Unusual “Concerts”
Opera singer Erin Shields sings “Being Alive” while her husband David Shenton plays the violin. It is a popular1from the Broadway（百老汇）Show Company. But Shields has 2 extra（额外的）levels of meaning to do it.
Both Shields and Shenton are 3. Because of COVID-19, they aren't able to perform（表演）around the world now.4, they have been broadcasting（通过广播播出）their performances from home.5 their online “concerts”, they have been raising money for people 6.
It all began when Shields saw many people 7 up outside a local church. These people were asking for 8. After COVID-19 broke out, many people lost their jobs. However, they9 had to feed their families. Shields felt the need to help. “I though, 'I'm not a doctor. I don't really have much to 10,'” she said. “But then I thought, 'well, you know, we 11 perform.”
In just six months, Shields and Shenton have raised thousands of dollars by performing online.12 the money they have raised is being used to feed 13 people in their neighborhood.
Shields says volunteering has now become more important than ever. It's just 14 her mom always said: Volunteer to help other people if you are feeling 15. It will make you feel better. We can always find ways to help others.
Everybody, Smile! Let's Take a Photo
Take a look at these funny photos! A happy lion, a cute fish and two fighting kangaroos. They made the judges of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards laugh!
The closing date for entering this competition is June 30. The judges have received thousands of photos from around the world. They have posted some of their favourite ones online to attract more people to send in their photos.
In 2015, two Englishmen, Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, started the competition. They wanted to show people the lighter side of wildlife photography and help to save wild animals through the use of humour. Each year, the competition supports a different animal charity. This year, it is helping to save wild orangutans（红毛猩猩）in Indonesia.
“To save animals, we need people to fall in love with them,” said Paul. These photos show us the lovely and funny side of the animals in our natural world!”
Peking Opera is a traditional form of Chinese culture. In Peking Opera, each character has their face painted in a specific（特定的）way. By looking at the face painting, the audience can know who the good guy is and who the bad guy is.
Where did this kind of face painting come from? An old story told us that it had something to do with the Prince of Lanling. This prince was one of the four most handsome men in ancient China. Some soldiers in the prince's army thought that he was weak because of his good-looking face. So, to make himself look more powerful, the prince wore a mask with an ugly face painted on it.
Another story about face painting was related to Li Longji, an emperor in the Tang Dynasty. He loved opera very much. One day, a clown actor（丑角）fell ill right before a performance. The emperor decided to play this role himself. He covered his face with a piece of white square jade（玉）so that others wouldn't be able to recognize（认出）him. Ever since then, clown actors have continued to paint white squares on their faces.
As time went on, face painting started being used to show the personality of different roles. It has become one of the many special art forms of Peking Opera.
B . 
C . 
D . 
I was on a train in Switzerland（瑞士）. Thirty minutes later, the train came to a stop and the conductor's（乘务员）voice over the loudspeaker delivered a message in German, Italian and French. I'd made the mistake of not learning any of those languages before my vacation. Everyone started getting off the train and an old woman saw that I was confused and stressed. (I had to catch an overnight train to Rome, and I was flying home from there). She could speak some English and told me that an accident had happened on the tracks（轨道）. She asked me where I was trying to get to, then went and talked to some workers, and came back to tell me that we'd have to hop（换乘）trains three or four times to get there.
I was really glad she was heading the same way because it would have been impossible for me to figure it out on my own（自己弄清楚）. So we went from one train station to the next, getting to know each other along the way. She was really the sweetest woman. It was a 2.5-hour journey in total, and when we made it to the final destination（目的地）, we got off and said our goodbyes. I had made it just in time to catch my train to Rome. She told me she had a train to catch as well. I asked her how much farther she had to go and it turned out（结果是）that her home was two hours back the other way. She had jumped from train to train and travelled the whole just to make sure that I made it. I was in shock. A woman spent her whole day sitting on trains and taking her hours away from her home just to help out a confused（迷惑的）tourist visiting her country.
No matter how many countries I visit, I'll always say the most beautiful country in the world is Switzerland.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
|
A mother rabbit warned her son Peter about the dangers of playing in the vegetable garden. However, Peter turned his back on the warning and was nearly caught by the farmer. |
| The Tale of Peter Rabbit was written by Beatrix Potter(1866-1943). Beatrix Potter is a celebrated English writer and illustrator（插图画家）. She was best known for her children's books which feature（以...为特色）animals. The Tale of Peter Rabbit: ·was written in 1893 and published in 1902. ·is one of the best-selling books of all time. ·has been translated into 36 languages. |
Here I Am, Mars!
Ding! This is your captain, Tianwen-1, speaking. We expect to land on Mars soon.
Ah, what a long flight! Finally, it's time for me to start working. Wow! What a (beauty) place it is! It seems to be red all over!
Oh, I just forgot to introduce (I). My name is Zhurong（祝融）. I was born in China. I'll be the country's (one) spacecraft to land on Mars and explore this famous planet. It's a difficult job but very (value). It takes lots of Chinese scientists many days and nights (train) me. I feel very proud to be a pioneer!
I know many of you are (interest) in Mars. For the next three months, I'll be working very hard. Perhaps I'll run into many (difficulty), but I'll never give up. I'll try my best to let Chinese scientists learn more about Mars.
Now it's time to set out! Wish me good luck and wait for my good news!
A script for hosting a show
It's time for Travel Quiz, and here's your host, Lester Li.
Today we have (A)______ contestants. They'll try to win our grand prize — a trip (B)______ two to Paris.
Our first contestant is a postman, William Chen. His hobby is collecting stamps and postcards, and he's from Beijing.
Our second contestant is a university student from Shanghai. Her name is Angela Wei. (C)虽然她年轻, she's travelled to ten different countries around the world. Finally, our third contestant loves travelling. She's a travel book writer from Nanjing, Michelle Luo.
The rules of Travel Quiz are (D) simple. I'll read a question, and the first contestant to push the button on his or her desk will get to answer. (E) We give points for correct answers.
So, are you (F) prepared for it? Our first question is ...
...
You're tonight's lucky winner. You've won tonight's prize!
Thanks, everyone. That's tonight's show. See you next time.
Just like many other parts in Australia, the Lake Tyers region（泰尔斯湖地区）has long suffered from wildfires. (A)______ this region is different from others because of its fire brigade（消防队）— the firefighters are all women. ①
Charmaine is the leader of the team. About twenty years ago, a house in Lake Tyers caught fire. It was burned down because there was no fire brigade nearby. ② They started knocking on their neighbor's doors to look for teammates. (B) 五名妇女加入了她们。 Together they asked the government to give them firefighter training.
③ Since their fire brigade was set up, this well-trained group has put up many fires. Their job is not only to protect people and houses, but also to save their own history. (C) They have helped to find hundreds of ancient artifacts（文物）on their land.
“When we first set up the team, some people called us the Banana Women,” Charmaine said, “Because we wore bright yellow uniforms.” They liked the name (D) ______ much that they kept calling themselves this name. They are the bravest “Banana Women” in Australia!
| a group of feel ashamed of make jokes about was awful of your advice |
Dear Aunt Linda,
I read your advice page every week. It is very useful.
I have a problem with my friends, and I need .
Last week, I went out with friends. We saw an old lady lying in the street. She looked very sick. My friends her and laughed. Though I wanted to help her, my friends told me not to. It them to laugh at her, and I regret not saying anything. I myself. What should I do in this situation?
Yours
Li Hua
