初二阅读

Harry: I''m no hero

WOULD it be wonderful to be a prince (王子) or a princess? To be sure, a life of wealth(财富) and privilege (特权) has its nice side. But Britain''s Prince Harry might tell you another story.

Last week the 23-year-old returned to London after serving only 10 weeks with British troops (军队) in Afghanistan (阿富汗). He had to leave the front as foreign newspapers had broken news of his service. These reports made the prince a target (目标) in Afghanistan.

But the prince says he is far from happy at going back. He says he is sad that he can't live the life of a soldier. "It''s a shame," said the red-headed prince. "My men are disappointed by my leaving. I want very much to be back with them." Prince Harry says his days in Afghanistan were among the happiest times of his life and he doesn''t like England that much now.

The prince used to be a wild child. But some people today think he is a brave young man. However, Harry says he is not a hero. He spoke of two wounded (受伤的) soldiers who flew home with him. "Those are the heroes, guys blown up (爆炸) by mines (地雷) serving their country. It''s enough to make you want to cry," he said.

Opera's back

HOW much do you know about Peking Opera? Do you listen to it? Do you go to see it? Anyway, in the near future, you may be learning how to perform (表演) it at school.

To promote (提倡) traditional culture among young people, this year, about 200 schools around China will make Peking Opera a compulsory (必修的) course.

Most students think it's a good idea. Han Lang, a 14-year-old Beijinger, especially welcomes it.

"We don't need to be Peking Opera experts," said Han. "But it's a good idea to know something about a traditional art."

"The Beijing Olympics is coming," added Han. "If we cannot tell foreign friends anything about Peking Opera, it will be a shame (羞愧)."

But students like Ji Xuan are not as enthusiastic (热心的) as Han. The 14-year-old Shanxi girl said the idea is not bad. But if she had a choice, she'd prefer to study Jinju Opera, a local art of Shanxi.

"Tastes differ from place to place," said Jin. "Peking Opera should be taught only in Beijing."

Some students, however, don't care what kind of opera they learn. They only care about learning.

"Learning Peking Opera won't be a easy job," said Ding Peiqi, a 14-year-old Shanghai girl. "I hope it can be taught in a fun and exciting way. If not, we won't become interested in it "

In with the new

AS New Year nears, people look forward to starting again.

Kids get very excited about the holiday. "New Year's Day means a day off, a big dinner and great fun with friends," said 14-year-old Cai Yun from Beijing.

But New Year's Day used to mean more than just a good time. In ancient times, people needed to mark time. They had to know when they should start planting crops (庄稼) and when they should harvest (收割). But different peoples had different ways of marking time. Some based their calendar (日历) on the Sun; some based it on the moon. Others used both.

In Syria (叙利亚) in the Mid East New Year is at harvest time in October. In Uganda (乌干达) in Africa a year lasts six of our months. The people have their holiday at the beginning of the rains, which happen twice a year. The Inuits (爱斯基摩人) of North America don't even have a fixed holiday. They celebrate New Year when the first snow falls.

So you see, New Year is a different kind of holiday in different parts of the world.

His grandfather's boy

IF you think Declan Galbraith is an ordinary 15-year-old boy, you are wrong. The British boy is a singing genius. He released (发行) his first album at 10. He is one of the most popular young singers in the world.

Last week, Declan had a news conference(新闻发布会) in Beijing. He will do a concert tour in China next May. Declan's Chinese fans must be very happy about this.

Declan's singing gift was found while he was a child. His grandfather was a musician. He often brought Declan along with him when he played music. Declan would sit for hours just watching and listening.

At the age of 8, he started taking part in competitions. He won 16 of them in 14 months. Soon EMI, a big record company, paid him 15, 000, 000 yuan to make records.

His first album Declan came out in 2001. It was a big hit and Declan become well-known. People said he has "a powerful voice that really soars (飞翔)". In 2006, Declan put out another album, called Thank You.

Declan works hard at his singing. Every day he practices for two hours. When he is not singing, Declan is like most other 15-year-olds. He likes computer games, swimming, cycling, football and Harry Potter.

Yi makes a good start

PEOPLE are saying he's the next Yao Ming. But Yi Jianlian, the latest Chinese player to join the NBA, thinks differently. He doesn't like this kind of talk. Back in June he said, "I am not going to be the next any one. I am who I am." He also said it doesn't make any sense. He and Yao "play different positions and we are totally different players."

The 2.12-meter forward(前锋) from Shenzhen played his second game for the Milwaukee Bucks(密尔沃基雄鹿队) last Wednesday. His 12 points helped Milwaukee to a 93-88 win over Utah Jazz. In his first outing for Milwaukee he hadn't played well. This time he did much better. "I feel better compared with the first game," he said.

Both Yi and his team agree that he has to get used to life in the NBA. Yi said he had "a lot of bad habits to overcome". NBA