The plaque nowhangsin my living room. I walk past many times each day and frequently pause to ask myself “So, am I dancing in the rain?”

 I think I am, I know I try to. I’m  (19)  taking time to pause and recognize and be grateful for the blessings that are all around me.

One step  (20)  , I am learning to dance in the rain.  

With celebrations marking the Chinese New Year spreading from the Chinese mainland to nearly all parts of the world in recent years, we have decided to add our own festivities to the event by holding the global online contest Chinese New Year — Just Share it! Chinaculture.org invites you to share your stories, pictures, and videos about Chinese New Year.

Who

Anyone who is interested in Chinese culture and has stories to share about Chinese New Year.

What

Articles, photographs and videos are all welcome, with the theme Chinese New Year in My Eyes. The work must be original (原创的).

·Articles: 800-word limit

·Photographs: Photographs must be in digital format (格式). Images should be no larger than 5MB. Images should be either JPEG or JPG files. The words must be complete, accurate (精确的) and should provide enough details. Watermarks are not acceptable.

·Videos: All videos must be no more than 3 minutes in length and be no larger than 500MB. All videos must be submitted (提交) in MP4 format. There is no restriction on the style of the video.

When

·Submission deadline (截止时间): Jan 27-Mar 5

·Judging period: Mar 6-26

·Award announcement: late March

How

·Please submit your work, or a YouTube link to your video to: contest@ chinadaily. com. cn

·You can also submit your work directly to http: // bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/thread-1329752-1-1.html

Where

Your stories will be posted on China’s most influential English-language Web, Chinadaily.com. cn. Millions of readers will read your stories on the China Daily website and its English BBS.

About the appraisal (评定)

Winners will be selected by a group of experts consisting of cultural scholars, members of the China Photographers Association and foreign experts at China Daily (40%), as well as online votes cast (60%).

Awards and Prizes

3 First Prizes: 3,000 RMB; Certificate of honor

6 Second Prizes: 2,000 RMB; Certificate of honor

18 Third Prizes: 1,000 RMB; Certificate of honor

100 Honorable Mentions: 150 RMB

My 11-year-old son and I ride bikes to and from his school every day. I accompany him on the 20-minute ride through Manhattan, drop him off and return at the end of day to pick him up. We always ride together；sometimes he leads; sometimes I do. And as we ride, we communicate the ways to minimize (使减少）the dangers: Don’t go too fast, and watch out for doors suddenly swinging out from parked cars and jaywalking pedestrians, etc. Some friends worry about the risk of riding in traffic, but is there a better way to let my son know how to deal with traffic dangers?

But recently he requested me to start hanging back a half block or so. This way he could enjoy the feeling of riding on his own, with the security of knowing that I was nearby in case he needed me. This is healthy, of course, as my son needs space to develop independence in preparation for his inevitable (不可避免) departure from home. However, that means soon he will want to ride to school on his own, and I will no longer have this wonderful routine. “Let your children go if you want to keep them.” I understand this and am trying to let my son go in age-appropriate phases, but I still suffer. It’s one of the most troubling experiences of parenthood一recognizing that your presence is becoming less welcome.

My dilemma as a husband mirrors the concern I feel as a parent. My wife has just left on a six-month mission to cover the situation in Libya. In the days leading up to her departure, we spoke openly about the possibility, however unlikely, that she might be killed. But while I influence her decisions, I do not control them. Finally, it was her decision. I know that letting go is the wisest path in this case too.

As we travel through life’s phases, we must let go of so much. And I don’t think it gets easier with practice. But maybe just accepting that eventually we will have to let go is the secret to living a full life.

 Greg Kloehn, an artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. He builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.

  Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her possessions.

  In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.

  Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.

  Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.

  (Some young people are reading an article and talking about it.)

Caroline: It’s really interesting, this article.

Joanne: What’s it about?

         Caroline: The pet food factory in Mansfield Road, you know, the one that smells really bad when you walk past it. Well, it says here in the newspaper that the factory has been polluting the river, too.

 Ash: It’s terrible. Someone should do something about it. Maybe we should do something about it.

Matt: Us? Come on! There is nothing we can do!

Joanne: If everyone thinks so, then soon there will be nothing of our Earth left to enjoy.Of course there’s something we can do.

Matt: Ok.I see.I never realized you were so environmentally-minded.

Ash: Stop! Since when am I like that?

Caroline: Well, let’s not start quarrelling among ourselves. The point is, what are we going to do about this factory?

Joanne: Right.It’s really making the atmosphere dirty.

Ash: So, let’s start to do somehing riht now. Maybe we could put up some banners(横幅)around the factory.

Matt: I like the idea. We could get some cool banners-you know, “Youth Against the Factory!”and things like that.

Ash: If the factory is polluting our air, it needs to be closed.

      Joanne: Well, in fact, I’m not so sure.Read the end of the article. It say, “The owner of the factory has agreed to repair any damage and to stop the pollution.”

Great Britain is an island that lies off the northwest coast of Europe. The nearest country is France which is 20 miles away. Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel. The island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west, and the North Sea, to the east. It includes the main lands of England, Wales and Scotland. Scotland is in the north while Wales is in the west. Ireland, which is also an island, lies off the west coast of Great Britain. It is made up of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Great Britain together with Northern Ireland forms the United Kingdom ( U.K.). So the U.K. is made up of four countries. The largest of these is England which is divided into 43 countries. The capital city is London which is on the river Thames.

B

Why do people travel? Well, many people travel because they want to see other countries and visit places that are famous, interesting or beautiful. People also travel to meet new friends, to try new kind of food, to experience life in other parts of the world or simply to get away from cold weather. Yet there are other reasons why people travel. Many of today’s travelers are looking for an unusual experience and adventure travel is becoming more and more popular. Here is quick look at two popular activities: hiking and rafting.

HIKING

Hiking is a great way to travel. You will get close to nature and take exercise at the same time. Hiking is easy to do and doesn’t have to be very expensive. You can hike close to home or travel to other places. The basic equipment you need for hiking is simple: good shoes, clothes and a backpack. You can hike in the mountains, in a forest or along a river. You can also go for a hike in the city.

Hiking is fun and exciting, but you shouldn’t forget safety. Here are some basic tips for successful hiking: 1. Don’t hike alone. 2. Tell someone where you are going; 3. Bring water and a good map; 4. Watch out for dangers, such as spiders, snakes, or poisonous plants; 5. Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun; Bring a mobile phone if you have one.

RAFTING

Another exciting adventure is rafting. A raft is a small boat that you can use to paddle down rivers and streams. Rafting is a good way to experience nature. If you want a normal rafting trip, choose a quiet stream or river that is wide and has few trees and other dangers . The name “whitewater” comes from the fact that the water in these stream and rivers looks white when it moves quickly.

As with rafting, you should always think about your safety and wear good clothes. You also need to learn the basic skills of rafting, such as how to handle the raft, how to paddle and how to get in and out of the raft. You should not go rafting unless you know how to swim, and you should always wear a life jacket.

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Dear Highlights,

       My sister is always in a bad mood, which gets me in a bad mood. What should I do?

Tessa, Virginia

       It can be hard to be around someone who is in a bad mood. Since you can’t change another person’s mood, try to focus on what you can control: your own mood and reaction.

       You might find it easier to stay in a good mood if you leave your sister alone when she feels grumpy (脾气暴躁的). The next time she is in a bad mood, go to a quiet place in your house. Read, exercise, draw, listen to music — do something that makes you feel happy.

       Your parents might have some good suggestions for you, too.

Dear Highlights,

       I play soccer, but sometimes I play badly. How can I do better?

Jarom, Utah

       To be good at anything, determination and practice are important. Listen closely to your coach, watch other players, then practice, practice, practice! Professional athletes continue to practice their sports each day, knowing that if they start to get lazy, they won’t keep or develop their skills.

       In addition to practicing with teammates, you can work on drills on your own.

       Learning more about the sport may help too. Your coach can likely direct you to some good resources on skills development.

Dear Highlights,

       I was moved up a grade a few years ago. Now, almost everyone in my previous grade asks me why. It wouldn’t be a problem, except some boys ask over and over just to be annoying. What do I do?

Allison (by e-mail)

       If you’re sure that they are trying to be annoying, you might respond with something humorous. For example, you could say something like “They told me that the lunch lines would be shorter.” Use the situation to turn annoying questions into something to laugh about.

  Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant, and its owner did not know what to do. The price was reasonable and the food was of good quality, but nobody seemed to want to eat there.

    Then he did something that changed all that, and in a few weeks his restaurant is always full of men with their lady friends. Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady, a smiling waiter gave each of them a menu, The menu looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an important difference inside. The menu that the waiter gave to the man supplied the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine. while the menu that he gave to the lady supplied a much higher price! So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was much more generous than he really was.