Yun Siqi from Beijing is a 19-year-old young pianist (钢琴家). He started to learn the piano at age 4 and it has been his favourite hobby since then. Before that, he often heard his elder sister playing the violin and he loved the classical music she played. "I wanted to beat her in something and I chose the piano," Yun said.
At 4, several minutes of practice a day was enough. As Yum grew up, at ages 7 and 8, he had to practise for four hours a day. The time kept going up after Yun was 12. Now, he needs to practise at least seven hours every day. He sleeps for only five to six hours a day, but he is still full of energy(活力).
Yun never got tired of the piano. In fact, he had great fun playing it. "Music is my special luck, and it is a real enjoyment to be with it every day," he said.
Yun worked hard and soon he stood out. From 2013 to now, Yun shone at different music festivals, concerts and competitions. Yun said successes or failures（失败）were not important and they would not affect his understanding of music or his plan for the future. "If you lose, think carefully about it, and if you win, just work harder," the young pianist said "I still need to practise more to become better, to bring out the real beauty of classical music through the piano. It may take a lifetime."
The Taojinshan Greenway (绿道) in Shenzhen has been open to citizens since July, 2019. Sitting at the west side of Shenzhen Reservoir, it is as long as 7.07 kilometers.
With plants along both sides and lakes lying at different sites, tourists can enjoy wonderful scenery all the way. If they are tired, they are free to take a rest at the 3 stops that were built for breaks. Additionally, five unused guard posts (岗享) along the old route have remained. They serve as sightseeing platforms for visitors to feel the cultural spirit behind the place.
Of all its 13 scenic spots, 8 were designed to have Al helpers. From them, visitors can gain information on parking, tour guide services and more. The smart greenway, with free Wi-Fi available, also provides environmental date, such as temperature, wind speed and air quality. What's more, it can give visitors wamings of coming extreme (极端的) weather and natural disasters, including rainstorms and typhoons that may hit Shenzhen.
"Started in the middle of 2015, the building process of the Taojinshan Greenway has taken good care of de wildlife and environment nearby" said Yang Shiming, an offcial in charge of the project."
The greenway is an example of construction projects without doing harm to the nature. It also shows the role that technology plays in building a smart greenway for more life convenience."
"Are you listening, Simon?" Simon's teacher asked. It was a pretty usual question.
Simon shook his head, smiling. He hardly listened or tried hard in class. Talking was so much fun. He wanted to be heard rather than listen.
"Listen, and you'll learn something." Mrs. Jacobs tried every day, but Simon never paid attention.
That evening, his throat really hurt. The next morning, when he opened his mouth to say "Good morning", nothing came out but a croak.
Simon's mother looked at him. "Honey, you've lost your voice."
"Can I stay home?" He tried to ask, but words didn't come out. Instead, his mother checked him for a fever and decided it was good for him to go to school, even if he couldn't talk.
When he got to school, Mrs. Jacobs said "Hello" to him, and he just nodded. When his friends asked him what TV shows he watched last night, he just shrugged. By the time the bell rang for class, almost everyone was looking at him as if he'd grown a third eye.
Penny raised her hand. "Mrs. Jacobs, why isn't Simon talking?" "He never stops talking." Richard said worriedly.
Everyone started talking at once. They were excited, worried, and surprised.
Simon sat in class, bored. He watched them talk to each other as if the teacher wasn't there, but he couldn't even do that. In math class he could hold up fingers if the answer was less than 10, but that wasn't fun. He decided to try to pay attention.
He could do his homework that night. It gave him TV and game time with his work all done.
The next day, even though his voice came back, he stayed quiet again. The third day, he could talk fine, but he listened and raised his hand to speak.
What a difference that one day made!
China is called the Kingdom of fans. Fans are everywhere in our daily life. But how much do you know about them?
It is said that fans were first used to cool the air during the Shang Dynasty. At that time, they were made of feathers, bamboo or silk. Some of them were round, while others were square.
Folding paper fans first became popular during the Song Dynasty. There were usually beautiful pictures on the fans. Some were mountains and rivers, others were flowers and animals. Many people, including Su Dongpo, a poet of the Song Dynasty, and Tang Bohu, a scholar of the Song Dynasty, even painted and wrote poems on fans. This made the fans into art works. Many rich and important people liked holding fans.
Today, fans are popular gifts. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, folding fans were given to leaders and officials from other countries, as well as audience members. While they were having their fans to get cool air, they were also experiencing Chinese culture.
People use languages to communicate. Any language has its ways to express people's minds. One of the ways in common is the use of idioms. An idiom is a group of words. It has a special meaning that is different from the usual meaning. For example, under the weather is an idiom meaning ill. So when people say “I'm under the weather," they are saying that they're not feeling well. Another example, in all weathers means in all kinds of weather. So, “There are homeless people sleeping on the streets in all weathers" tells us that homeless people sleep on the streets no matter whether it is cold or hot.
Different languages may have different ways to make idioms. For people who are learning a foreign language, idioms could cause misunderstandings and bring them endless headaches. On the other hand, if things are done right, idioms can also be a fun way of looking into a new culture and understanding how the people think and talk.
Metaphor (比喻) is often used in idioms. Let's read the following two examples:
●It makes my blood boil (煮沸) when people ltter.
●The night was dark and quiet; my blood ran cold when I heard a strange noise outside at dark night.
In neither situation above, our blood can reach the point so high or so low in temperature. Yet, with the situations the two sentences created, it is not difficult to work out the unhappy feelings of really angry in the first example and very afraid in the second.
Of course, not all idioms are this easy to understand. When we come to idioms of a foreign language, a good dictionary of idioms is always suggested.
I think there are several reasons that suggest developing robots is a waste of money.
In San Diego recently $325,000 was spent on inventing a robotic squirrel to do some scientific experiments. The research proved that squirrels are able to scare away snakes by wagging (摇动) their tails. Do you need a robotic squirrel to work this out?
What about AIBO, a robotic pet, developed in Japan? In Japanese aibou means “buddy”. These pets have been developed at huge cost mainly to provide entertainment. They've been used in movies and music videos. Universities have used them for educational purposes. However, in 2006 the company stopped producing these robotic pets in order to save money. Was it worth a lot of money?
Then there's NAO, a robot which has been developed by a French company. Its main purpose is to make life easier for humans. It speaks 19 languages and has its own personality. It can tell children a story, help in the classroom or the home, or act as a companion to those people who need someone to be with. A fully developed one costs $16,000. Is that value for money? Who can afford it anyway?
There may be good reasons why it is worth developing robots, but so far I haven't thought of any.
Jane works as a secretary (秘书) in a small office. Her boss, although kind, is sometimes a bit foolish. He likes to keep lots of plants in front of their office to attract (吸引) customers.
It seems to work, since Jane is often busy greeting new customers. Nearly every customer likes to take a look at the colorful plants.
One of Jane's other responsibilities (职责) is to water the plants. This is one of her favorite jobs to do around the office, as it allows her to spend some time outside away from her desk. She does it every morning before staring the rest of her work day.
One afternoon, her boss came over to her desk and kindly asked her to water the plants, as she hadn't done it yet that day.
"But sir, it's been raining outside all morning …" she said.
"Oh! I see, that explains it. Well here then, you can take my umbrella while you water them," the boss replied.
Mona Island is an amazing place to take a vacation. Some of the animals living there can't be found anywhere else in the world. There are fascinating beaches and caves to explore (探险). The sea around the island has colorful fishes.
Mona Island is very small. The government of Puerto Rico (波多黎各) takes care of the island and has made it a natural reserve. That means the island's animals and plants are protected from being harmed by people. Mona Island is different from most places because people are not allowed to live there. Only a few park workers are able to stay.
The park workers' job is to keep Mona Island safe and wonderful. Rules must be followed on the island. One rule is that only 100 people at a time can visit the island. That way, the park workers can make sure the land and animals remain safe.
On the island, visitors can go to see Mona Island iguanas (鬣蜥) which live only on Mona Island.
Also, visitors can come to the island to have a close look at many kinds of fishes. They can dive(潜水) far below the surface. They use special tools to be able to breathe under the water. Through the clear water, visitors can see the bright colors of the fishes.
Visitors can also explore caves. Some of the caves even have paintings on the walls. These paintings were made by some Indians who lived on the island hundreds of years ago.
After a full day of fun activities, visitors can take a rest, listen to the night sounds, and watch the stars in the huge sky. The stars are easier to see. Visitors say that watching the stars is amazing. It's the perfect end to a perfect day.
In 2007, Barrington Irving became the youngest person to fly alone around the world. He was just 23 years old—and he built the plane himself. How did he achieve this?
Irving's interest in flying started when he was 15. He was working in his parents' bookstore in Miami, Florida. One of the customers was a pilot, Gary Robinson. One day, Robinson asked Irving if he was interested in flying. Irving didn't think he was smart enough. But the next day, Robinson took Irving to an airport. He showed Irving inside the cockpit (驾驶舱) of a Boeing 777. That experience changed Irving's life.
Irving really wanted to fly, but flight school was expensive. To achieve his dream, he worked different jobs. He washed airplanes and cleaned swimming pools. At home, he practiced flying on a video game. In the end, he got enough money for flight school.
At flight school, Irving achieved his dream of learning how to fly. But he wasn't finished. Next, he planned to build his own plane and fly alone around the world.
Building the plane was difficult. Irving asked more than 50 companies for airplane parts. Most said no, but he persisted (顽强地坚持) in asking. Three years later, he had parts worth $300,000. Columbia, an airplane company, agreed to build a plane using the parts. Soon, his airplane was ready to fly.
On March 23, 2007, Irving began his round—the—world trip. After 97 days—with 145 hours in the air—he landed back in Miami. A cheering crowd of people was there to welcome him.
Irving saw many young people in the crowd, and this had a powerful effect (影响) on him. He wanted to use his experience to help other young people achieve their own dreams.
"Everyone told me what I couldn't do," says Irving. "They said I was too young, that I didn't have enough money. But even if no one believes in your dream," he says, "you have to pursue (追求) it."
a. Irving got the parts for his plane. b. Irving flew around the world,
c. Irving met Gary Robinson. d. Irving learned to fly.
Tomatoes taste great. With a lot of vitamins, they are good for you, too! People all over the world enjoy this amazing fruit.
Not all tomatoes are red. They can be yellow, orange, pink, or white. All tomatoes are green before they are ready to be picked. Then the tomatoes turn their true color. That's when they're ready to eat!
Tomatoes first grew in the Americas. The Incas grew them over 1, 000 years ago. They were introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the early 16th century. The Spanish and Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to accept them as food. In France, people grew tomatoes in the garden just to enjoy their beauty. Many people there thought tomatoes would make them sick. It was years before some of them would eat tomatoes.
Tomatoes are fruits. They grow from seeds. They won't grow in cold weather. But with water, sunlight and warmth, tomatoes grow fast. They can grow in pots or in the ground. As the plant grows taller, people may tic it to a stick. Next is the blooming stage.
Flowers appear. The flowers turn into fruit. Some kinds of tomatoes can be picked in about six more weeks. Some tomatoes are large. One kind of tomato can weigh as much as two pounds.
You can eat raw tomatoes. First, wash them. Then, cut them up for salads or sandwiches. Tomatoes can be cooked, too. They can be grilled, boiled, or even fried. Do you use ketchup? It is made from tomatoes. Tomatoes don't have a smell. But they taste great in foods around the world. Many dishes from India use tomatoes. Spaghetti sauce and pizza from Italy use them, too. Raw tomatoes are in Mexican salsa.
B . 
C . 
D . 
