An old man lived with his little grandson. Every day the old man got up early to read books.His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him every 1 he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I don't understand it, and I always forget 2 I close the book. What good does 3 do?”
The grandfather quietly turned from putting 4 in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked（漏）out before he got back home.
The grandfather laughed and said, “You'll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he 5 home. The boy said, “see, Grandpa, it's 6 to finish this task!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said. “ 7 the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was 8 . Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was 9 inside and out.
“My child, that's what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but the 10 will change you inside and out. That is the work of reading in our lives.”
| Hands-on projects require time and hard work to complete. It teaches kids not to put things off. Some kids might get bored and be less interested in studying for a test. Studying also doesn't prepare you as much for the future, since jobs at times will have more difficult tasks than simply studying for a test Also, completing a project is good for spending time with your friends or family. —Bruno |
| With a hands-on project you can be creative while you learn. It's also a lot more fun than sitting at a desk with flash cards, memorizing information they'll forget about after the test. Besides, with a hands-on project you can learn more than you expected, like problem solving, creativity, and different ways of thinking. —David |
| When people study, they remember what was in the book. If they know they have a test, they will most likely take notes on all the important information to help them with the test, so they will learn it better. —Alice |
| I think kids learn better studying for tests. If you actually sit and study what you are supposed to learn, you will remember it. Hands-on projects might end up making a kid feel stressed if they are trying to finish on time, and if you are stressed, you might not learn as much —Matt |
B
(Shenzhen, Wednesday, 31 May)—Shenzhen traffic police fined 4,251 private cars 300 yuan each because they used the bus lane (公交车道）during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The bus lane on the Luosha Road and Huishen Coastal Expressway（惠深沿海高速）to Dapeng was put into use on Sunday, the first day of the holiday.
The bus lane only allows buses between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. during holidays and weekends.
To make sure traffic on the bus lane moved smoothly, police officers were sent to work along the road
using cameras and drones（无人机）to get information and photos of the vehicles(车辆）that entered the bus lane against the traffic rules.
Information from police shows the bus lane has reduced the time it takes buses to get to the east of the city. A tourist took a holiday bus to Dapeng at noon from the Luohu Stadium Stop, while his friend drove a private car. The bus arrived at 12:48 p.m. The private car arrived at 2:05 p.m.
According to police, the bus lane can also be used as the rescue passage for accidents that happen in the tunnels.
C
 | Liang Xianghua, a 22-year-old girl from Guangxi University, has been well-known in China for her sand painting since her first work was used by CCTV. "Sand paintings really attracted me while I was watching a video performance, I was surprised by how this artwork melted people's heart in minutes" said Liang. "I fell in love with the way the sand pictures, music and the light combined（融合）with each other to make a flow of emotion（情感）. You can express things freely." |
| In order to master the skills, Liang practised for several hours every day. She said that she couldn't even do the first step well of throwing sand onto the glass. But she didn't give up. After finding success with her first show, she was invited to do many performances. This made her quite tired. She decided to give a stop and focus on her study. But an invitation from Malaysia changed her mind just as she was about to wash the sand from her hands. This spring, she was invited by a Malaysia middle school to give a performance. Liang didn't want to do a live show, but agreed to do a video for the school, showing its development over the years. She received praise for her work and the performance was described as an eye-opener for the students. This made her wonder if her art would be more meaningful if she made it for the poor students. As a volunteer this time, she plans to take part in a summer programme offering help to pupils in a mountain area, and give the most wonderful show in her life. | |
D
| Dear daughters, Most parents tell their children, "You can be anything you want when you grow up." I feel the same and I say this often. But I also want you to understand that the dream itself comes from hard work, some good luck and good timing. Girls, here are some words of wisdom（智慧）as you make your way in the world, from your mom. Be open-minded to changing your path (even several times) along the way. In high school, I wanted to be an official. I left my hometown and entered a college in Washington D.C. There, I discovered that I'm creative, a strong leader and great at marketing. As a result, I moved on to the head of a national organization. Becoming a mother while in that job opened my mind to starting a business. Now I run a successful company I started up all by myself. Work out what you are good at and what you are interested in. Keep an open mind and change what you are doing based on what you are learning about yourself. Failure is very important to your success. I won't tell you to feel good about failure. Failure can be heartbreaking. But I will tell you that every failure I've had along the way has certainly made me better. Failing the big math exam in high school and going to summer school were embarrassing. I finally passed, and I've never failed an exam again. I learned from that experience to ask for help. Now, I ask for help in business all the time. I'm proud to be a role model to you as a mom and a company owner. I hope I can help you believe you can be anything you want and you can have everything on your list. I will be very glad to watch your lives unfold before my eyes. Love, Your mom |
E
 | Recently, China announced it had achieved success in drilling fire ice or methane hydrate (天然气水合物，即可燃冰), from the seabed in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. It produces high amount of energy when it is burned, leaving nothing but dioxide and water. Many countries, including the United States and Japan, have long beeaban doing research on methane hydrate, but taking it from bottom of the sea has been a common problem they are facing. According to reports, China succeeded in drilling methane hydrate for a number of days continuously and got an average of over 16,000 m3 daily. It is believed to be a big breakthrough. |
| Scientists say there is about 21, 000 trillion (万亿) m3 of methane hydrate in the world. If we can use it, it can meet the world's energy need for 1, 000 years. However, it is too early to say a new energy source (来源) has been found because we are still facing two main challenges—environmental risk and economic (经济的)cost. When methane hydrate is taken from the seabed, it may go into the air easily. That's very bad for the environment because methane is one of the worst greenhouse gases. Besides, drilling methane hydrate is very expensive as well. However, China's technology breakthrough is very important because it shows the way researchers across the world should take. It also raises hopes that one day we can drill methane hydrate as a source of energy. | |
In a small house outside London lives an old man. People often see him look his flowers in his garden all the time.
One day, a young painter (go) by the old man's house. He looked at the nice garden and the special room, picturing how happy he would be if he lived in such a (beauty) place. Suddenly he found the old gardener (terrible) blind. Shocked, he walked to the old man and asked, “Why are you taking care of the flowers every day which you can't see in fact?” The old man smiled, “I can tell you four reasons. First, I was gardener when I was young and I really love this job. Second, although I can't see these flowers, I can touch them. Third, I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last, it's you.”
“Me? But you don't know me.” answered the painter, still puzzled.
“Yeah, it's true that I don't know you. I know flowers are gifts which everyone loves. And the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good mood.” answered the old man.
The words of the gardener warm me with (please). He looked after the flowers (make) others enjoy the warm sunshine in spring. He can't see the beautiful flowers he planted, just like Beethoven, who can't hear his wonderful music .
The old man is alone but not lonely. All of his flowers are his friends and neighbors. They (grow) in his heart. I believe that he can hear the voice of them.
