In American schools there is something called Homecoming Day．Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a homecoming game．This can be the most important thing of the year except graduation or commencement(颁授学位电力)day．Students plan Homecoming Day for many weeks before the day．

　　Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school．There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the students．Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after they leave school．

　　During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago．Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school．

　　Everyone soon comes to watch the football game．When the game is half over, the band(乐队)comes onto the field and plays school songs．Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears．All the students vote a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King．It is a great honor to be chosen．

　　Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game．Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming．Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party．For everyone it is a day worth remembering．

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Sports Double-acts

　　They are a phenomenal double act：the brothers Michael and Ralf Schumacher have been among the world’s top Formula 1 drivers for years．Up to now, their roles have been clearly defined：the top place on the winners’ rostrum(领奖台)seemed to be reserved(保留)for the older brother．

　　It’s a problem always being“little Ralf”－even though you have been the bigger one physically for a long time．Always having to drive along behind his successful big brother Michael must be tiring and frustrating(使人沮丧的)－particularly given the overwhelming nature of the control established by Michael Schumacher over recent years．

　　It all began with his first Formula 1 race in Belgium in 1991．Since then, Schumi I has been building a record of success that cannot be overreached．His superiority over his fellow competitors was almost shocking．Michael is the “super-super-superstar”of Formula 1．

　　Although the power relations in the Schumacher household seem to have been settled till now－Michael wins, Ralf races after him－it looks as if the trend is starting to move slowly but clearly in a new direction．The struggle is open for the first time．In the current season, Ralf is indeed at last driving a car that meets the technical requirements and has the class to win the World Championship．

　　At the beginning of August, the brothers, who are now resident in other European countries(to save on their tax bills), will be competing against each other again for the German Grand Prix．The tension is rising, but at the same time it is reassuring to know that whether Michael’s Ferrari or Ralf’s BMW eventually takes the lead： they will be keeping it in the family．

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Halloween

　　History experts say Halloween goes back more than two thousand years to the Celts(凯尔特人)of ancient Britain．October 31 was the Celtic Day of the autumn feast(宗教节日)．On that day, priests(牧师)of the Celtic religion(宗教)prayed that the spirits of the dead would return to their homes for a few hours．The Celts built huge fires to frighten away evil spirits released with the dead on that night．

　　Hundreds of years later, the Roman Catholic(天主教的)Church made November first a day to honor Christian Saints．It was called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day．The day before was called Hallow Eve or Halloween．The name came from the church．But the traditions were closer to the old Celtic beliefs．

　　People from Scotland and Ireland brought these traditions to America．Many people still believed spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October．

　　In the late 19th century, American boys helped the spirits with tricks of their own．On Halloween, they would do things like change street signs or put a wagon on top of a house．

　　American children continue to celebrate Halloween today．Many adults enjoy the holiday as well．They go to holiday parties dressed as ghosts, monsters or famous people from history．

　　Children continue these Halloween traditions by going out to “Trick or Treat”．They dress as frightening creatures or characters from popular movies．They go from house to house asking for candy．They may also ask for money for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(联合国国际儿童急救基金会)．They send the money to UNICEF to help needy children around the world．

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阅读理解

　　Nick was tired of life．Every day was exactly the same．

　　“What I need is a little adventure!”Nick thought as he waited at the bus stop one morning．Nick’s little adventure happened sooner than he had expected．

　　While he was on the bus, reading his newspaper, the man sitting next to him suddenly pushed a large brown envelope in his hands．“Here, take this!”he murmured．Then he stood up and got off the bus before Nick could say a word．

　　Nick sat there holding the envelope．It felt heavy．There were papers inside, or money perhaps．“I’d better hand it over to the police,”he thought．There was a police station close to his office．But as he got off the bus, a man came up to him．He was obviously waiting for something．“He wants the envelope．”Nick thought．Nick began to walk quickly and the man hurried after him．Nick started to run and the man began to run, too．But then, just before he got to the police station, Nick managed to lose the man in the crowds when he entered the police station, the man was no longer in sight．

　　Inside the police station, the envelope was full of money－false money．“Obviously the man made a mistake,”the inspector said,“He thought you were one of the gang!Well, congratulations!”

　　Nick felt like a hero．He could already see his name in all the paper．He could imagine an interview on television!

　　“However,”the inspector went on, interrupting Nick’s daydreams．“I’m afraid I must ask you to keep quiet about this．We’re trying to catch some very clever thieves－and we don’t want them to know that we have some of the money．So you mustn’t say a word to anyone even your boss!Sorry!”

　　“So that’s that!”Nick said to himself on his way to the office．He was over an hour late．“I’ve had my little adventure, but I can’t tell anyone about it．So what’s the point?I’ve even got to make up an excuse to the boss!”

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　　People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June．These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents．They raise their children and educate them to be responsible(有责任感的)citizens．They give love and care．These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers．More mothers now work outside the home．More fathers must help with child care．

　　These two special days are celebrated in many different ways．On Mother’s Day people wear carnations．A red one symbolizes a living mother．A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents．It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地)．On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants．They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day．These are days of fun and good feelings and memories．

　　Another tradition is to give cards and gifts．Children make them in school．Many people make their own presents．These are valued more than the ones bought in stores．It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”．Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays．

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Dear Betty,

　　My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home．I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too．The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes．

　　Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers?Should I arrive on time or a little late?At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use?How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?

　　Yours,

　　Knowing Nothing

　　Dear Knowing Nothing,

　　It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party．Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it．

　　You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late．Don’t get there early．If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them．

　　Try to relax at the dinner table．If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them．If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous．

　　If you like the food, say so．Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness．It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after．

Yours,

Betty

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　　Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day．One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire．According to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of his army．He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join．Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army．

　　A priest(牧师)named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people．Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14．

　　After his death, Valentine was made a saint(圣人)，and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day．It became the custom for lovers to send each other messages on this day．Now Saint Valentine’s Day is a time for people to send one another greetings of many kinds．

　　February 14, Valentine’s Day, is sweethearts’ day, on which people in love with each other express their tender(温柔的)emotions．

　　People sometimes put their love message in a heartshaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(带子)．Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else．Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same：“Will you be my Valentine?”

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　　The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past．The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December．It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals．

　　During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands．Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship．One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turns to show off their wonderful traditional culture．Groups of men in blue and yellow play horn and beat drums as they dance in different designs．On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair：their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance．

　　The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares．The crowd is on its feet for the camel races．Camel and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish line in front of the cheering people．

　　Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace．All the riders run very fast on horseback．Some riders hang off the side of their saddles．Some even ride upside down－their legs and feet straight up in the air－all at full speed．Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses．On and on they went．So fast and so wonderful!

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阅读理解

　　Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday in the United States and Canada．Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing．

　　Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival．

　　This is why it is celebrated in late fall．But one of the first Thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest．On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia．They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic．

　　The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest．The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620．They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel．Many of the Pilgrims died．But the next year, they had a good harvest．So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast．The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast．Everyone brought food．

　　In time, other colonies began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving．But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day．During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it．He proclaimed the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving．Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November．Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbors．But the Canadian Thanksgiving Day falls on the second Monday in October．

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　　Saturday, March 8,2003

　　The First China Wrestling Festival(FCWF)is unveiled in Guilin on Saturday, which continues until March 14．

　　Hosted(主办)by Management Center of Heavy Events under State General Administration and undertaken(承办)by Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangxi Government, this festival constitutes six programs in all, including International a Series competition, International Wrestling Training Camp, International Wrestling Coach Training Program and National ＆ International Referee Promotion Training Program．

　　For the competition part, about 200 players from 14 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Russia, Iran and Chinese Taipei, will compete here．In addition, all participants(参与者)in this festival will amount to 500．

　　According to Tang Jie, deputy mayor of Guilin and executive chief of organizing committee of FCWF, Guilin has a long and illustrious wrestling history, which can be proven by the team champion won by Guangxi wrestling team(then in the charge of Guilin for the moment)in National Wrestling Championship in 1989 and successful host of the 14th Asian Freestyle Wrestling Championship and concurrently Olympic tryout．

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