Science Project and Holiday Season Celebration 第15周
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Hello, everyone, this is Lindsay from New York. Winter break is approaching. We are very busy at school. Teachers tried to complete what they have to finish before winter break, so we have many projects and assignments to work on. In the meantime, it is a tradition to send gifts to friends and loved ones during this holiday season. It takes time to prepare and it is also so much fun to pick out and give presents.
What projects did you work on? Anything you want to share? Sure! Let’s talk about my recent project for science class, where we have to build a cart. We put an egg inside of it and roll it down a track where it hits a barrier. We need to design it in a way that the the egg has to be safe in the cart, so if it breaks, cracks, flys out, or is damaged in any way, we’re done and can’t continue to the next testing stage where the ramp is lifted higher. Cart 就是小推车，推车里放鸡蛋，从轨道Track滑下去撞上障碍物 Barrier 而鸡蛋安全。这个实验课听上去很象是演习物理课上的牛顿定律，动量守恒啥的，别考我物理，不记得了。Lindsay， what have you planned to do to make sure that your egg could be safe in the car when collide into the barrier? Lindsay: my group and I have built walls and a roof out of cardboard, and we are using an egg carton to put the egg in, and in the places behind where we put the egg we put in bubble wrap and soft cotton balls for cushioning. We ‘buy’ materials with a budget of 220, so this also teaches us to be smart with money. Mom: I hope your project is a great success. Now Let’s talk about the holiday! What do you celebrate in this holiday season? In December, there was Hanukkah, which was a Jewish holiday; Kwanzaa, an African holiday; and Christmas. Though I have no religion, which is called being an atheist, our family celebrates Christmas, only because I like decorating the Christmas tree, waiting for santa, gifts and all of the joy and peace it brings. 在长岛因为有很多犹太人，那么Hanukkah是很有影响力的，Hanukkah, which is Hebrew for “dedication,” is the Festival of Lights. 一连八天，第一天点上一只灯，以后每天点上一共九只，中文里翻作光明节。是为了纪念公元前165年犹太民族反抗异族企图消灭犹太教)的玛喀比起义)胜利、收复耶路撒冷)、洁净第二圣殿并把它重新献给上帝的日子。 那么Kwanzaa是大概60年代才兴起的旨在弘扬非裔美国人传统和文化的节日。近年也很有影响力。 美国因为提倡多元文化，又是多种族移民国家，近年来，美国人都不说Merry Christmas了，而是说Happy Holidays。因为你不知道人家过哪个节，说错了有可能冒犯了人家而不自知。不是人人都过Christmas的，虽然圣诞节仍然是影响最广泛的。 December is so cold, and People can’t stay outdoor often. But families are kept busy by the holidays so they stay indoors mostly anyway. I totally agree! Holidays are meant to bring families and friends together! I prepared small gifts to my best friends such as candy, a stuffed animal, and books. They are now all under my Christmas tree. At school with my friends we do Secret Santa. We put our names in a hat and draw out a person’s name. We now have to get a gift for that person and we can’t let anyone else know who we got. It’s really fun, and at the end we all exchange gifts. 同学朋友之间交换准备礼物。还玩秘密圣诞老人的游戏。礼物都很小，糖果，毛绒玩具和书籍。但是准备选择和包装的过程都是开心啊。 Who paid for your gift purchases? My mom pays. But next season I will pay by myself. I started to earn money by working on house chores, and on coaching my mom swimming.