Basic Reading — 第13冊

🔊The Sihu Senior High School Parent Teacher Association recently elected a new president. An inauguration ceremony was held to officially swear in the new president. The Chinese name for this ceremony is 交接典禮, which literally translated means passing-it-on. In other words, the old president passes the torch to the new one.

🔊Members of the PTA signed an attendance sheet at the door. This is a formality that takes place before all PTA gatherings so that there is documentation of who is present. The secretary of the group, who is most likely a volunteer, usually looks after these records.

🔊Once signed in, members were then asked to pin red ribbons to their shirts or jackets. Mr.Wu had difficulty attaching the pin to his lapel, so he asked Mary for assistance. She opened the lapel, carefully stuck the pin through it and then put the clasp on.

🔊When the new president was formally sworn in, a handshake from the former president made it official. He was then presented with flowers and gifts from the PTA to congratulate him. To finish everything off, he gave a short speech to thank everyone for their support.

🔊Look at the children stretching. They bend and stretch to make themselves more flexible. Stretching before any exercise is a good idea. It reduces the chances of injury.

🔊In dance class, flexibility is very important, so stretching is a must. The more flexible you are, the more dance moves you can do. The more dance moves you can do, the better a dancer you are. But it is also important to stretching exercises properly, or you could hurt yourself.

🔊First, their teacher shows them how to do each stretching exercise. Then the students try it. She watches to see that they do it right. If a student is doing something wrong, the teacher can help him or her out.

🔊In the stretching exercise in the picture, the students lie on their stomachs and try to lean back as far as they can while bending their legs at the knees. Some of the girls are so flexible that they can touch the back of their heads with their toes. The teacher helps one boy to stretch way back. Hopefully she doesn’t break the boy in half!

🔊I get very excited every year when it is time to set up and decorate the Christmas tree. This year was even more special because Mom decided to throw out the old tree and buy a new one. We had been using that old tree for more than five years and it was starting to look a little worn-out.

🔊My parents don't believe in using real trees. They think it is very wasteful to chop down a healthy tree that is just going to be used for a few days and then be thrown out. That is why we have an artificial one. If you ask me, they look just as good anyway.

🔊The store we went to had lots of Christmas decorations. I swear that they had enough tinsel and garland to make Jay Chou jealous. There were hundreds of tree ornaments there, as well. Some of them were the pretty glass ones that I like, but Mom opted for the cheap plastic kind because my cat would probably just break anything that was too fragile anyway.

🔊Most of the ornaments came in packs of six or eight. I wanted to get blue and yellow ones, but my mom wanted green and red. Because we couldn’t agree on the colors for the tree, we picked up 4 variety packs.

🔊We didn't have to buy new lights this year, but we still looked at them anyway. I wished that we would buy new ones so that I wouldn’t have to untangle the old strands like I do every year. And ours don't blink either, like some of the new fancier ones that make the tree look like it is sparkling. Oh well, maybe next year.

🔊Yesterday there was a track meet at my school. I didn't take part in any of the events or the opening ceremonies, but I still enjoyed watching everything. Even though I am not really into track and field, at least I didn’t have to go to class for the day.

🔊The opening ceremony seemed quite official. It was almost like watching a real Olympic ceremony. A flag bearer led each class’s athletes onto the field. The procession marched once around the track, smiling and waving to the crowd.

🔊After one loop around the track, each class lined up behind their respective leaders and flag bearers. It was all done in a very militant style. I was surprised to see that even some of my unruly classmates were capable of standing so still and being so quiet for more than ten seconds.

🔊Once everyone was standing in place, six cheerleaders ushered out the school flag. They marched once around the track in their knee-high boots and short skirts. They must have done their job because the whole crowd cheered as they passed.

🔊All in all, it was pretty impressive that a bunch of my schoolmates could put together such a wonderful opening ceremony. Maybe they are more organized than they seem. They certainly did a better job than I would have believed.

🔊Jack and Jill are playing with the pumps in the park. Not so long ago, everyone had to use pumps to get water out of the ground. This was before electric pumps.

🔊I can remember filling the water trough for Grandma's cows by hand. It took a long time to fill the very large trough. It had to be done two times a day because the cows drank a lot. If it was really hot out, then it had to be done even more often because the cows would drink even more water. It was hard work, but it made me a strong boy.

🔊When my mother was a girl, her and her family had to pump their own water for everything. If you wanted to take a drink you had to pump. If you wanted to wash your clothes, you had to pump. If you wanted to take a bath, you had to pump. Not to mention all the water they had to pump and haul by hand for the farm animals. Pump, pump, pump, all day long. Imagine having to pump water every time you turn on the tap!

🔊Jack and Jill find it fun to pull on the long handle and to watch the water come out of the spout. It splashes on the ground as they giggle and dance about. They are having the time of their lives, but I am sure that it would not be so much fun if they had to do it every day like my mother’s family did.

🔊This is my friend's son. His name is Brendan. Brendan is 3 years old. He has very blonde hair that is almost white. He always smiles and has very good manners. He is a good boy.

🔊Brendan loves to go ice skating. It is his favorite thing to do in the winter. Sometimes he skates at the hockey arena, but usually he skates on a pond near his home.

🔊Before he goes out, his mother always dresses him in winter clothes. They help to keep him warm even when it is cold outside. First, she puts long underwear and an undershirt on him. Then she puts on his pants and a warm sweater. Next she puts his ski pants and a winter jacket over the other clothes. Finally, she wraps a scarf around his neck, puts a toque on his head and pulls on his mittens. He is now ready to go.

🔊The skates are put on when they get to the pond, as is the helmet. Brendan is too young to put his skates on by himself, so his father usually does it. He wears a helmet to protect his head incase he falls down.

🔊Brendan can skate for hours without stopping. His mom always sits and watches him while she drinks hot coffee and talks to the other moms. She also brings a thermos of hot chocolate along for Brendan to drink when he takes a break.

🔊When Brendan is finally cold and tired they head back home. After a day of skating, he always likes to eat a hot bowl of tomato soup to warm up. Then he often falls asleep on the couch watching cartoons. The fresh air and exercise is very good for a growing young boy.

🔊This PE class is learning how to use the balance beam. A balance beam is nothing more than long square pole that runs horizontally above the ground. Young gymnasts who are just learning use a beam that is only a foot or two off the ground. Competitive gymnasts are required to use a beam that it much higher. Regardless of its height, it still takes a lot of practice to maintain your balance on the narrow apparatus.

🔊In gymnastic competitions, such as the Olympics, gymnasts perform choreographed routines on the balance beam. Scores are calculated by several judges according to degree of difficulty, artistic merit and execution of the routine. This means that the more difficult and appealing the routine, it will receive higher scores than a simple routine as long as there are no mistakes. The judging system encourages gymnasts to push their limits and strive for perfection.

🔊In the above picture, little Susan is practicing on the balance beam. She slowly places one foot in front of the other, keeping her arms spread out to help maintain her balance. If she falls, it is not far to the ground so she doesn't have to worry about getting hurt.

🔊The other girls in the class are waiting patiently in line for their turn. For now, they are just practicing walking back and forth trying not to fall off. Once they have learned to this without falling off and have gained some confidence, their teacher will teach them increasingly more difficult moves. When they have mastered the fundamentals, they may be ready to learn a choreographed routine and take part in a small competition.

🔊When people get married, there is always a lot of decorating involved. The place where the wedding is held usually gets the most attention, but even the cars that the wedding party travels around in are adorned with colorful bows, ribbons and sometimes flowers. It isn’t hard to spot a wedding procession on the street; just look for the cars that look like they are wrapped up as gifts.

🔊This particular car is for the bride and groom. It has a red bow on each of the door handles, long red ribbons running overtop the hood all the way to the trunk and a heart made from plastic roses on the grill. Other cars in the procession may or may not be decorated quite as extravagantly, but they will usually have at least some decorations to show that they are involved in the wedding.

🔊In some areas of the world, it is customary for the wedding procession to drive through the streets honking the horn to garner attention. In smaller towns, people may run to the window or go outside to wave as the cars pass, but in larger centers they probably will only get an occasional glimpse if anything at all.

🔊Chances are that one day you will ride in a car decorated this, whether you are getting married or maybe just a part of the wedding party. Maybe you will get to help decorate one of the cars, too. Who knows?

🔊Valentine's Day is a very special day for those of you who are romantic at heart. It's a time to show that special someone just how much you really care. It can also be a time to admit your feelings to someone for the first time.

🔊Although some men may beg to differ, Valentine's Day is mostly for women and stores. It is the day when women want to be treated like queen or, at the very least, princesses. And remember that your queen or princess WILL be expecting something from you, so don’t forget to mark February 14th on your calendar…unless you enjoy the feeling guilty and being in the dog house. Phil is a very romantic young man. Today on his way home from school, he stopped by the local florist to pick up a bouquet of flowers for his sweetheart. Although his face doesn't show it, he cares deeply for Jill and he tells her this as he hands her the flowers. She blushes and accepts the token of his love.

🔊Surprisingly, Jill actually has feelings for the stone-faced boy. She has even picked out a gift for him, too. It is a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

🔊Phil is shocked that she cares about him. He can’t believe that the girl of his dreams likes him enough to buy him a gift. He is so overcome with joy that he begins to sob uncontrollably.

🔊Jill is quite taken aback with his crying. Perhaps her feelings are not as strong as his overwhelming adoration of her. In a panic, she drops the flowers and rushes to the door.

🔊Poor Phil can only watch as the door closes and his sweetheart exits his life forever. He drops to his knees holding his hands toward the skies. “WHY?!!” he blubbers. “WHY?!!”

🔊Five minutes later Jill is on the next bus out of town.

🔊It looks like somebody forgot to send out the wedding invitations! There isn't even a priest. And where are their parents? I'm no legal expert, but I think you at least need a justice of the peace and two witnesses to make a marriage legal.

🔊Actually, the bride and groom are having their wedding photos taken. In Taiwan it is common to have professional wedding photos done prior to the wedding, sometimes weeks in advance. It takes some of the stress out of an already pressure packed wedding day when everyone is a little on the tense side. The time saved by having the photos done ahead of time can be better utilized mingling with guests and making the day more memorable rather than standing around waiting for someone to take your picture.

🔊Another advantage of shooting the pictures in advance is that the photos can be developed and printed in time for the wedding. This is a big plus because the bride and groom can hand out the photos at the wedding instead of having to mail them out to everyone.

🔊Scenic outdoor locations, such as this picturesque park, are often chosen for shoots. The natural beauty of areas like this provides a wonderful backdrop for pictures of any kind; though, in my opinion, they could lose the cheesy balloons.