—Oh, I bought them in the post office next to the bank.
Mr. Dawson is an old man with a bad temper (脾气). He had several apple trees in his yard, full of apples. However, kids were1to go into the yard. They would rather stay far away from it.
One day, 12-year-old Janet and 2 friend Amy had to walk past Mr. Dawson's yard. As soon as Janet saw him there, she suggested they cross the street and walk on 3side. But Amy said they didn't need to.
When Mr. Dawson saw Amy, he smiled and said, "Hello, Amy! I see you have a new friend 4you today." Amy smiled back. Mr. Dawson was kind and gave them each a fresh 5 from his yard.
Later, Janet asked Amy, "Everyone says Mr. Dawson is the 6 person in town. Why was he so nice to us?" Amy 7 that she was also afraid of him when she first walked past his yard. 8 she told herself the old man was not as cold as he seemed and tried smiling at him. To her9, the man smiled back. From then on, they began to talk more every time they met.
Janet then realized smiles do 10.
If we keep trying to smile at someone, sooner or later, they will smile back.
Every Saturday, Wang Fokun travels 40 minutes to "watch" a movie with his friends. He became blind in his early 50s. However, he can still enjoy movies in a "talking movie" club—Xin Deng Theater. The club is in Kunming, Yunnan. A group of volunteers there describe movies to blind people.
"I listened to a movie for the first time in the summer of 2019, and it was amazing. The volunteers did a great job." said Wang.
Describing movies to blind people can be challenging (有挑战性的). The volunteers must watch a movie three or four times to know everything in the movie. This way, they can describe the movie very clearly.
Zhou Quan started the club in 2017. "Movies are for everybody," said Zhou. "Xin Deng Theater hopes to share movies with blind people and help to light up their lives." Thanks to the special club, many blind people go out of their homes and their lives are more interesting.
Now many blind people come to Xin Deng Theater to "watch" movies every week. "They can enjoy the movies here. I'm so glad that I bring enjoyment to them." said Zhou.
"It's meaningful for us to spend our free time volunteering." said one volunteer.
We know many musical instruments well, such as pianos, violins, drums and so on. What about the erhu? The erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family, and it has a long history.
The modern erhu developed from the xiqin, which was played by many ethnic minorities (少数民族) during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use the erhu to perform different kinds of music, and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying (伴奏) instrument in different folk music. At present, it is used in both traditional and modern music, such as in pop, rock and jazz. It has even become a solo (独奏) instrument. One of the most famous musical pieces played on the erhu is Erquan Yingyue.
As the erhu was mainly played by common people and the playing skills were passed down orally (口头的), there are few written records about the erhu that can be found. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians (历史学者) usually turn to ancient paintings. The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province, where five erhu pictures were discovered on murals (壁画).
Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen ... Do you know where the names of Chinese space programs come from?
Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite (暗物质粒子探测卫星), is named after Chinese superhero Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, Monkey King has a pair of sharp eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.
The name of the space station, Tiangong, means "Heavenly Palace". In Chinese myths, this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space. And China welcomes foreign astronauts to Tiangong so that they can work together.
Tianwen, China's Mars missions (任务), gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen missions will end up answering some of Qu Yuan's questions.
If you look into more names of Chinese space programs, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished (珍藏已久的) space dream. So the naming of Chinese space programs is taken very seriously.
Do you feel nervous when you talk to your parents? Do you easily make them angry? Don't worry.
Find the common interests between you and your parents. For example, if you and your dad both like playing basketball, you can watch one game together and talk about it.
Try to start a dinnertime talk with your parents. Ask your parents about their day, and they will open up to you easily. Don't forget that you have to open up to them, too. Besides, it's also a good idea to share something about the latest movies. Soon all of you will have a good conversation.
Eye contact (交流) is necessary. Don't be bored, or they will probably stop talking and walk away. If you listen patiently, they'll be interested in talking to you. As a result, there will be a warm conversation between you and your parents.
In a word, it's easy to get along well with your parents if you see them as your friends.
A. Let them know you're listening.
B. Tell them what happened at school.
C. It's important to have a healthy diet.
D. Look at your parents when you talk.
E. Get some training at a parents' school.
F. You can find the conversation will come easily.
G Here is some advice about how to talk to your parents.
