutfiveminutesbeforemyalarmclockgoesoff.AssoonasIhearmyalarmclock,Ijumpoutofmybed.Ittakesmelessthanfifteenminutestowash,getchanged,havebreakfast,leavehomeandgetonabus.

Iamalwaysthefirstpersontogettotheoffice.Themorningsarealwaysverybusyandtheafternoonsareevenbusier!Meetingsandphonecallstakeupalargepartoftheday.Everyminuteofthedayisfilledwithurgentmatters.Byaroundeighto’clock,Iusuallyfindsometimetodomyownpaperworkandanswersomepersonale-mails.

WhenIgethomeataboutten,IlookatsomedocumentsthatIbringbackfromtheofficesothatIcanbereadyforthenextday’swork.Igettobedaroundmidnightwhenmywifeandchildrenarealreadyasleep.

Iseldomhavetimeforfunandotheractivitieswithmyfamily.Myfamilycomplainsaboutit.ButItrytoworkhardsothatIcanmakemoremoneyforthem.Besides,Igetboredifthere’snothingtodo.Ilikebeingbusy.

Cityandcountry

DebbieisanaccountantinalargecompanyinthecentreofLondon.

Ineedtobeinmyofficebynineo’clocksoIusuallygetupatseveno’clock.Itraveltoworkon“thetube”.That’swhatpeoplecalltheundergroundinLondon.Ittakesaboutfiftyminutes.Usually,it’ssocrowdedthatIcan’tfindanywheretosit.Ijuststand.I’malwaystiredbeforeIarriveatwork.Idon’tliketheunderground!

Ispendallmorningcheckingnumbers.Lunchisalwayssimple.IoftengetasandwichinanearbysandwichshoporIjusthavesomebiscuitsandacupofcoffee.Thenintheafternoon,Ireturntothepaperworkintheoffice.

OnMondaynights,Ihavedanceclasses,andonWednesdaynights,Igotothegym.IneedtodothatbecauseIdon’tgetenoughexerciseotherwise.OnTuesdayandThursdaynights,IhaveFrenchclasses.IworkforaFrenchcompanysoIthinkstudyingFrenchwillhelpmeinmyjob.

Igotothecinemaalmosteveryweekend.Sometimes,iftheweatherforecastisgood,myfriendsandIdrivetothecountrysideforaweekendbreak.Weliketovisitnice,quietplacesfarawayfromthecityandgowalkingwheretherearenoshops,crowdsorthetube.Thatfreshairissogoodformylungs.Iloveit.

PaullivesinasmallvillageinthenorthofEngland.

Iusuallygetupatfouro’clockeverymorningwhenit’sstilldark.IliveandworkonthefarmsoIdon’tneedtotravel.Afterabigbreakfastinmyhouse,IwalkoutofthefrontdoorandI’malreadyatwork.

Therearemanythingstodoonthefarmallday.Wedon’thavethesameworkhoursthatofficeworkersinthecityhave.Wedojobswhentheyneedtobedoneandthatcouldbeearlyinthemorningorlateatnight.Ihavecows,sheep,pigsandchickensonmyfarm.Ihavetomakesuretheyarefreeofsickness.Ialsogrowwheatandvegetablessotherearemanythingstolookafter.

Intheevening,Iliketoplaywithmychildren.Ihavetwochildren,aboyandagirl.Theyaresixandeightyearsold.Ialsoliketostudy.RightnowIamstudyingChinesebydistancelearning.IamveryinterestedinChinaandit’smydreamtoseetheGreatWalloneday.

Ilovemovies.Mywifecallsmea“moviefan”.Butthereisn’tacinemainmyvillagesoIdon’tgetthechancetogoveryoften.Igoabouttwiceayear,usuallywhenIgotoLondonwithmyfamily.WetakeaweekendbreaktherewhenIamnottoobusyonthefarm.MywifeloveslookingintheclothesshopsandIlikeallthecrowdsandthenoise.Ialsoliketobuyafewcigars.Unfortunately,mywifeisn’tasfondofthemasIam.MysonanddaughterlovetorideonLondon’sredbusesandtheyespeciallylovetogoonthetube!

EnglishTeaAndCoffeeCulture

OnethingthatBritishandChineseculturesshareisaloveforfinetea.Today,whenwethinkofWesternteaculture,weoftenthinkoftheEnglishandbeautifulchinateacups.

AfternoonTea

PeoplebelievethatanEnglishduchess,Anna,the7thDuchessofBedford(1788-1861)firstintroducedtheideaofafternoontea.Inthe18thand19thcenturies,theEnglishateonlytwomainmealseachdaybreakfastandaheavysupperthatwouldlastforseveralhoursintheevening.Asaresult,peopleoftengotveryhungryduringthelongwaitbetweenthesetwomeals.Tosolvethisproblem,theDuchesscameupwiththecleverideaofinvitingsomefriendstojoinherforanafternoonmealbetweenfourandfiveo’clock.Thismealincludedcakesandsandwiches,andteawasservedtowashdownthefood.Inordertomakethisafternoonmealimportant,finechinacupsandplates,andsilverteapots,knives,forksandspoonswereused.Soon,afternoonteapartiesbecamepopularsocialoccasions.Today,afternoonteapartiescontinuetoplayanimportantpartinthesociallifeofwealthypeopleinmodernBritain.

Willyoucomeforcoffee?

CoffeealsohasanimportantroleinBritishculture.Peopleoftenusethewords“Willyoucomeforcoffee?”tomean“Wouldyouliketocometomyhomeforachat?”Normally,severaldifferentdrinkssuchastea,hotchocolateorasoftdrinklikeorangejuicewillbeservedaswellascoffee,andyouwillbeaskedwhatyouwouldlike.However,youwillnotnormallybeofferedwineata“coffee”party.

CoffeehousesandtheLondonStockExchange

Inthe17thcenturyLondon,coffeehouseswerebusy,noisyplaces.Merchantsandbankerswenttocoffeehousestodotheirbusiness,aswellastodrinkcoffee.Infact,theLondonStockExchangeisbelievedtohavestartedfromthesecoffeehouses.

Toofarawayfromitall?

AnewTVseriesinEngland,Awayfromitall,hassurprisedeveryonebybecomingahugesuccesswithyoungpeopleacrossthecountry.Itssuccessissurprisingbecausethemaincharacterintheseriesisashepherd,andtheseriesisabouttherelaxinglifestylesofpeoplewholiveinthecountry.ThereisnoneoftheactionthatweusuallyseeonTVtoday.Therearealsonostressfulmoments,busyofficesorcrowdedcities.AwayfromitallissetinthepeacefulEnglishcountrysideandtellssimplestoriesaboutpeople’skindness.

ThedirectoroftheTVseriessaysthatitssuccessisasignofteenagerssufferingfromstress.TheysaythatwatchingAwayfromitallhelpsteenagersforgetaboutthepressuresofexamsandhomework,andthetroublesthatfilltheworldtoday.Theyalsosaythatit’sagoodsignoftoday’syoungpeopleswitchingtohappierTVseriesasitshowstheywouldlikeahappierandhealthierworld.

Althoughtheseries’successmighthaveagoodside,manyteachersandparentsareworried,however.TheysaythatsomeoftheirstudentsandchildrenarebecomingcouchpotatoesandareusingAwayfromitallasanexcusefornotcompletinghomework.Somechildrenhaveevenrefusedtolearnforexamsbecausetheysaythattheycanonlyachievepersonalhappinessbyavoidingstressfulsituationscompletely.

Onemother,LucyLinney,talksabouthersonPatrick.“BeforehestartedwatchingAwayfromitallhelovedchallengesanddidvolunteerworkeveryafternoon.Butnowhehasbecomeacouchpotato.HeswitchesonTVwhenhegetshomefromschoolandonlyswitchesitoffwhenhegoestobedatmidnight.Hisgradeshavedroppedandhenolongervolunteersbuthesaysitdoesn’tmatterashewantshislifeto‘getawayfromitall’.”

Andwhatdotheexpertssay?PaulaRay,adoctorofeducation,saysthatTVcaninfluencechildren’slifestyles.ButshesaysthatifachildreactsasstronglyasPatrick,it’slikelythatthereareotherreasonsforhischangeinbehaviour.ShesaysthatthereisnothingwrongwithwatchingAwayfromitallbutsuggeststhatparentsshouldmakesuretheirchildrenknowTVisnotthesameasreallife.

NationalHero

China’sfirstmannedspaceshipliftedoffat9a.m.onWednesday,October15th,2003inJiuquan,GansuProvince.Thespaceship,calledShenzhouV,wascarryingChina’sfirstastronaut,YangLiwei.Yang,whowasapilotinthearmy,waschosenfrom1,500otherarmypilotsandstartedtrainingforhisspaceflightin1998.

Thelaunchwasverysuccessful.“Whenthespaceshipwasliftingoff,Icouldreallyfeelthehighgravity”,saidYangLiwei.“Whenthespaceshipseparatedfromtherocket,Isuddenlygotafeelingofsoaringintotheskybecauseofthezerogravity.”

Duringthe21-hourspaceflight,theShenzhouVcircledtheearth14times.Whilethespaceshipwascirclingtheearthforthesixthtime,YangLiweispokewithgroundcontrolinGansu.Hewasalsoabletospeakwithhiswifeand8-year-oldson.YangLiweihadseveraltaskstocompleteduringtheflightandonlysleptinthespaceshipforabout3hours.Whilehewassleeping,thespaceshipcircledtheearthtwice.

Whenthespaceshipwasdoingitsseventhcircle,YangLiweishowedtheflagsofChinaandtheUnitedNations,expressingthewishesoftheChinesepeopletoexploreandusespacepeacefully.

At6:23a.m.onOctober16th,YangLiweilandedinInnerMongoliasafely.Hetoldreporterslater,“Thesurfaceofthespaceshipwasglowingredwhenitcamebackintotheearth’satmosphere.WhenShenzhouVletoutitsparachute,Ifelttheshipwasshaking.”AsYangLiweireturnedintotheearth’satmosphere,helicopterswereflyingtowherehewouldland,readytocollecthim.

MillionsofpeoplealloverChinawerewatchingTVwhenthespaceshiplandedsafely.WhenYangLiweiclimbedoutofthespaceship,hesmiledandwavedtothecrowdswaitingforhim.YangLiweiwashappytobehomebuthesaid,“Ithought21hourswastooshorttostayinspace.”

SportsStars

VENUSANDSERENAWILLIAMSaresisters.Theyarealsobothtennischampionswhooftenhavetoplayeachother:Venusisnoweleventhintheworld,andheryoungersisterSerenahasmoveduptothird.

ThetwosisterswereborninapooranddangerousareaofCalifornia.Itwasfullofdrugsandviolence,inarecentinterview,VenusspokeaboutthetimewhensheandSerenawerepractisingtennisandtheyhadtorunandhideasbulletsstartedflyingthroughtheair.Finally,in1991,thesistersandtheirfamilymovedtoasaferareaandsincethentheyhaveneverlookedback.

Thesisters’father,Richard,startedtotrainVenusandSerenawhentheywereyoungchildren.Hehasalwaysbeenverystrictwithhisdaughters,trainingthemhardtocompeteagainsteachother.Brandi,thesisters’mother,taughtherdaughtersathomesothattheycompletedtheirhighschoolwhiledevelopingtheirtenniscareers.Today,bothsistersarestudyingdesignatcollege.Theyhavealreadyexpressedakeeninterestinworkingindesignaftertheirtenniscareerscometoanend.

Thesisters’roadtosuccesshasbeenamazing.ThefirsttimeVenusplayedinabigeventwasin1996.Sincethen,shehaswonWimbledonandtheUSOpentwice.Serenahascontinuedtoimproveandmakefantasticprogress.In1999and2002,shewontheUSOpen,andin2002and2003,shewasthewomen’ssingleschampionatWimbledon.Hastennisevercausedproblemsbetweenthesisters?Fortunately,no.“We’veplayedeachotherbeforeandithasn’tworriedusyet!”saysVenus.“Ifshewins,”Serenajokes,“Mamasaysshehastodothedishes!”

ChristopherReeve

1、ChristopherReevewasborninSeptember,1952.HewasinhisfirstschoolplaywhenhewaseightandhestartedtoactinTVshowsandfilmswhilehewasstillincollege.HemademanysuccessfulfilmsandTVshowsbutheismostfamousforhisSupermanfilms.

2、Unfortunately,disastercamein1995whenhefellfromhishorseandbrokehisback.Thedoctorsdidnotexpecthimtolive.However,hemadeamazingprogress.Atfirst,hecouldn’tbreathewithoutamachine,buthelearnttobreatheonhisown.Hewouldneverwalkagainbuthestartedanewlifewithgreatcourage.

3、Thesecondyearafterhisaccident,Christopherreturnedtofilmmaking.Healsoraisedalotofmoneytopromotemedicalresearchintobackinjuries.HemadespeechesallovertheUSAabouthisexperiences.Thisnotonlydrewpublicattentiontoresearchintobackinjuriesbutalsoencouragedalotofpeoplelivingwithallkindsofproblems.Fromtheirhome,ChristopherandhiswifeDanaspokeabouttheirlifeaftertheaccident.

4、Haveyouthoughtofgivingupaftertheaccident?

“No.Fourdaysaftertheinjury,Icametounderstandmysituation.MywifeDanaandIwereinthehospital.ThedoctorsaidIwasnotgoingtopullthrough.Danasaid:‘Butyou’restillyou,andIloveyou.’Andthatsavedmylife.SincethatmomentIhaveneverthoughtofgivingup.Ofcourse,I’vehadmomentsoffeelingsorryformyself,butI’veneverhadanythoughtsofcommittingsuicide.”

5、Didyouthinkthatyourmarriagewassostrong?

“Yes,becauseDana’ssowonderful.Wehavealwaysgotonreallywell.Ourrelationshiphasalwaysbeenfantastic.”

6、Howdidyourparentsreacttotheaccident?

“TheydivorcedwhenIwasfour.They’vegotclosersincetheaccident.”

7、Howdidyougetinvolvedwithcharitywork?

“Iknowalotofdisabledpeopleneedmyhelp.

ThisishowIgotinvolvedwithmycharityworktoimprovethequalityoflifeforalldisabledpeople.”

8、”Withtheprogressofnewmedicalresearch,I’mconfidentthatpeoplelikemewouldbeabletowalkagainoneday.Soyoucansee,I’mfartoobusywithlivingtothinkofgivingup!”

9、ChristopherReevediedonOctober10,2004.Butpeopleallovertheworldwillalwaysrememberhimasasuperhero.

SpaceHeroes

Inthecourseofspaceexploration,434astronautshavemadethejourneyintospace.Menandwomenfromnationsallovertheworldhavestudied,trainedandworkedhardinordertogointospace.Yet,itisnotajobwithoutriskand20ofthosepeoplehavediedwhileinspaceorinspaceprogrammetraining.

YuriGagarin

OnApril12,1961,RussianastronautYuriGagarinbecamethefirstpersoninspace.HediedonlysevenyearslateronMarch27,1968inanaircrashduringatrainingsessionintheEastofMoscow.

GregoryJarvis.RonaldMcNair,FrancisScobee,MichaelSmith,JudithResnik,EllisonOnizuka,SharonMcAuliffe

OnJanuary28,1986,thesesevenAmericanastronauts(fivemenandtwowomen)diedwhenthespaceshuttleChallengerexplodedsoonafterlaunching.AmongthemwasSharonMacAuliffe,ahighschoolteacher,whowastobethefirstteacherinspace.MillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldandmanystudentsinprimaryandsecondaryschoolssawthetragedyonTV.

ChawlaKalpana(USA),RickHusband(USA),WilhiamMcCool(USA).MichaelAnderson(USA),DavidBrown(USA),LaurelClark(USA),HanRamon(Israel)

OnFebruary1,2003,16minutesbeforelanding,thespaceshuttleColumbiaexploded.Thefivemenandtwowomencrew,whichincludedthefirstIndianbornwomaninspaceaswellasIsrael’sfirstastronaut,alldied.

HereispartofUSPresidentRonaldReagan’sspeechafterthe1986Challengerdisaster:

“Forthefamiliesoftheseven,wecannotbear,asyoudo,thefullimpactofthistragedy.Butwefeeltheloss,andwe’rethinkingaboutyousoverymuch.Yourlovedonesweredaringandbrave,andtheyhadthatspecialgrace,thatspecialspiritthatsays,‘GivemeachallengeandI’llmeetitwithjoy.’Theyhadahungertoexploretheuniverseanddiscoveritstruths.Theywishedtoserve,andtheydid.Theyservedallofus.”

Spiderman-aherojustlikeyouandme

Spidermanisoneofthemostfamouscomicbookheroesofalltime.HewascreatedbyStanLeein1963andwasfirstintroducedtotheworldinthepagesofMarvelcomicbooks.Atthattime,Marvelwasasmallcompanyanditscompetitionwasabigcompanywho’dcreatedSuperman.ButSpidermanwasaherothatpeoplelikedbecausehehadproblemsjustliketheydid.Hewasasuperhero,butpeoplesawhimasoneofthem.ThesuccessoftheSpidermancomicsmeantthatMarvelwassoonthebiggestcartooncompanyintheworld.

Spiderman’sstoryisthestoryofPeterParker,achildwholosthisparentsandliveswithhisauntanduncle.Peterisashy,quietboywearingglassesandhasfewfriends.Oneday,onahighschoolclasstriptoasciencelab,hegetsbittenbyaspecialspider.SoonPeterrealiseshehasamazingpowers:heisasstrongandquickasaspiderandalsohasatypeofsixthsense.Henolongerneedshisglassesandhecanusehissuperpowertoflythroughthecitystreets!RememberingsomethinghisUncleBenhadtoldhim,that“withgreatpower,theremustalsocomegreatresponsibility,”Peterdecidestousehispowerstofightenemieswhodocruelthingstopeople.Andso,Spidermanisborn.

LifeisnoteasyforPetereventhoughheisasuperhero.HeisinlovewithMaryJanebutcannottellherabouthisamazingpowers.Besides,hisbestfriendHarryhatesSpiderman!Peterisalsoshortofmoneyandtime.HehastosellphotographsofSpiderman(himself!)toanewspaperandhekeepslosinghisotherjobsbecausehe’ssobusysavingpeople!Yethehastofightdifferentkindsofcruelenemies.

Theworld’sloveforSpidermanwasshownin2002andagainin2004,whenSpidermanandSpiderman2becametwoofthemostwatchedmoviesofalltime.Andit’sunlikelythatthingswillchange.Allinall,peopleloveSpidermanbecausehestruggleswith,andsolvesproblemsjustliketheydo.WithaneverydayherolikePeterParker,Spiderman3willnodoubtbeahugesuccesstoo.

Festivals

Autumn

EveryyearinSeptemberorOctober,theMid-AutumnFestivaliscelebratedbytheChinesepeopleallovertheworld.Onthisday,themoonissaidtobeitsbiggestandbrightest.Peopleliketomeetintheeveningandwatchthemoon.

TheMid-AutumnFestivalisimportantbecauseitisaspecialoccasionforfamily.Itisalsoadayforspecialfoodslikemooncakes.Thereareallkindsofmooncakes.Traditionalmooncakesareusuallymadewithbeanpaste,butnowadays,therearemanydifferentkindsofmooncakesincludingfruit,coffee,chocolateandevenice-creammooncakes.

Winter

TheLanternFestivalfallsonthefifteenthdayofthefirstlunarmonth.ItmarkstheendoftheChineseNewYearcelebrations.

TherearemanystoriesabouthowtheLanternFestivalstarted.Inonestory,lanternswerelittocelebratethepoweroflightoverdarkness.Inanotherstory,atownwasalmostdestroyedbutthelightfrommanylanternssavedit.Thestorywasaboutagodwhowantedtoburndownthetown.Hewasfooledwhenhesawthousandsoflanterns.Hethoughtthetownwasalreadyburning.

Inthepast,lanternswereusuallylitbycandlesanddecoratedwithpicturesofbirds,animalsandflowers,etc.Nowadays,mostlanternsaremadewithlightbulbsandbatteries,andtheycomeinmanyshapesandsizes.Inthenorth-easternpartofChina,thereareevenicelanterns.

ThespecialfoodfortheLanternFestivalisthesweetdumpling.Sweetdumplingsareboiledandservedinhotwater.

Summer

TheDragonBoatFestivalfallsonthefifthdayofthefifthmonthofthelunaryear.Asitisinearlysummer,itmarksthebeginningofthehottestseasonoftheyear.

ThetraditionoftheDragonBoatFestivalstartedmorethan2,000yearsago.Intheolddays,dragonboatraceswereorganisedonlybyChinesepeople.However,inrecentyears,peoplefromothercultureshavealsotakenpartintheracesandenjoyedthefun.

Thereisaspecialfoodforthefestival.Itiscalledzongzi,whichisstickyriceinfreshbambooleaves.

WeddingsinIndonesia

Ifafriendgetsaninvitationtoawedding,youcangowithhim/her,evenifyoudon’treceiveaninvitationyourself.

Thetimesoftheweddingceremonyandthereceptionarebothontheinvitation.However,yououghtnottogototheceremonybecauseitisonlyforclosefamily.Ifyoureallywanttoseeit,yououghttoaskfirst.Everyonecanattendthereceptionafterwards.

Nowadays,Indonesianwomendon’thavetocovertheirheads,buttheyusuallyweartraditionalclothes.

Thereisaboxattheentrancetothereceptionandyououghttoputmoneyintoit!Butdon’tworry,youdon’thavetocontributealotofmoney.

Andrememberatmostweddingreceptionsyoucan’tdrinkalcohol.

GreekWeddings

OnthedayofaGreekweddingceremony,thebridegroomhastoaskthebride’sfatherforhisdaughter’shandinmarriage.Thebridegroom’sbestmanthengoeswiththecoupletothechurch,tobemarried.

Duringthechurchceremony,thebestmanshouldhelpputcrownsmadeofflowersontheheadsofthebrideandbridegroom.Alongsilkribbonthatlinksthecrownsisasymbolofalongandhappylifeforthecouple.

Aftertheceremony,theguestscanattendaweddingreception,whichisusuallyahugepartyandcanlastthroughthenight.Thereisalotofeating,drinkinganddancing,includingthefamousGreekcircledance,whereeveryonejoinsin.Duringthereception,guestscanthrowdishesonthefloorandputmoneyonthebride’sweddingdressforgoodluck.

MemoriesofChristmas

Forme,Christmasalwaysbeganinthemiddleofthecold,windymonthofNovember.Mysister,Alison,andIsatdowninfrontofthefireandwrotealettertoFatherChristmastellinghimaboutallthepresentswewanted.Weseriouslywrote“FatherChristmas,theNorthPole”ontheenvelope,beforegivingthemtoourmothertopost.

WithDecemberourexcitementgreweachdayasweopenedtheNewYearcalendar,Christmascardsarrivedinthepost,Christmaslightsappearedinthestreets,andweattendedthetowncarolservice.Andofcourse,therewassnoweverywhere.Enoughsnowtomakesnowmen,and10tohaveexcitingsnowballfightsintheschoolplayground.

OnChristmasEve,thewholefamilyhelpedto”decoratethehouse,putuptheChristmastree,thedecorationsandtheballoons.Then,intheafternoon,whenAuntieKathleenandmytwocousinsarrived,everythingwasready.Beforewewenttobed,weleftsomewineandbiscuitsforFatherChristmasandthenputourstockingsattheendofourbeds.WetriedtostayawakeaslongaspossibletoseeFatherChristmasbutthenextthingweknewitwasmorning.Christmasmorning!

Atthebottomofthebedwasthestocking,nowfullofallkindsofsmallpresentsandsweets.Christmasmorningwasbrightandsunnyand,afterchurch,mycousinDavidandIwentoutintothegardentoplaywithournewpresents.Lunchwasalwayslate,butwhatalunch!AbigturkeywithallthevegetablesfollowedbyChristmaspudding.Iliketurkeybreastthebest.Iputsomuchfoodinmymouthsometimesthatitwashardtoswallow.WesangChristmascarolshappily,laughedatjokes,putonsillypaperhatsandlaughedagain.

Afterlunch,theadultssleptonthesofasinfrontoftheQueen’sspeechontelevisionwhileweallplayedcards.ThenwehadteawithahugeChristmascakecoveredwithsnowmen.Itdidn’tseempossible,butwecarriedoneating.Bybedtimeallofthechildrenwereverytired.Assoonasweturnedoffthelight,weallfellintoadeep,happysleep.

HappyHalloween!

HalloweeniscelebratedbyWesterncultureseveryyearonthenightof31October.Butdidyouknowthatitisoneoftheoldestinhistory?

Over2000yearsago,peopleknownastheCeltslivedinNorthernEurope.Theyworshippedthesungodandbelievedthegodmadetheircropsgrow.Onthenightof31October,aftertheircropshadbeenharvestedandstoredforwinter,theCeltsbegana3-dayNewYearholiday.Duringthistime,theyofferedcropsanddeadanimalstothankthegodanddancedincostumesmadefromanimalheadsandskin.

Later,whentheRomansinvadedEurope,theyadoptedtheCelts’NewYearcustomsandusedthemintheirownfestivals.After835AD,theCatholicChurchinEuropeinventedaholidayon1November,