A few years ago, my husband and I were on island for a long weekend with our 3-and 4-year-old daughters. As we went back and thought about1to do next, our girls jumped in and told us their ideas. Ariela and Eliana said that they wanted to go to the2museum.
When we walked3the main area of the museum, we saw thousands of beautiful butterflies. They all flapped (拍动) their colourful 4. My girls were jumping up and down5. I knew we had made the right6to come to the museum. They were having so much fun. I turned to our museum tour guide 7I was curious and asked, "How long do butterflies 8?" She said, "About ten days." "What can butterflies do in ten days?" I asked. The guide stopped, looked at me, and said, "They make the world a more 9 place."
"Wow," I said, "I10 thought about butterflies like that. Thank you!" After we said goodbye, I couldn't 11 thinking about what the guide had said. She was right. We all have something to 12the world with the time we have. When we focus our gifts on taking care of each other every day, we can make a 13.
There is no14that butterflies make the world a more beautiful place. You can also 15your life like a butterfly and appreciate the effect you can have on your family, friends, co-workers and neighbours.
Like a butterfly, we have our own way of making the world a little better for everyone.
The small red house on D Street was old enough. It had a blue roof. But Corita liked it. She was born in that house. Corita was seven and a half years old. One day her mother hugged her tight and said, "I have something to tell you. We have to move to another house."
Corita cried a little, but she got over it. She put all her toys into a box. Not her dolls, though. She held on to the dolls. The movers (搬家工人) came. They took the furniture and clothes. They took Corita's box of toys. "We'll meet you at the other house," they said.
Corita and her mother got on a bus. Corita held her dolls on her lap. The bus ride was long. After the bus ride, Corita and her mother walked two blocks. They came to a yellow house. It was old and little. The movers were there.
They all went into the house. Corita's mother showed the movers where to put things. She showed them the room for Corita's toys.
"Will this room be mine?"
"Yes," said her mother.
"What makes it so nice and bright?"
"Look up. Look toward the roof."
Corita looked up, "There is a window in the ceiling!"
Her mother smiled, "That's called a skylight. See the blue sky?"
Corita put her dolls on the bed. Then she took her toys out of the box. "I like this house," she told her mother. "This house is so nice."
"Were you afraid it wouldn't be nice?"
Corita laughed, "Well, my dolls were. But of course, they didn't know the skylight!"
Life is like a skylight. Only if we find the light things in our life, we will be always happy.
Do you want to travel in countries in Asia? You don't have to travel very far. Follow us, and you can enjoy these Asian adventures.
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Cycling in Guilin, China | Get around the city by cycling through Guilin, Guangxi Province. Mountains rise straight up, creating the only beauty. Bike paths take you past the villages and farms. Enjoy this beautiful views from your bike, or stop and talk with one of the villagers working in the field. | When you feel tired, take a boat trip along the beautiful and famous Lijiang River. |
| White-water rafting in Nepal | In Nepal, you can experience thrilling rapids(急流) and the beauty of Himalayas at the same time. Take a white-water rafting trip down the Sun Koki River, world-famous for its powerful rapids. | Don't go rafting in summer. Heavy rain raises the water level. |
| | Go diving in the clear waters around Spaded, an island in Malaysia, and discover an underground world. You'll see large sea animals swimming along. The colorful coral (珊瑚) along the reefs hides tiny fish. | You can dive at Spaded, but you can't sleep there. The island is a protected park, but you can stay on one of the nearby islands. |
It's sad to learn that a whale has died in the ocean. However, that's not the end for the whale. It has a lot to give to other sea animals after death.
When a whale dies, it quickly sinks (下沉) to the bottom of the ocean floor. There, the whale body provides food and nutrients (营养) to deep-sea animals, which are often hungry for food. The remains can last for hundreds of years and create a complex ecosystem called a whale fall (鲸落).
Chinese scientists found a whale fall for the first time in the South China Sea during a deep-sea expedition (考察) carried out by oceanic research vessel (舰) Tansuo-1, which finished its expedition on April 2, 2020. Tansuo-1 carried the manned submersible (潜水器) Shenhai Yongshi, which is able to dive to a depth of 4,5000 meters.
The whale fall in the South China Sea is about three meters long. Scientists have found several species (物种) of shrimp and fish near the whale fall. Some fish have started to eat the whale's tail. The whale fall might be quite recent and needs long-term observation (观察), according to Xie Wei, a scientist who took part in the expedition.
The whale fall ecosystem can exist in the deep ocean because great pressure and cold temperatures there prevent body from decomposing too quickly. But the depth also makes it hard for scientists to discover them. There are about 50 known whale falls in the world.
By studying the whale fall, scientists can better understand how marine (海洋的) ecosystems support life and how to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) resources in the deep sea.
a. To understand how marine ecosystem support life.
b. To find how long the whale fall is.
c. To protect biodiversity resources in the deep sea.
d. To study whether fish eat the whale's tail.
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by hand of her own further places of interest widely provided on her own guard against made of |
Chinese-language teacher Xie Fang is excited because one of her students from Indonesia has been admitted (接收) to Beijing Language and Culture University. The 19-year-old student, Alvin Rizqi Adrain, achieved his dream of studying in China, Xie said at a primary school in Shunde, Guangdong Province.
Xie met the boy five years ago when she was chosen to teach Chinese at Budi Utama Three Languages National School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. "Most Indonesian children start to learn Chinese after they enter primary school," Xie said. "But the textbooks from Singapore seemed difficult for them." Xie modified (修改) the content of the textbooks to make it easier to learn Chinese.
"More and more active students as well as those who were too shy to speak to me began to communicate with me in Chinese." Xie recalled. One student, Alvin Rizqi Adrain, impressed Xie a lot. "At that time, he was a middle school student. He was so interested in Chinese that he worked very hard to learn and practice," she said.
Bapak Djawadi, founder of the school, said that the reason he started the school was to help local children understand Chinese customs and values.
Those days in Indonesia are unforgettable for Xie. The local people have respect for Chinese teachers. Xie keeps in touch with her Indonesian students through the Internet.
A solar-powered airplane finished its first international flight from Switzerland to Belgium. This is a big step for solar power. Solar energy is clean and useful and you can find it everywhere. But what is solar energy? How do we use it? Let's find out.
Have you ever seen houses with shiny boards on the roofs? Those families are using solar power.
Solar power converts (转换) the sun's energy which is said to be greater than the other energy used by all humans all the year. People can convert solar power into heat and electricity.
In the 1830s, British scientist John Herschel used a solar collector to cook food in Africa. This is said to be human's first try at using solar energy. Today, people use it for many things.
Solar energy can light streets, warm houses and heat water. Unlike other resources, the sun's energy will run out for billions of years.
Australian students from the University of New South Wales made a solar-powered car on their own. It reached a speed of 120 km per hour. The car uses the same amount of electricity as an oven (微波炉). Moreover, American scientists made a solar-powered nanosatellite (微型卫星). Scientists sent it into space in 2012 to try to find Earth-like planets.
However, solar power has its problems. The amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface changes because of time and weather.
Scuba diving in Malaysia