学进去

Welcome to Our After-school Activities

To Adam, a freshman at senior high school, 1． (go) from junior high school to senior high school is 2． really big challenge. The first week was a little 3． (confuse)．

First, he had to think very carefully about which courses to take. With the help of the school adviser, he chose the 4． (suit) courses. Though Chinese is very difficult, he hopes to be fluent when he 5． (graduate). His adviser recommended he 6． (sign) up for advanced literature because he likes English and he’s good at it.

As for extra­curricular 7． (activity), he tried to join the school football team, but was not accepted because he didn’t play well enough. Adam decided not to quit and find a way to improve 8． his own so that he can make the team next year. He joined a volunteer club to help the homeless in the community.

Adam has to study harder and get used to taking 9． (responsible) for a lot more. He is concerned about keeping up with the other students, but he’ll be well prepared for university 10． whatever else comes in the future.

Have you still remembered what happened when you went to school on the first day? I still remember my interesting first day of school. On that day, I hurried to my science class in the morning and found a seat in the back. I waited there for 15 minutes before the bell rang. The science teacher told us about some class rules. No one talked to me; nor did I talk to anyone else. I was one of those very shy girls. After the science class, I had an English class. I thought it would be boring but it turned out to be very funny. When the classes of the morning ended I went to lunch. I sat outside the dining room with no one to talk to and no food because I was too nervous to join the lunch line. I kept looking around hoping to see someone I knew but I never saw anyone.

Lunch ended and I went to have my art class. I was the first one there and not even my teacher was there yet. So I sat at my desk and started drawing some pictures. I didn’t notice the rest of the class walking in or the girl that was standing behind me till I was surprised by the voice, “So what are you drawing?” It was a girl who had really long hair. She ended up being my best friend and one of the kindest and liveliest girls I know.

In the next class meeting, the teacher asked us to talk about the past holiday. I was glad to make some new friends in the class. The first day of high school was hard for me but I got through it.

Nowadays, children spend less time in the fresh air. Many of them are addicted to a screen either on a computer or a TV— they seem to be living in a virtual world. They have lost touch with nature.

But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kid can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.

Children often need a helping hand from mum and dad. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go.”

So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature’s playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted.”

This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe, like me, it’s made you think about sticking on your boots, getting outdoors and reliving your childhood. There’s no age limit on enjoying yourself!

July Competition - All Better

Cough drops and soup can help you feel better when you’ve caught a cold. So can comfortable blanket, a good book, or just the right game to take your attention away from cough. For this month’s competition, draw a picture of something that helps you feel better when you’re a bit under the weather. The winning entries (参赛作品) will be published in an upcoming issue (期刊) of Ask.

Competition Rules:

1.Your competition entry must be your very own work. Ideas and words should not be copied.

2. Be sure to include your name, age and address on your entry.

3. Only one entry per person, please.

4. If you want your work returned, enclose (附上) a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

5.Your entry must be signed or emailed by a parent or legal guardian (法定监护人), saying it’s your own work and that no one helped you, and that Ask has permission (准许) to publish it in print and online.

6.For informatized. com. on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, see the Privacy Policy page at cricketmedia.com.

7.Email a photo or scan (扫描) of your artwork to: ask @ cricketmedia.com, or mail to: Ask, 1 East Erie Street, Suite 525, PMB4 136. Chicago. IL 6061 1 Entries must be postmarked(盖邮戳) or emailed by July 30, 2022.

8. We will publish the winning entries in an upcoming issue of Ask.

Born in a rural village in Changzhi, Shanxi, Zhang Juncheng has had the spirit of research since he was a child. He has been the best learner among the brothers and sisters and after all the hard work, he finally got to junior high school. He also achieved good results in the high school entrance exam. However, because his family was poor, Zhang could only choose to give up his study and start to work. In order to improve his career development, several years later when a security company in Beijing came to recruit (招聘) people, Zhang signed up and got on the bus to Beijing.

“Before starting the job, you need to train at the security training base for a period of nearly one month, and the distribution (分配) will be determined by the results,“ he said. With a strong belief in mind, Zhang Juncheng devoted himself to training. He won first place in many assessments for his high professional ability. He ranked first among more than 500 people and was eventually assigned (分配) to Peking University.

He valued this hard-won opportunity of working at Peking University and worked hard. His business evaluation was perfect every time. At the same time, he made use of his spare time to learn, often for a few hours a day. What is worth mentioning is that he met the most important person on his learning path, Professor Cao Yan from the English Department, who helped him a lot in English and provided him with precious learning opportunities.

The hard work paid off. After half a year of hard study, he successfully passed the adult college entrance exam and was admitted to the Law Department of Peking University. Three years later, he succeed in obtaining his degree certificate (证书).

Now, he has been teaching in his hometown for more than 20 years, and he has founded a private secondary vocational (职业的) school mainly for rural children. For Zhang Juncheng, who has gone through ups and downs, he understands more about the meaning and importance of continuous learning.