Andy: Ally, let me ask you a question. If you choose one skill that is important to the success, what is it?

让我问你一个问题。如果你选择一项对成功很重要的技能，那会是什么呢？

Ally: Umm, that is a hard question. There are many important skills to help you succeed. If I can only choose one, that would be public speaking. 

成功需要很多重要技能，但我认为最重要的技能之一是公共演讲。

Andy: Why? 为什么？

Ally: Public speaking is an important way to improve your verbal expression and build your confidence. No matter what job you get in the future, public speaking will give you a big benefit.

演讲是提高语言表达能力和建立信心的重要途径。无论你将来从事什么工作，演讲都会给你带来很大的好处。

I have been practicing my public speaking skills in recent years. That helps me a lot. 这几年我一直在练习演讲，受益不浅。

Andy: That is nice, do you have any tips to help us improve public speaking?

听起来很不错。你有什么小技巧可以帮助我们提高演讲水平吗？

Ally: Yes, here are my top five tips. 有呀，我有五个小窍门。

1. Know your audience. Who are the audience? Are they young children, college students or adults? This information will help you develop your speechthe audience will be interested in.

了解谁是你的听众，他们是小孩，大学生还是成年人？这些信息将会帮助您给出一个让听众感兴趣的演讲。

2. Have a clear structure in your speech. Each speech should have introduction, body and conclusion. 需要有一个清晰的演讲结构。每个演讲都应该有开头，正文和结论。

3. Speak loud enough so your voice can reach everyone in the room. 演讲的声音要足够大，让房间里的每个人都能听到。

4. Maintain good eye contacts during your speech. 在演讲中保持良好的目光接触。

5. Practice and rehearse your speech to gain confidence and be familiar with speech contents. 多练习让自己更加自信并熟悉演讲内容。

Andy: Great tips, I will use those tips when I have to give a speech in public. Thank you! 很棒的小窍门，当我在公共场合演讲时，我会用上这些窍门的。谢谢！

Ally: Winter is over. Now is Springtime! 冬天过去了，春天到了!

Andy: You’re right! There won’t be any more snow. 不会再下雪了。

Ally: In the Spring, flowers start to bloom. 春天里的鲜花要开始生长了。

Andy: Yeah!That’s one of the things the springtime is famous for: their beautiful flowers!是的，春天最美丽的就是这些花朵了。

Ally: Why don’t we introduce one of the special springtime flowers: cherry blossoms! 那我们就来说说春天里的一种特别的花：樱花。

Andy: Sure! It’s the most famous flowers in Washington DC 好的，它是华盛顿最有名的花了。

Cherry Blossoms are Japanese flowers that grow on trees. They come in many different colors,like pink and white. In the year 1912, Japan sent cherry trees to the US to symbolize the friendship between Japan and the US.

樱花是生长在树上的日本花。它们有许多不同的颜色，如粉红色和白色。在1912年，日本送给美国樱桃树，象征着日本和美国之间的友谊。

Every year in the United States there is a National Cherry Blossom Festival held in Washington D.C. Many people from around the country come to Washington D.C. to celebrate and admire the beautiful cherry blossoms in the Spring. There is a very fun parade to honor the cherry blossoms.

每年在美国华盛顿特区都会举办国家樱花节。来自全国各地的许多人来到华盛顿特区庆祝和欣赏春天美丽的樱花，那儿也有一个非常有趣的游行来庆祝樱花节。

Ally: Although these flowers are very symbolic and beautiful, I don’t like them.

虽然这些花非常有象征性和美丽，但我不喜欢它们。

Andy: Why? 为什么

Ally: Because I am allergic to pollen and in the Spring I often feel sick because of the cherry blossoms. 我对花粉过敏，所以樱花花粉经常让我不舒服。

Andy: Really?Maybe you can just enjoy pictures of cherry blossoms. 真的吗？那你就看看樱花照片吧

Ally: That’s a great idea! 好主意。

***欢迎关注Ally和Andy的全英文网站www.brightbookreaders.com。 学习地道英语，提高词汇和阅读水平。

Ally: Andy, are you excited that Christmas is in few days? 圣诞节要到了，你高兴吗？

Andy: Yes, I am excited. What is the best part of Christmas?当然高兴，你最喜欢圣诞节的什么？

Ally: Santa Claus will bring gifts to us. 那一定是圣诞老人给我们送礼物了！Do you know where Santa

put his gifts? 你知道圣诞老人把礼物放在你家什么地方？

Andy: I know. Santa likes to put his gifts under the Christmas tree. 圣诞老人喜欢把礼物放在圣诞树下

Ally: Do you know where Christmas tree comes from? 你知道圣诞树是怎么来的？

Andy: Christmas tree was originated from German in 16th century to celebrate Christianity and today Christmas tree is a symbol for the Christmas. Do you know why we celebrate Christmas? 圣诞树最早来源于十六世纪的德国，是用来庆祝基督教。圣诞树是圣诞节的象征。你知道我们为什么庆祝圣诞节吗？

Ally: Christmas was started 1,000 years ago from the word Christ and was to celebrate the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Today Christmas becomes popular and is celebrated in many parts of world. 圣诞节开始于1000年前的基督这个词，是为了庆祝耶稣的诞生，基督徒认为耶稣是上帝的儿子。今天圣诞节变得流行，并在世界许多地方庆祝。

Andy: That is so cool. Ally, do we want to play some Christmas Trivia Game? 真是太酷了。Ally，我们想玩一些圣诞节趣味问答游戏吗？

Ally: Sure! 好的

-----------------------------------------------

Where does Santa Claus live?圣诞老人住哪儿？

North Pole北极

What type of animals pull Santa's sleigh?什么动物为圣诞老人拉雪橇？

Reindeer 驯鹿

What are Santa's little helpers called?圣诞老人的小助手是谁？

Elves精灵

What Christmas Ballet is the most famous of all?什么圣诞芭蕾是最有名的？

The Nutcracker 胡桃夹子

What should little children leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?

圣诞节前夕，小孩子应该为圣诞老人留下什么？

Cookies and Milk 饼干和牛奶

When Santa got stuck up the chimney what did he begin to shout, according to the popular song? 当圣诞老人卡在烟囱里时，他会喊什么？

You boys and girls won't get any toys if you don't pull me out.

如果你不把我拉出来，你们谁都不会得到任何玩具。

Andy: That is fun. I am looking forward to receiving my gifts from Santa. 这真有意思。我期待收到圣诞老人的礼物。

Ally: You’d better be good and nice to me since Santa only bring gifts to the home of well-behaved children. 你最好对我好点，因为圣诞老人只会把礼物送给乖巧孩子的家。

Andy: You need to be well-behaved too. 你也需要表现得好。

Ally: Andy! It’s almost Halloween!

Andy: Really? Wow, that’s cool!

Ally: Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

Andy: Yeah! And you get to wear a costume and get lots of candyfrom trick-or-treat!

Ally: Let’s introduce some popular Halloween costumes in America!

Andy: Sure!

1.  Witch 巫婆

This is one of the most popular costumes in America. This costumecan be in different colors, but it is mostly black.

2. Mummy 木乃伊

In Ancient Egypt, a mummy was a dead person who could come backto life. To make this costume, people wrap toilet paper around themselves tolook like a mummy.

3. Princess 公主

Many little girls like to wear this costume for Halloween. Some popularprincesses in Halloween are Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White.

4. Police Officer 警官

This costume is very popular among little boys.

Andy: I was a police officer for Halloween three years ago!

Ally: That’s right.  Youlooked great in that the police uniform!

5. Animals 动物

There are many different animals that people dress like forHalloween, like cat, panda, and bear. Animal costumes are cute and fluffy, in alot of colors. Some kids may even paint their faces to look more like an animal!

Ally: Hey Andy, Halloween is coming up. What are you going to bethis year?

Andy: Hmmm. I want to be an elephant! What about you?

Ally: I want to dress like a witch!

Ally: Andy, what are you reading?

Andy: "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling.

Ally: I saw you read this book last night in your bed.

Andy: Yeah, I was trying to finish this book last night, but I got sleepy when I read this book in my bed.

Ally: Sometime reading does make us sleepy. Do you know why?

Andy: Why?

Ally: When you read, your eyes move from the words across the page. Also your brain works hard to interpret the letters your eyes see and converts them into meaningful words, sentences, and paragraphs. As your brain works hard and your eye muscles tire, it's natural that they would need rest, leading to eyes slowly closing and sleep taking over.

Andy: That makes sense.

Ally: When you read, you usually do so in a comfortable location, such as your bed or a favorite chair. When the majority of your body gets into a resting state and you're in a comfortable position, the rest of your muscles often follow suit and a nap can easily ensue.

Andy: That explains why I quickly feel sleepy when I read in my bed.

Ally: It is also because your mind and body are tired and already ready for sleep when you wait until right before bedtime to read.

Andy: What can we do to stay awake while reading?

Ally: Well, there are some tips. First, find a place to read that's comfortable, but not too comfortable. Rather than lying down on your back, sit up in a comfortable chair. Second, use extra lighting to reduce eye strain. Third, make sure that the temperature isn't too hot. Reading in an environment that's too warm can make you sleepy in a hurry.

Andy: Very helpful tips. I will try them next time.

Ally: Great, hope they will work for you!

词汇:

Interpret  （动词）解释，诠释

Convert  (+into)  (动词）转换（成）

Meaningful （形容词）有意义的

Make sense  有道理

Tip （名词) 窍门

Strain (名词）过度疲劳

Temperature （名词）温度

Environment （名词）环境

还有几天就到中秋了，Ally和Andy 今天聊起了中秋节。听听他们说了些什么。

Ally: Andy, how do you say 中秋节in English?

Andy: It’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ally: Do you know when it is this year?

Andy: September 24th

Ally: How do you plan to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Andy: We will eat moon cakes and at night we will go to the backyard to watch the full moon.

Ally: That’s so cool!

Andy:  We will also eat delicious reunion dinner.

Ally: I’m looking forward to it.

词汇:

Mid-Autumn Festival （中秋节，也叫做 "Moon Festival")

festival (节日）

* holiday (假日）

backyard (后院）

full moon (满月，望月）

* crescent (月牙）

moon cake （月饼）

reunion (团圆）

reunion dinner (团圆饭）

look forward to (盼望）

Summer break is over! It is time for school. 暑假结束了！开学了。

Today we will talk about classes that middle schoolers take in America. 今天我们将讨论中学生在美国学习的课程。

In America, middle schoolers can only take seven classes.在美国，中学生只能上七节课。

First, we will tell you classes middle schoolers have to take. 首先，我们个你讲中学生必须上课。

Math 数学

Science 科学

English 英文

Social Studies 社会研究

Physical Education 体育

Besides these five required classes, you can also choose two classes that you want to take.  除了这五个必需的课程，您还可以选择两个课程。

Here are some basic options. 这是一些基本选项。

Language (Spanish, French, or Chinese) 语言（西班牙语，法语或中文）

Engineering 工程

Art 艺术

Acting 演戏

Band or Orchestra 乐队或管弦乐队

Ally: Andy, what is your favorite class?

Andy: Mine is engineering class, what about you?

Ally: Mine is Spanish class. Do you want me to speak some Spanish for you?

Andy: Sure!

Ally: Hola! Me llamo Ally. Como te llamas?

Andy: Wow! You’re so cool! What did that mean?

Ally: It means Hi! My name is Allison. What is your name?

Andy: Now I want to learn Spanish!

Ally: Hope everybody has a good school year!

Andy: Hey, Ally. Did you know American is not the only country that speaks English?

Ally: I know. Britain, Australia, Canada, and many more countries also speak English. 

Andy: Even though these countries also speak English, their accent is a bit different. 

Ally: Oh, I know how to speak in a Britain accent. 

Andy: Prove it. 

Ally: "Would you like some water?"

Andy: Wow!

Ally: They even say things differently. 

Andy: I know some. They say "telly" rather than "TV," "cash point" instead of ATM, "ring someone" than "call someone."

Ally: They really are different. 

Andy: Yeah, I know. 

希望你喜欢我们的节目。 

Andy: Hi, I’m back from China!

Ally: How was your trip in China?

Andy: It was fun. How was your summer?

Ally: I was a volunteer at a Chinese school summer camp.

Andy: Oh, Wow! What did you teach?

Ally: I taught them singing and dancing and I played gameswith them too.

Andy: If you use three words to describe these kids, whatwould they be?

Ally: Creative, energetic, and smart.

Andy: I bet they are fast learners.

Ally: Yes. They are mostly 5-8 years old and they are nativeEnglish speakers, but they learned this Chinese song in a week. It is called “中国.” 你想听吗？

Andy: Great! Let’s hear it.

今天我要介绍一位很有名的美国女歌手，她叫Taylor Swift，在中国被叫做莓莓，她很年轻，漂亮，还非常有才华。

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is 29 now, but she got famous very early. In her first album when she was only 17, her song called "Our Song", made her the youngest person to write and perform a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart. 

In 2008, she wrote the song “Love Story” which was inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but she put a happy ending to the song instead of a tragic ending. I am not a big fan of the song “love story,” but I love another song by her, also released in the same year, “You Belong with Me.” The song won Favorite Song at the Kids’ Choice Awards. 

After that Taylor Swift continued to write many popular songs, but one song really stands out is a song called "Shake It Off." The song was once number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a week. Swift rapped in the song. 

Her more recent song, also a big hit, is “Look What You Made Me Do.” Within one week, the album sold one million copies in the United States. 

Taylor Swift is often described as "America's Sweetheart.” She was included in Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2010 and 2015. She has won many awards and honors. Young people looked up to her because she is pretty, talented and successful. 

Which Taylor Swift Song do you like most?