When we heard Yuan Longping called "Father of hybrid rice (杂交水稻之父"passed away 1May 22, 2021, we felt very sad.
Yuan Longping was born in Beijing in 1930. He kept 2 hybrid rice for a long period of time. At Iasi, he was successful in developing the world's high-yield (高产的hybrid rice in 1973. It helped many countries grow 3 rice than before. He spent over fifty years on the hybrid rice4 . He has helped China create a great 5—managing to feed almost one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land.
He used to have two 6 . The first one is that people can enjoy the cool from the shade (阴凉处) of the rice which is strong and 7enough. The second one is that the whole world can 8 the rice he developed and all the people in the world are not hungry.
After his deaths alt the people around the world have 9 the great man because he has worked a lot for the hungry world.
10 the true food hero has left us, his spirit will live in people's hearts all the lime.
I was in line al the post office and behind me was a homeless man. He looked so dirty that the others in line stood back several feel away from him. I didn't even notice him until I saw the fat woman behind the counter (柜台) looking at him angrily.
I caught the man's eye, but he quickly looked away. I smiled at him saying a soft "Hello!" He looked at me in surprise when realizing that it was talking to him. Maybe he wanted to respond (回应)to me. But it seemed a little difficult. He looked away again. I tried saying that it was a beautiful day. He replied "Yes" quietly. At that time, the fat woman called my name and we had to stop talking. When I turned to leaver 1 said to him "Have a nice day!"
As I was getting in my car, the man ran towards me and asked if he could help. I used a wheelchair (轮) so he helped me put it on the back seat. I thanked him a lot. But the man said, "Madam, I want to say a big thank-you for being so kind. Nobody has talked to me so politely. May you have a nice day, too!" Then he turned and walked away.
15 years ago, my parents bought a small house in the countryside, which they used for holidays. After I was born, they started going to the holiday house more. We used to drive 3 hours to reach the house every Friday evening.
During the week my parents worked in London. My two brothers and I went to expensive private schools and we were all very busy. We hardly saw each other. We had several babysitters (临时保姆) as my parents had to work long hours. The only lime we could be together was the weekend, and that was my happiest lime. However, every Sunday morning was torture because we had to leave the house. We all hated leaving our village friends and the beautiful countryside.
Last year my dad had had enough (受够了). He sold our big house near London and my parents gave up their jobs and long working hours. They bought a smaller car. We're now living in our holiday house—two adults, three kids and a dog. My parents got jobs that allow them to work from home. We never have babysitters.
The best change for me is that now I go with my brothers lo n small local school. After school we get on our bikes and ride around to see friends. My life is just so different. We feel calm (平静的)and happy. We have fewer things but for me it seems like we have so much more. I'm so glad we've changed our way of life.
Fengxiang, a county in Shaanxi Province, is well-known for its clay figurines (雕像). The craft (手艺)of making clay figurines dates back over 3i 000 years. Records show the craft appeared during the Western Zhou Dynasty and developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The bright-colored figurines show Chinese rich history and culture.
Ancient people enjoyed buying clay figurines in the past, especially during festivals or holidays> believing the figurines would bring good luck and happiness to their families.
Different skills, such ns paper cutting, embroidering (刺绣)and painting are used to make the figurines. People make clay figurines in two ways. The first one is the mold (模具)making way—the artist creates the figurines from clay in molds. The second skill is the hand- making way—the artist shapes clay into different animals.
Old craftspeople (工匠) did their best lo pass on the craft to younger people. However, because of the rapid technological development, clay figurines have been produced in a great number of molds. That has influenced the development of the handmade objects. In 2006, the art form was added to the list of China's intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产).
In recent years, the government of Fengxinng County has been trying to increase the production of clay figurines. Then the old art form becomes popular again. Along with the Chinese market, the clay figurines have sold well in many other countries such as Australia, Singapore, Japan and the United States.
Ballpoint pens(珠笔)are everywhere. Around the world, 57 ballpoint pens arc bought every second,
The history of the ballpoint pen goes back to the 1930s. Laszlo Biro was a Hungarian newspaper editor(编辑). While working, he noticed that his fountain pen (钢笔)created problems. He had to fill it with ink from time to time. He wondered if it was possible to produce a better pen. So, he did.
The first one was invented by John J. Loud in 1888 in America, but it didn't work well. Biro made two important improvements. First, he placed a small metal ball at the tip (尖端)of the pen, so it no longer cut the paper. The ball and small space around it also made sure that the ink didn't come out too fast The second improvement was ink quality.
This was an important change—people didn't need to wait for the ink to dry.
Biro's pens worked very well, but it wasn't successful until a French man bought the rights (权利)to make it in 1950. Marcel Bich divided the pen into eight pieces that were easy to make and put together in a factory.
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A. Biro didn't invent the ballpoint pen but improved it. B. How did such a simple pen become so popular? C. The first ballpoint pen was invented in France. D. By 1965t ballpoint pens were available around the world. E. And sometimes the ink made a mess on the paper. F. Marcel Bich sold Biro's ballpoint pens to the world. G. Biro and his brother George developed a kind of thick ink which dried quickly. |
