American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday. There are two terms in a school year: the first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children begin to go to school when they are five years old. Most students are seventeen or eighteen years old when they finish high school.

High school students take only four or five subjects each term. They usually go to the same classes every day, and they have homework for every class. After class they do many interesting things.

After high school, many students go to college（上大学）. They can go to a small one or a large one. They usually have to give a lot of money. So many college students work after class to get money for their studies.

Jingwai Mingde Primary School is in Xuanwei, Yunnan. It was made up of five country primary schools in 2008. It has more than 1, 000 teachers and students now. The country primary school is famous for its special labor(劳动) lessons. It has a 150-mu farm. The students can help their school get food self-sufficiency(自给自足) by working on the farm.

Each class(from Grade Three to Grade Six) can get a piece of land on the farm. The students can take two labor lessons on the farm with the help of their labor teachers. They love their land very much and spend most of their free time on it. They plant all kinds of vegetables, such as beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and so on. Some even plant apple trees, orange trees and other fruit trees. Their school looks much nicer with green trees and beautiful flowers all year round.

There is also a zoo in the school. The students can keep chickens, ducks and other farm animals on it. They have learnt a lot by keeping the farm animals.

“The children have learnt how to do housework and farm work by working on the farm,” said a teacher, “It also helps them learn how to get on well with others and make their school life more colorful.”

Video cameras are everywhere: schools, theaters and stores. But in recent years, they have entered our homes. Many parents set up cameras at home to watch their children’s online classes and homework. Are cameras really helpful? What do students think about it? We invited two students to share their thoughts.

Luo Yuzhe, 15, Gansu

When I was in Junior 2, I liked to lie in bed and watch videos instead of studying. This affected (影响) my studies and made my grades worse. So my parents set up a camera to keep an eye on me.

It worked. With the camera watching, I had to do my homework first and make plans for studying at home. When I was alone at home, the camera made me feel safe because I knew that my parents were watching on the other side. My grades improved after a year.

Zhao Xin, 15, Beijing

Earlier this year, my parents set up a camera in my room. I really didn’t like it because I felt like there were always eyes watching me. I felt so uncomfortable that I couldn’t sleep well at night.

Knowing there was a camera around, when my friends came to my home, they would speak quietly and carefully. We couldn’t have pillow fights. I was sad. So I asked my parents to take the camera away. They agreed it as long as I promised (承诺) to behave well. I feel happy and free now.