2014-06-02 Dragon Boat Festival

【Aiden in English】

        In the world we call home, there are many items we like but harm us, such as drugs. It is unnecessary to do things similar to drugs, and it's crucial to tell us that early in life, before it's too late. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program has been created to help kids reach their full potential.

        The world is full of harmful things to the human body, like alcohol or tobacco, and DARE focuses a lot on them since many people are addicted. That's what makes it so scary, considering both cause problems with the brain. Alcohol forces people to lose judgment, memory, coordination, and reflexes. Tobacco is just as harmful, reduces blood circulation to the brain, and leads to headaches as well as dizziness. Both alcohol and tobacco sound horrible, and they really are, but even still, people use them. So convincing us not to take alcohol and tobacco is as vital as ever.

        Cigars and cigarettes are the same story as tobacco and alcohol, or might even be worse. In cigarettes, there is tobacco and disgusting chemicals. One cigarette may seem harmless. However, it packs a punch. Over time, cigarettes painfully hurt us and can send us to the grave earlier than usual. A single one has over 200 chemicals, some of which are used in batteries, and others for cleaning bathrooms. A smoker is also basically breathing in burning paper. Worst of all, cigarettes contain nicotine, a substance that makes people addicted. Yet nicotine causes serious health problems. Cigars are even worse than cigarettes due to a higher amount of tobacco. But DARE takes it to another level. Not only has it told us that smoking is off-limits, but our instructor, Officer Matlack, often advises kids to stay away from smokers because they could breathe in their smoke, which is equally as bad. That is called secondhand smoke or breathing in someone else's smoke.

        The most significant danger of drugs is the addictive part. Once kids try beer or tobacco, it hooks them and reels them in like a fish on a line until they're addicted to it. The DARE is determined to convince us not to take drugs. We have to turn down any offers from friends and popular kids. That's harder than it sounds since he probably would call you a chicken if it were your friend. So the decision is up to us whether to accept it or not. And I thank DARE for shooting some sense into my mind. Taking drugs is a lot worse than being called a chicken.

        The DARE is not only about drugs but also shows us how to deal with everyday problems as a student who often encounters stress and bullying. When either of these situations occurs, telling an adult and possibly asking your friends for help is essential. All issues have solutions; we only need to ask for help.

        In addition, the DARE provides a special treat by bringing in a K9 that demonstrates the abilities of a trained police dog. This year's star was Duke, a German shepherd from the Netherlands. He loves to play and fights for his toys. But when he's told to go to playtime, Duke gets to work. He has some vicious teeth that I don't want to be anywhere near while he's at work, and he can use them. As powerful as that sounds, Duke's central theme is his sense of smell, as he often has to detect the enemy's location and identify drugs by scent.

        DARE helps us down the right road and ensures that we live our lives the best we can: drug-free tobacco-free, and alcohol-free. It teaches us many ways to deal with situations throughout our lifetime. This is why DARE is irreplaceable for us. And someday, it may even save a life or two.

【紅霞譯】

        在被人類稱之為家園的世界，有很多我們喜歡但往往又會加害於我們的東西，譬如毒品。正因如此，與毒品相關的物質都應高度警惕，以免誤入歧途，這樣一來早期教育非常重要，應運而生的“抵制濫用毒品教育”方案可以有效地幫助少年兒童茁壯成長。

        物慾世界到處充滿對自身有害的事物，酒精或煙草便是其中之一，“抵制濫用毒品教育”主要着眼於這些讓人上癮難於自拔的東西，酒精和煙草可以損害大腦，這正是令人擔憂的地方。酒精能使人們理智不清，並喪失記憶力、協調性以及靈敏度﹔煙草有過之而無不及，因降低大腦血液循環而導致頭痛眩暈。酒精或煙草聽起來確實這麼可怕，儘管如此，仍有人酗酒吸煙，所以說宣傳戒酒戒煙越來越重要起來。

        雪茄香煙與煙草酒精如出一轍，也許更不容忽視。香煙由煙草原料和刺鼻的化學物質組成，看上去好像無害，其實隱患重重，不僅給人帶來莫大痛苦，而且還能置人於死地。每根香煙均有超過200種以上的化合物，其中有的化合物可用來製作電池，有的化合物可用來打掃浴室廁所，除此之外，抽煙者同時還吸入灼燒成灰的煙屑塵末。最糟糕的是，香煙中富含尼古丁，它會使人上癮並嚴重威脅健康﹔雪茄因煙草成分高於香煙而大大提高其危害性。輔導員馬特拉克警官現身說教，將“抵制濫用毒品教育”引向深入，我們不僅應該嚴防吸煙，而且還要遠離煙區，因為常吸二手煙同樣使我們深受其害。

        吸毒極易上癮，煙酒如同釣魚的誘餌，一旦你喝上抽過，很容易被引誘上鈎，直到產生依賴性為止。“抵制濫用毒品教育”想方設法告誡我們不要吸毒，並拒絕來自朋友和熱門人物提供的任何毒品，說來容易做來難，因為很有可能你會被視為膽小鬼，但我的人生我做主，本人由衷地感謝“抵制濫用毒品教育”提醒我們警鐘常鳴，寧被稱作膽小鬼而絕不向毒品低頭。

        “抵制濫用毒品教育”不僅僅局限於毒品方面，而且還指導我們如何處理日常生活中所面臨的精神壓力和受人欺負等問題，無論哪種情況發生，都要及時與大人們進行交流，甚至向同伴朋友求助。任何問題必定有其解決方案，對我們而言，最簡單的做法就是尋求幫助。

        此外，“抵制濫用毒品教育”還提供特別節目，讓訓練有素的搜毒警犬來為我們表演特技。今年的明星叫公爵，是一隻來自荷蘭的德國牧羊犬，喜歡遊戲，好爭玩具，當接到指令之後，立刻停止玩耍嚴陣以待。它長有一些鋒利兇狠的牙齒，一旦進入工作狀態，我最好躲它遠遠的，絕不與它較真。搜毒犬的牙齒固然厲害，其敏感的嗅覺才是公爵與眾不同的標誌。多數情況下，它通過氣味發現毒品，稽查壞蛋。

        “抵制濫用毒品教育”像一盞指路明燈，確保我們今後生活在沒有毒品、沒有煙草、沒有酒精的健康環境裡，教導我們掌握切實可行的方法應對人生所面臨的問題，這就是為什麼“抵制濫用毒品教育”無可替代，說不定準哪一天還能挽救若干條生命。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2014: Argumentative—Boys & Girls Co-Team(議論文—論男女同隊)

2013屆光華畢業生費游偌宜(Anderson Roy Phillips)

Game (遊戲)

Crosslinks(相關博文)：

5th Grade Argumentative—Boys & Girls Co-Team(五年級議論文—論男女同隊)

2009: 算術─孩子的花銷(Math on Raising Kids)

5th Grade(小學五年級)