World Reading Day was set up by the UNESCO in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor great writers, for example, William Shakespeare, born or dead on that day.

Many countries celebrated World Reading Day. Take the UK as an example, on that day, millions of schoolchildren can buy book of special price, a much lower price than usual, in any bookstore. It has been done every year since 1998. World Reading Day 2010 in the UK will take place on Thursday 4th March. Please note that this date applies to the UK and Ireland only. The goal is so well set in schools there that they want to make sure that the Day happens in term time to really make the most of this opportunity to celebrate books and reading. Most other countries hold World Reading Day on 23rd April every year.

World Reading Day is also celebrated in China. Chinese former premier Wen Jiabao, an avid reader, does lots of reading every day though he is very busy. On World Reading Day 2009 he encouraged citizens to do more reading. Wen suggested that young people should spend more time reading. “Books cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading.”

Reading can benefit people a lot. Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English.

“Reading makes a full man.” (Bacon, 1597) Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day.

Spending Chinese New Year’s Eve at homestays has been popular among families who prefer short-distance tours during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday in New York. Here are some activities you can choose.

For the holidays, Staten Island’s SIUH Community Park invites visitors to “Journey to the East,” where more than 1,000 Chinese lanterns light the night, highlighting a world inspired by Chinese myth and legend. It’s the perfect way to get your family out to enjoy the spirit of the season while involving yourselves in a bit of culture. An enormous lantern display of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) along with an animal kingdom, sea world and illuminated tunnels are some of the stunning displays on view.

New York City takes shopping to a new level with the many holiday markets that pop up for the season. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and brave the cold to find homemade wares for everyone on your list at the three big outdoor markets — Union Square Holiday Market (November 17-December 24), Holiday Shops at Winter Village at Bryant Park (October 28-January 2) and Columbus Circle Holiday Market (November 28-December 24) — or stay warm at the indoor Grand Central Holiday Fair (November 14-December 24), Brooklyn Flea (Sundays only, November 7-December 19) and Chelsea Flea (weekends only, year-round). And new this year, the Brooklyn Borough Hall Holiday Market comes to Downtown Brooklyn (November 28-December 26), featuring 100 vendors selling locally crafted wares.

Thousands of people from all over the world come to Times Square to celebrate the annual New Years Eve Ball Drop, where a team of celebrity hosts ring in the new year with live music performances. Last year, Times Square visitors were required to wear masks and be vaccinated for Covid-19 (with proof of vaccination status and ID required). Nothing has been announced yet for this year; for updated information on any requirements, visit timessquarenyc.org.

Have you heard about “Survival Holidays”? It is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.

The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.

Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing (干扰) them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled (控制) by adults, which causes many problems. Children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge. Children are not comfortable with danger. Even slight danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.

Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in dangerous times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives.