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For years, learning to speak Cantonese was not that hard in San Francisco. It is a place where Cantonese speakers from South China have moved for over 150 years. But now, there is fear that the Cantonese language and culture might not survive present social changes. Cantonese is spoken by some 85 million people worldwide. In comparison, there are around 1 billion Mandarin (or Putonghua) speakers.

In Britain, as in the U. S., most schools that offer Chinese usually teach Mandarin. As a result, many families are struggling to find ways to pass on their Cantonese language and culture. Ceci Pang runs classes for children at Rainbow Seeds Cantonese School in London. "Many parents want their kids to be able to communicate with their grandparents," she said. "It's just so hard here, there are so few learning resources and lots of parents get upset. That's usually the point the parents come to me."

In China, there are Cantonese television programs as well as Cantonese announcements on public transport. In Hong Kong, however, Cantonese remains the city's top language. It is used by 90 percent of the population according to an assistant professor at the Education University of Hong Kong.

It is a different story in the U. S. The teaching of Cantonese has decreased somewhat, including in San Francisco, a city that has drawn many Cantonese speakers over the years. The San Francisco school system has Cantonese and Mandarin programs for younger students. But in high school, Mandarin is the only Chinese language available. This spring, some independent Chinese schools are helping to teach the language as Cantonese-speaking communities grow. Aleyda Poe has been managing the Cantonese kindergarten at Merit Chinese School in Plano, Texas, for more than 10 years. Poe put her two sons in the school so that they could learn about Cantonese language and culture. Now, she is helping other families do the same.

Hotels around the U.S. are offering ways for travelers to stay healthy and active. Some even provide workout clothes and shoes just in case you leave your equipment at home. If you're looking for help to stay in shape while on the road, check out these hotels.

Hotel Monaco

Manager Ed Virtue, who loves riding, invites guests to ride with him on Wednesdays for one hour. He takes guests on a scenic tour of the city's famous monuments and historic sites(遗迹), as well as a ride near the Potomac River. The hotel even supplies some electric bikes to people who want a more intense ride throughout the city.

Schofield Hotel

It offers yoga(瑜伽) mats and yoga programs. If you go to Cleveland later this year, stay at this hotel to enjoy additional wellness offerings. The hotel provides maps of bike trails(小道) that only local people know.

Grand Hotel

It recently turned their 14th floor into "Stay Well" rooms that focus on health and wellness. The rooms, 171 in total, offer vitamin C-infused(注入维生素C) showers to promote healthy hair and skin and lighting to aid in improved sleep. And if you don't want to skip your meals, the mini-bars in these rooms have healthy foods.

Fairmont Park

If you love rock climbing, stay at the hotel. Guests here can enjoy these activities at a discounted rate. The hotel also offers daily fitness classes. The fitness center is open 24 hours in case a business meeting runs late.

There was a time when my favorite thing to do in the entire world was to play in the woods near our house. A river ran through them, so not only could I climb branches, but I could turn over rocks on the riverbank and find baby eels (鳗鱼).

My favorite book was called Guide to Reptiles (爬行动物). My father had given it to me for my birthday, and I read every page over and over, looking at the pictures of colorful animals. Some of the snakes were the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen, and some were described as poisonous, but still an important part of the ecosystem. 

Little did I know that my book would end up saving a life.

My family moved to Virginia, into a new house. The houses were so new that no one had lived in them before. In fact, woods had been there first, and almost all the trees had been cut down to make room for houses and driveways. Inside our new house, everything smelled like fresh paint. Outside, no lawns had been planted, but my father tossed out grass seed and baby seedlings grew. My brother Patrick and I could not walk on them. We had to play in the driveway.

All the same, I liked our new house. One of the best things about living near the woods were the animals that would come into our yard. Rabbits and turtles came over every night. It seemed as if they were only trying to go home, and instead, what they had found was a big new land where their old homes used to be.

Besides playing in the driveway, we spent time in a sandbox, which my father built right next to the driveway. One day before dinner, I ran to the sandbox to build a castle but found there in the sandbox was a snake.

It was lying very still, and it was beautiful. The snake had rings of color around it-red, then white, then yellow, then black. I had seen a picture just like it in my reptile book, and I remembered that it was one of the prettiest snakes in it. It said in the book that the poisonous snake looked very much like it. I was scared and ran inside.

Para 1: "Dad! Dad! There's a snake in the sandbox!" I yelled.

Para 2: Two hours after the call, the zoo expert arrived with a secure container.

注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

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