You've been learning words since you were a tiny baby. At first, you learned them only by hearing other people talk. Now that you're a reader, you have another way to learn words. What should you do when you come to a word and you think you don't know what it means? 【小题1】.

Say it

First sound it out. Then say it to yourself. 【小题2】. Sometimes you know a word in your head but you don't know what it looks like in print. So if you match up what you know and what you read - you have the word!

Use context

If this doesn't work, take the next step: look at the context — the other words and sentences around it. Read this sentence: When it rained, the dog looked for shelter in the doorway. 【小题3】. Rain and in the doorway might give you helpful information.

【小题4】

If the context doesn't help, look at the parts of the word. Does it have any parts you know? These can help you understand what it means. If you don't know the meaning of miner, try looking at parts of the word. You might know that a mine is a place underground where people get coal and other valuable things. A lot of times, -er at the end of a word means "a person who does something". So a miner might be someone who works in a mine.

Look it up

If the three steps above don't work, you can look it up.【小题5】 — either a book or online.

Nobody knows the meaning of every word, but good readers know how to understand words they don't know.

The fresh snow brings endless possibilities: skiing, snowmen, snowball fights, and best of all, snow angels.

For the past 17 years, I’ve made over 100 snow angels. Over time, I have learned the perfect skills behind creating a snow angel. 【小题1】

Find the proper snow

This is the most important step because without snow you can’t make a snow angel. 【小题2】 However, even though there isn’t any snow now, you can still make a spiritual snow angel! Although it won’t leave an imprint (痕迹) on the ground, you know it will be there in spirit!

【小题3】

Once you find the perfect place for your snow angel (or spiritual snow angel), you’ll want to lie flat on your back. Of course, you could also lie on your front. 【小题4】

Move your arms and legs up and down

【小题5】 Then raise your arms upwards to about 120° and your legs around 120° apart (分开). When you first start making snow angels, you may want to bring a protractor (量角器) outside, so you can make sure your snow angels are perfect!

Now, go out there and make the perfect snow angels!

Playing Safely in Cold Weather

Children can play outside all year long. They just need to be dressed for the cold. Staying dry and active will also help them stay comfortably outside longer. These tips are also useful to adults.

Watch for wind.

In winter, the wind draws more heat from the body. Windy days can feel much colder. The temperature might be -5℃, but it can feel like -20℃ with the wind. Check the weather before going outside, and stay inside if it goes below -27℃.

Cover all parts of your body.

In temperture below -27℃, body parts that are not covered can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes. Keep the face warm with a neck warmer, a hat or a scarf.

Protect your mouth and face.

The wind and cold can make the surface of your body very dry. Use protection products to keep it wet.

Dress in layers (层).

Wear layers with an outer layer that is good against the wind. Don’t wear cotton in cold weather. A thick coat made of wool (羊毛) is a good choice.

Know about dangers in the cold.

If you can’t feel your hands, face or feet, or if they are pale, this could be a sign of frostbite (冻伤). When this happens, head inside right away, and warm the body part slowly with your hands or warm (not hot!) water. If the temperature is much too low, it will be dangerous to stay outside for a long time without enough clothes.