August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned(布置) to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

    You might think that I don't want to spend my summer reading, hut that's not the problem；I love reading. On the first day of summer holiday this year, I borrowed a Gathering of Old Men by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to(订阅) and spend about     minutes every day with the morning newspaper.

    So why do I hate summer reading for school？Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting(不吸引人的) . Teachers don't under-stand that summer reading can be interesting as well as educational. They choose books called "spinach books": good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

    This bitterness started three years ago when 1 began high school. As preparation. my English teacher told me to read The Age of Innocence(《纯真年代》). At 14, I couldn't understand the love 100 years ago in the story. I only know my love for baseball. The Age of Innocence was completely different to my life. What is more, sometimes I guess teachers don't think exciting plots make for "good literature". To me, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

    If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value(文学价值) and can also entertain kids. If the teachers could add a little fun into the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.

    India is a country rich in culture and tradition. And although India is changing, one thing remains the s; the cow is. sacred(神圣的) . And men and women cover their heads and faces with cow urine(尿).

    According to their tradition, the cow is not just a farm animal. These cows are like motherhood, and their milk feeds them. But it's not the milk these men and women are waiting for-it's the urine. As a precious gfrom the cow, the urine is often placed in the house to protect their homeland. People think the urine can beaus tify their louse and keep away bluck. Men even put cow urine into their hair.

    And this special form of worshipping(索拜) has been around for centuries.

    Surprisingly, cow urine is even used by people as a kind of mLocals believe it can make sick people feel better. Believe it.

    Some believers show their worshipping by making an offering of hair

    About 12, 000 heads are shaved(剃头) every day. That means the city is always fof hairless believers. Often waiting for 10 hours or more, believers f enter the shaving area. On average the temple's 1, 600 barbers shave over 15 heads an hour. The temple then sells piles of hair to local wigmakers(假发店) . The money is used to help the area's poor and make sure the ahair temple of India keeps going. Believe it.

    People can be allergic(过敏) to a lot of things, such as seafood, peanuts or pets. But what about Wi-Fi signals?

    Rachel Hinks, a 44-year-old woman from Britain, first found herself being allergic to Wi-Fi signals in 2015. She suffered from sickness, heart palpitations(心悸) and great pains in her head after WAFL she was exposed to Wi-Fi signals sent from wireless routers(无线路由器) and phone mast(信号塔).

Rachel has tried various ways to escape Wi-Fi signals. In the past six months, she either slept in her car or in tent which she had put up in woodland or in the fields. She has even tried sleeping in a shed.

    Being completely tired, Rachel had no choice but to quit her job and moved 370 kilometers away from her home to escape at least fifteen phone masts near her house. She is now living in a small house in rural(乡下的) Wales. There are far fewer masts. Unfortunately, the house, which belongs to one of her friends, is up for sale, so she has to move again soon.

    Rachel is planning to move to a more rural area as well as buy a camper van(野营车) . In this way, she can drive away from Wi-Fi signals whenever she is feeling un-comfortable. As she has no job and therefore no income, she has to raise money online. She is hoping to raise 15. 000 pounds. So far, she has raised over 1, 600 pounds.

    She still has a long way to go.

IMPROVE ON SLEEP

    Good health needs good sleep. Go to bed before you're tired. No eating or reading in bed. Go to bed at the same time before midnight and get up at the same time. Your body likes routine(常规) for a good night's sleep.

STAY FREE OF FLU

    Studies show that a cold or flu virus(病毒) can live on our hands for long. So wash all parts of your hands often with soap and water. For more ways to prevent the spread of flu, please call Health Line at 1800-848-1313.

ORAL(口腔) HEALTH

    Brush your teeth twice daily and visit the dentist at least once a year. The mouth is a mirror of disease. The oral examination is not only for the health of teeth, but the whole body. For more of it, please visit www.mydr.com.au.

FIT FOR LIFE

    Studies have shown that many diseases have something to do with less or no physical(身体) activity. Try to do it for 30 minutes a day, 5 days or more a week. For more information, please call Health Line at 1800-438-2000.

    Some people say they have an answer to the problems of cars crowding and pollution. In many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York city, some bike riders have even1a group：Bike for a Better City. They say it more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer cars and less dirty air.

    For several years this group had tried to get help for bike riders. They want to have special roads for bikes only, because when bike riders must use the same roads2cars, there may be an accident. Some people from Bike for a Better City feel if there were bike roads, more people would use bikes.

    But3bike roads have been ready yet.

    Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Drivers don't like it, and some shop owners don't either. And most people live quite far from the city and have to travel by car. Still 4has been done about it. On Saturdays and Sundays, the largest open park in New York is5to cars and the roads may be used by bikes only, but the group still says this is not enough and goes on fighting6bike roads.

    This is a story about a mountaineer named Phillip. Phillip belongs to a mountaineering team that planned to climb a mountain. He had a keen desire to be successful and well-known. Therefore, in order to enjoy the1of being the first to reach the mountaintop. Phillip went to climb the mountain alone one night while the other mountaineers were sleeping.

    Clearly, climbing at night wasn't a smart decision. But he still wanted to give it a go. After several hours' climbing, he2got to the top. How excited he was to see the top a few metres forward! But he suddenly slipped and started to fall. At that moment, his entire life flashed before him.

    While thinking about how close he was to death and how3he was, he felt the rope around his waist suddenly tighten around him. His body was hanging in mid-air.

    He screamed, "Somebody help me!"

    Suddenly, a low voice came from the valley(山谷), "Cut the rope!"

    "What？"He couldn't believe what he heard.

    "Cut the rope around your waist!"

    It was dark all around, so he couldn't see his surroundings. He4to cut the rope but to hold onto it as tightly(紧紧地) as he could

    The next morning, when his fellow mountaineers found him, he had died of exposure to the low temperature, holding tight to the rope in his hands. But he was only ten feet5a big rock!

    If he had cut the rope, he might have landed in a safe place, build a fire and6someone who passes by. Then he might have survived. So sometimes giving up is the way forward.

—Yes, Shenzhou V has been sent up into space successfully.

—No. I left mine at home.