From: BKTS Bookstore (order@bkts.com) To: Kevin Kern (kevinkern@google.com) Date: Sunday, March 3, 2024 Subject: Your Order |
Dear Mr. Kern, Your order (the order number: A 07-389-2919-110-119) has been sent out. You ordered: 1: The Great Gatsby $18×2 $36 2: The Kite Runner $21×1 $21 Shipping Fee (运费) $5 Total $62 |
Please get your order at Light Store (No.168, Yihua Road) from March 5 to March 10. To get your order, please tell the clerk your name and then pay at the store. If there is anything wrong with the books you ordered, please send them back in seven days. (Counting from the day you get your order.) If you have any other problems, please feel free to call us or send us an e-mail at //www.bkts. com. TEL:389-2919 |
As children grow up, they have a birthday every year. But in modern China, a birthday held at the age of 18 has special meaning. It's the celebration of coming of age (成年) .
In ancient China, the coming of age ceremony was very important for the young people.According to the book Li Ji (《礼记》) , it was the symbol of their right to get married and their duty to share family responsibilities. Only after the ceremony could the young people be called "adults".
At the coming of age ceremony, after all the guests sat in the right position, the parents would give a short speech. A respected elder that was chosen to hold this ceremony would wash hands and do the guan li or ji li in several steps. Then, the child would kneel on the ground and listen to his or her parents' expectations and words that were used to educate the child. After showing thanks to the guests, he or she could stand next to his or her parents as a real adult.
In modern China, the coming of age ceremony in some universities and senior high schools is getting popular. Besides a traditional ceremony mentioned above, some young people may wear traditional Chinese clothing or modern clothing and take professional photos to record this special event. Some choose to make a charitable donation (慈善捐赠) such as money or time to a charity or an organization. They also think back to their achievement s to make better plans for their future education, career or personal development.
Mrs. March, the girls and Laurie were sitting together on a dull November afternoon when Hannah hurried into the room with a telegram (电报). Mrs. March read it, and then dropped it to the floor, her face white and her hands shaking. Jo picked up the telegram and read it to the others in a frightened voice. Mrs. March: Your husband is very ill. Come at once. S. Hale, Blank Hospital, Washington.
All their happiness vanished in a moment.
"I shall go at once," said Mrs. March, "but it may be too late. Oh, my children!"
For several minutes, there was only the sound of crying, and then Hannah hurried away to get things ready for the long journey.
"Laurie, send a telegram and say that I'll come at once," said Mrs. March. "The next train goes early in the morning. Now, I must write a note to Aunt March."
Laurie went off to take the note to Aunt March and to send the telegram. Jo went to fetch some things from the shops, and Amy and Meg helped their mother to get ready.
Laurie came back with a letter and money from Aunt March, but Jo did not return. It was late afternoon when she came back and gave her mother some money. "That's to help make Father comfortable and to bring him home," she said.
"Twenty-five dollars!" said Mrs. March. "My dear, but where did you get it?" Jo took off her hat.
"Your hair, your beautiful hair!" cried Amy. All Jo's lovely, long, thick hair was cut short. "Jo, how could you?" cried Meg.
"My dear girl, there was no need for this," said Mrs. March.
"She doesn't look like my Jo, but I love her dearly for doing it!" said Beth, and she began to cry.
"Don't cry, Beth," said Jo. "I'll soon have curly hair again, which will be short and easy to keep tidy."
But later, when Amy and Beth were asleep and Meg was lying awake, she heard Jo crying.
"Are you crying about Father, Jo?" she asked.
"No, not now. It's my hair," cried Jo. "I'd do it again if I could. But ▲ , and the selfish bit of me is making me cry. Don't tell anyone. I'll be all right in the morning.
① Mrs March received a telegram. ② Jo cried at night. ③ Jo cut her long hair.
④ Mr. March was sent to hospital. ⑤Jo returned with some money.
Many cultures have stories of talking trees that give advice as well as warnings to people. Alexander the Great and Marco Polo were said to have visited such a tree in India. And in some modern stories, such as the film Avatar, trees can communicate with animals and people. With our long believing that talking plants are unreal, new research has found something amazing: It turns out that plants can really communicate.
It has been known that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant, say a bean plant, gets attacked by insects. The plant gives off chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help, "I'm being attacked!" When another bean plant feels the chemicals from its poor neighbor, it starts to give off its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract insects—the wasps! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the bean plant. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow crops without pesticides (杀虫剂).
More surprisingly, plants also use sounds to communicate. People can't hear these sounds, but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Corn and chili plants do this. They also "listen" to the noises from other plants. A chili plant can tell if a neighboring plant is helpful, or unfriendly. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system "wood wide web". It is in some ways like the Internet we use. This wood wide web is linked underground by fungi (真菌). Using this wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. But just like our Internet, this wood wide web has its own version of "cybercrime (网络犯罪)". Plants can steal food from each other, or spread something harmful to attack other plants.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe we will know enough about plant communication to be able to "talk" with them ourselves in the near future. Let's wait and see.
Money may not buy happiness, but it helps. Many teenagers want to learn how to manage money before going out into the world. Be smart with your money. She is a famous money expert. The following are some of her suggestions.
Ask parents or neighbors if you can help with housework to make pocket money. These can include washing a car or taking the dog for a walk. Agree on the value of different jobs before you start. In this way, you can also improve your communication skills, which will help when you have a grown-up job, too.
Help your money grow.
Money can't grow if it's sitting inside a piggy bank. Put your money in the bank and you can get interest (利息). One day you may feel surprised at how much money you have.
Make a plan.
If you have a big event, such as a holiday coming up, it might mean you will need to spend more of your pocket money. Try making a plan for spending and saving. Then it will help you take control of your money.
Spend your money wisely.
Find out how much you can reasonably spend each month. Then try to cut down on spending. For example, rather than eating out, you can choose to cook at home.
A. Learn to make money.
B. Set a goal of saving money.
C. Save your money in the long run.
D. Spend your money on what you truly need.
E. This idea is raised by Dr. Mara Harvey.
F. Write down how much money you have and what you are spending.
Last summer, Brian helped guard the barrels (桶) in his father's factory. Every morning, his father gave him the 1 of brushing the barrels and putting them in order. But when Brian got to the factory the next morning, he 2 found the wind blew the barrels here and there overnight.
Brian was so 3 that he wrote a note to the wind, "Please 4 blowing down my barrels." After seeing that, his father asked him with a smile, "Can the wind read your note?" Brian said, "I don't know. I have no choice 5 to make this request (请求)."
The next morning, when the little boy ran to 6 the barrels, he found that the barrels were blown here and there again. The little boy felt 7 and cried. His father came and said kindly, "Son, don't be sad. We may have no way to deal with the wind, but we may have ways for 8 , so we can have our own ways to beat the wind." Then the little boy 9 his tears and thought over and over. Finally, he thought of an idea. He filled the 10 barrels with water. After that, he went home 11 .
The third morning, the little boy put on his clothes in a hurry and 12 . He was excited to find the barrels were placed in good order. The little boy 13 and told his father, "It's a very simple way, that is to make the barrels 14 ." The little boy's father smiled and nodded his head.
We can't change many things in the world, but we can change ourselves. To add the 15 to you is the only way not to be knocked over.
tradition; twelve; be interested in; story; although |
Question: What are you willing to know about China?
My grandpa Chinese medicine. So am I.
—Felix
I love ancient Chinese poems, most of them are hard to understand.
—Ivy
As a sportsman, I want to know something about Chinese sports.
—Alan
What attracts me most is 24 solar terms. Which are the first and ones?
—Lee
What does the family mean to Chinese people? Share some with me.
—Coral
Tai chi is common in China. It's a kind of sport and one of the (象征) of Chinese culture. If you walk through a park, you might see people doing tai chi, an ancient (艺术) called wushu. Doing tai chi is good for our health and helps us free ourselves from (压力). It can make us walk and move freely. Tai chi also (混合) slow actions and deep breaths perfectly.
But tai chi is more than a kind of sport. It shows how we see the world as well. The world is full of yin and yang, such as (黑暗) and light, soft and hard, full and empty, etc. Tai chi sets up good relationships between yin and yang, while they aren't (对面,相反). Just like the picture, a white circle is in the black area and a black circle is in the white area. After a long night, the sun will (升起). Leaves fall in autumn but grow in spring. Everything keeps changing. Yin and yang (依靠) on each other and make differences to each other. That is why humans can get on well with (大自然) and use softness to beat hardness. Tai chi makes full use of yin and yang.
In China, tai chi has been practiced for about 400 years. At present, more people are encouraged to join in tai chi and pass it on. (百万) of people in more than 150 countries and regions practice tai chi. It is getting more and more popular in the world.
Do you know traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)? Now it is getting more popular it helps people with only a few side effects (副作用).
During the Ming Dynasty, traditional Chinese medicine improved a lot. A medical work called Compendium of Materia Medica talked lots of plants used as medicine and how they worked. In this book, a smart doctor named Li Shizhen figured out a way to divide illnesses into groups and suggested how to treat (they). This helped doctors know how to help sick people (well).
In the 1970s, people around the world (start) recognizing Chinese acupuncture as a real way to help with health. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, special TCM clinics (中医诊所) (build) in the Olympic Village offering herbal (药草的) treatment. Athletes from other countries lined up (try) traditional Chinese medicine, and it became (real) popular. In 2020, when COVID-19 was causing big trouble, traditional Chinese medicine also played important role.
Nowadays more people everywhere are getting into traditional Chinese medicine. They're using it, learning about it, and even famous people are becoming (fan) of this ancient wisdom.