A new school term begins, Is anything new at your school? Sichuan students are getting an extra (额外的)hour to sleep in the morning.
This year, Sichuan schools decided that students should start classes later. This should help them feel less tired, For Junior high schools, the first classes will begin no earlier than 8:30 am.
The changes have made students happy.
Liu Xian, 15, said his class was excited by the news on the first day of school. “It’s so good we can get up later!” said Liu.
Liu studies in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. He used to get up at 6:40 am. Now he can get up at 7:40 am because class doesn’t start until 8:40 am.
Wu Hongli, 15, said the new timetable is good for her health. “I used to drink coffee every night or I would feel to sleepy to finish my homework, ”said Wu. “Now I can finish it without coffee.”She used to get up at 6:30 am. Now she can get up at 7:30 am.
Wu Hongli’s mother was happy, too. She thought more sleep would help her daughter grow taller.
But some parents worried that more sleep would mean less learning. There used to be five classes in the morning. Now there are only four.
Many teachers, though, say the changes will help students learn better.
“Students used to doze(瞌睡)for the first two classes in the morning,”said Wu Zongping, an English teacher at Chendu No.12 Middle School. “But now they look fine and they learn much better than before.”
【小题1】What made the Sichuan middle school students happy?

A woman was collecting money for a church charity. The money she collected was going to be given to poor children who had no parents to take care of them. She went from apartment to apartment and from house to house. She knocked on doors and asked for money. She always said the same thing. “Good morning, I’m collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000.” Then she held out a collecting box. Most people put a few coins in the box. An artist lived in one of the apartments. He opened the door. “Good morning.” she said. “I’m collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000.” The artist thought for a moment, then he said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money. However, I’ll give you a painting. It’s worth $ 400.” The woman thanked the artist and took the painting away. A week later she called on him again. “I’m sorry to trouble you again,” she said, “but we still need more money. I need another $ 100. Can you help?” “Of course,” the artist said. “I’ll increase the value of my painting to $ 500.”
【小题1】Who was the woman collecting money for?