– Because he stayed up late to watch the soccer game last night.
— Because the sun is too bright.
—Yes. I ____ it a moment ago.
— Thank you! I'm so lucky to have a friend like you.
—Because it has the ____ seats.
—There is a bookstore on the third floor. You can buy it there.
A：Lin Feng, where did you go on summer vacation？
B：I went to Beijing by train.
A：
B：Because taking the train is more convenient than taking the plane.
A：How long does it take from Changchun to Beijing？
B：But the station is much nearer than the airport.
A：That's true. Trains in our country are much faster than before and they are very comfortable.
B：Do you know most of the trains are developed by Changchun Railway Vehicles Corporation（长春客车厂）？They are called China standard EMC（动车组）. They are the fastest trains in the world today.
A：Really？Just in our hometown？
B：You are right. And EMC are also used in some other countries, like Russia, Mexico and US.
A：
B：So am I.
A. How proud I am feeling! B. More than five hours. C. Why didn't you take the plane？ D. They reach the speed of 350 km an hour. E. You can get there more quickly. F. We can not only make everyday things but also make high—technology products. |
In July, China introduced the" double reduction" policy（"双减"政策）. It hopes to reduce（减少）students' learning burden（负担）1 reducing homework and after— school classes. One month has passed2 the new term began. How do students feel about this new policy?
" Our homework is clearly3 than before, " said 13— year— old Shen Yuzhe from Beijing. "We are not encouraged to buy workbooks any more. The exercises are mainly from the4 . "
According to Shen, teachers now teach more5 . Students have enough time to process new knowledge. " Our teachers are also giving us more6 to do experiments （实验） and learn from real life, " said Shen. " For example, we went to7 plants in a field during a biology（生物学） class. This is a much better way to8 things than just reading the books. "
For 13— year— old Zhang Hangming from Tianjin, the best thing about"double reduction"is the increased time in after— school activities. "We can now spend more time taking part in clubs and activities,9 dancing, volleyball and drama. I have joined a group10 'leadership development in business' where I can learn all kinds of skills, "said Zhang.
Both Shen and Zhang find there are fewer exams now. But they think it's not really a（an）11 thing. " Exams make me study harder. Each exam shows my12 as well as my weak points, "Zhang said.
Shen also pointed out that when burden is lightened（减轻）, self— discipline（自律）becomes the 13 . " Some students now spend more time having fun14 homework is finished early. But if you use all the free time to15 , you might fall behind others, " he said.
Paper cutting is one of the traditional folk arts in China. It has been popular for over 1, 500 years. Paper cutting sounds very easy but it can be difficult to do. The paper is folded before it is cut with scissors. Now let's learn more about paper cutting.
Wonderful meanings.
Paper cutting has some wonderful meanings. In our mind, paper cuttings can always bring us happiness and good luck. At the Spring Festival, people put up fu on doors or windows. At a wedding, people also put up xi.
The Largest paper cutting in the world.
The largest paper cutting was made by Gao Xiaodong. It has an area of about 456 square meters.
Why are most paper cutting red？
In old time, people praised the sun. Red is the color of the sun. We always regard red as the symbol of hope and good luck. Now we can still see red everywhere in China. The walls of old palaces are red. Most of lanterns are red. Weddings are always full of red things, too.
Black paper cutting to Shanzhou.
It's true that most paper cuttings are red. But paper cuttings in Shanzhou, Henan Province are black. Black is the best color there. Shanzhou is a dry place. The local people make black paper cutting to wish for rain.
There were two men who lived next to each other. One of them was a teacher and the other was an insurance agent（ 保险代理人）. Both of them had planted many different plants in their gardens. The teacher seldom watered his plants and didn't pay a lot of attention to them. But his neighbor was very careful with his plants and watered them often.
The teacher's plants were small, but still okay, while the insurance agent's plants were much bigger and greener. One night, there was heavy rain and wind because of a storm. The next morning, both of the neighbors came out to check on their gardens. The insurance agent saw that his plants were totally damaged（破坏）. But the teacher's plants were not damaged at all but stood firmly.
The insurance agent was surprised. He went to ask the teacher for help. "We both grew the same plants and I cared for my plants better than you did. How could your plants still be okay? "
The teacher smiled and said, "Because you gave your plants too much attention. You made it too easy for them to grow. I gave my plants just a little bit of water, so their roots had to grow deeper to absorb（吸收） more water. That is why my plants didn't die. "
China is the hometown of kites. Making and flying kites is one of the Chinese ancient folk skills. Kites are also an important part of the Chinese culture.
Kites were invented by the Chinese during the Spring and Autumn Period, having a history of over 2, 000 years. It is said that Modi, an ancient Chinese thinker, made a wood bird after the work of three years. This might be the earliest kite in human history. Then Lu Ban made changes to the kite of Modi by using bamboos. Some folk custom experts told that ancestors invented kites mainly to memorize their family members and friends who have died. So on the Qingming Festival people would make and fly kites, hoping that their sadness could be passed to the dead through the kites. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, kites began to be used for the purpose of sending messages. Since the Sui— Tang Period, paper has been used to make kites because of the papermaking. In Song Dynasty, flying kites became a favorite outdoor sport of the people. According to researchers, kites were spread to Korea in the tenth century and then to Japan, and they were not spread to Europe until the thirteenth or fourteenth century.
Flying kites needs skills. The controlling string （绳） and the pulling force are decided by the size and the shape of the kites, the environment and the wind. Right wind often blows in spring, making it the perfect season for flying kites. If we want to play for fun, flying kites should avoid cloudy days and rainy days. Safety is also an important consideration. Flying kites should be done on an open ground and it is not wise to fly kites in dangerous places such as water side and tops of buildings.
In ancient times, children didn't have smart phones, iPads or computers to enjoy themselves. Let's take a look.
Playing stone balls. During the Qing dynasty（朝代）, kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China. Stones were made into small balls. And then kids kicked them.
Hide— and— seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the world. There are two ways to play: cover a child's eyes while other kids ran around to make fun of him or more commonly, some kids hide and one child must try to find them.
Watching shadow plays. Shadow puppets were made from the leather of donkeys（驴皮）. There was light behind a large white screen on the table. The player controlled puppets and told stories. People could see the movement from the other side of the screen.
Playing diabolo（空竹）. Diabolo passed down to common people during the Ming dynasty. Throwing and catching the high— speed turning diabolo on ropes always makes a sound.
A. Playing hide— and— seek. B. And the kids often played it in winter to keep warm. C. It's made of wood and bamboo, and it's empty in the center. D. Watching shadow plays was very popular during the Song dynasty. E. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood. |
Nancy moved to Alaska with her family, but she liked living in Texas and missed her friends. After school every day, she would read different novels because it made her forget about her old school. Nancy was struggling to get used to the new school.
Nancy was a tall eight— year— old girl. She had reddish brown hair with glasses. Nancy was very smart and did well in all of her classes. But she was very shy and timid （胆怯的）. The only class she didn't like was P. E.
One day, there was a basketball game of boys against girls. As soon as the game started, the boys scored some points quickly. Nancy had wonderful memories of playing basketball with her friend Sarah in Texas and this sparked （激起） her interest to join in and play the game.
One hour in the game, the score was tied. One of the boys caused a personal foul （犯规 ） on Nancy. It was her turn to shoot the ball. She made it. The girls won.
Nancy had no idea how well she could play basketball until she tried. She thought to herself, "I need to open my heart and my mind to new challenges as they come. " After that day, she was excited to go to school every day.
Everyone has to face new challenges. At first they are difficult but as time goes by, things do get better.
Where does the seafood we eat come from? You may have a quick answer: the sea. Xinjiang people may say: "It is not always true. "
Xinjiang is far the sea. Now it welcomes a big harvest（丰收） of local" seafood", as shrimp（虾） and crabs（螃蟹）.
The most import ant thing for aquatic products（水产品） is water. Xinjiang has many rivers and lakes with water is from the melting（融化的） snow and glaciers（冰川） of the Tianshan Mountains. With the water, fish ponds（鱼塘） can （build）.
Also, land in Xinjiang has a lot of salt. This is not good for （grow） crops（庄稼）. But" one man's trash（垃圾） is another man's treasure". The land makes the underground water （salt）. People turn the water into" man— made seawater". They then use it to raise sea fish, shrimp, crabs and so on.
Now, some of Xinjiang's "seafood" goes to many （city） in China. It also goes to countries in Southeast Asia.
Many people are worried about the （safe） of seafood because of the nuclear contaminated water（核污染水）. Now, Xinjiang's "seafood" is becoming a new （choose） for seafood lovers.
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▲Help（s） Me Grow
