There's a famous saying in the film Forrest Gump(《阿甘正传》)，"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. "The surprise is part of the fun. It is not only from the chocolates you find in the box but also the process of opening the box. Now blind box toys, which are just like boxes of chocolates, have gotten popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014.
Blind box toys are hidden inside the same packaging (包装). So, the buyers don't know what will be inside until they open the boxes. The most popular toys with small sizes in the blind boxes are typically cute characters which come from pop movies, comics and cartoons. There are a few special ones in many common boxes. "Maybe the next one is a $10, 000 worth of gold toy. Why not take a risk of paying $100 for another box?"said one buyer. The mystery is endless. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better result.
Besides expecting good results, people also enjoy the surprise and uncertain mysteries. "Opening a blind box like opening birthday gifts is an enjoyable surprise for our simple daily lives, said a 24-year-old girl. "When I open these simple little boxes, I feel disappointed at one, but I feel excited at another. What really makes me interested in them is the process of opening the boxes. "A fear of the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process, and waiting for the uncertainty (is another part of the fun. "Waiting to open the boxes gives me a feeling of satisfaction, "said Zhao Xi, a 30-year-old Beijing reporter. "The fun of life is like 13. ▲ , and it doesn't come from the result but the process. "
Can the "double reduction" policy(双减政策) really help you? Some students have different answers. Let's have a look.
Shen Yuzhe, 13, Beijing
It really helps me a lot. I don't need to do too much homework. I can finish it at school. I don't need to take it home. I can swim or play ping-pong with my father. I'm very happy.
Zhang Hangming, 13, Tianjin
I like the "double reduction" policy very much, because I can have free time to do my favorite things on Saturday and Sunday. I like to play the piano and play volleyball. I join a music club and I can go there on Saturday.
Yu Zhiyue, 14, Jiangsu
With the "double reduction" policy, I really have less homework to do. But now I can only take tutoring classes(辅导班) from Monday to Friday. So Monday is a very long day for me. On that day, I need to have classes on the computer at home after school. I am very tired.
Cui Ruqi, 12, Liaoning
It makes me have happy weekends. I can play the piano or read my favorite books on the weekend. I want to be a musician like my mother. She can play the piano and the violin very well.
For a long time, "made in China" made people think of cheap, low-quality goods. China was just the world's factory. But now Chinese brands are popular and being accepted in the world.
Time magazine recently released a list of the 100 most influential companies in the world. Several Chinese companies were included, such as Tech giants Alibaba, Huawei, Tencent, DJI, TikTok and DiDi Chuxing. These companies are shaping the world with highly developed technology. For example, Huawei is the world's second-biggest mobile phone company. Time reported that DJI holds 70 percent of the drone(无人机)market in the world. This year, it invented a new drone with a set of glasses that gives users a first-person picture of their drone 5s flight. TikTok has become one of the most popular apps in the US with its endless videos. Millions of the US users spend an average of 46 minutes on it every day.
Chinese fashion has also attracted global consumers (消费者). In 2011, Chinese brands Feiyue, Huili and LI-NING got international attention. More recently, SHEIN has become one of the most popular Chinese fast fashion brands abroad. In 2020, its income reached over 10 billion dollars an increase of 100 percent over the year before, Global Times reported. Many European consumers say SHEIN is affordable, fashionable and of high quality.
A bigger market is good for Chinese brands. In the future, Chinese brands will continue to develop.
Have you ever seen a solar panel （太阳能电池板）in your neighborhood？ Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity．Over the past ten years， the price of solar panels has gone down greatly．In many parts of the world，solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity． More and more people have started using solar energy to power （给……供电）their homes．
However， solar panels also have their problems．They stop working at night and on rainy days． Is it possible to make them produce electricity all of the time？
Scientists at Suzhou University， China， have invented a new solar panel now． It can produce electricity not only from solar energy but also from falling rain． When a raindrop falls on the solar panel and then rolls （滚动） down， it creates friction （摩擦力） on the surface of the panel， which can then be turned into electricity．
Sun Baoquan is one of the inventors．"Our new invention can produce electricity in any weather during the day，" he says．"It can even provide electricity at night if there is rain．"
The solar panel， however， does not make much electricity from falling rain．So Sun Baoquan is still working hard to improve it． The scientist also wants to make solar panels more flexible(灵活的)， which are as soft as clothing．
The field of solar energy is developing fast．Scientists around the world have been improving solar panels． Some have been working on ways to join solar panels and wind power together． Some have been trying to use sunlight to produce liquid and gas fuels （ 液体和气体燃料）．
Food is something that is well grown for months before it arrives at our shops. Your food is at its best when it's on your plate, ready to be enjoyed. It's perfect in your fridge, ready to be used.
In England people waste7 million tons of food every year. 2/3 of it can still be eaten. We are not talking about eggshells or chicken bones. Actually we have the power to improve this situation.
Saving food means saving money, but look at a bigger picture. Why? Because it helps slow down global warming. Sadly, the UK is a big releaser of greenhouse gases in the world.
By using up every bit of your food, you are doing your bit to look after the environment.
The average family of four can save just over 60 dollars per month by reducing(减少)their food waste. Whether you are buying food or ordering a meal at a restaurant, every decision is a chance to save food from waste. If you can't make good use of the extra parts of food, don't be attracted by it. And if you can't finish your meal, get a takeaway bag!Food is made to be loved, so that's what we should do. The time is now, and the answer is simple:Love food, hate waste, We'll help you every step of the way.
A. Imagine what we can achieve if we all make a change. B. Here are many different ways to protect the environment. C. It is at its worst when it is in your dustbin. D. Even if you are too hungry, don't order any food. E. Reducing food waste is necessary for the planet. F. We believe that every person can play a role in saving food. G. If you don't want a side salad, ask for your meal without it. |
Mishak is a1 from an elephant rescue(救援）center.2 many elephants meet problems, so they need rescuing here. For one thing, hunters kill elephants for their ivory. For another, people build homes and plant fields where 3 used to live. Hungry elephants walk into the villages and fields to look for food. They often cause serious damage(破坏)，so farmers kill4 . As a result, adult elephants often leave their babies behind.
When a baby elephant5 its mother, it's also in great danger. This is because it needs its mother's milk for about four years.6 this milk, the baby has little chance to live. Research shows that elephants, like people, have 7 . If the mother elephant dies, the baby elephant often becomes sad and ill.
The center's job is to raise these baby elephants and send them back to the8 step by step. First, keepers take turns looking after the baby elephants9 they don't want an elephant to depend on one of the keepers too much. Then keepers take the elephants into the forest. When an elephant is four and no longer needs milk, keepers move it to the wild. This makes elephants become 10 . It often takes them eight to ten years to get used to the wild.
Falling on March 21 this year, Spring Equinox, also called Chunfen in Chinese, is the (four) of the Twenty-four Solar Terms. It marks the same (long) of the day and night.
Have you ever wondered about the origin (起源) of this special solar term? It is said that a long time ago, as there was not enough sunlight, it was almost (possible) for people to grow crops. One day, Emperor Yandi decided to fly to Penglai Island on a five-colored bird to search for the sun so his people could enjoy a better harvest. After a dangerous journey, he brought the sun back and hung it in the sky. From then on, there were plenty of crops on Earth and people lived happily and (peace). This day is called Chunfen.
Today, people in different places have different traditions to celebrate Chunfen. Chunfen is the best time to fly kites. The wind for kite flying can't be too strong or too gentle. The gentle wind on the day of Chunfen perfectly (satisfy) those needs, so it is easier for kites to go up. It is usually wonderful time for people, both old and young, to go to the open spaces to fly kites. It ( believe) that flying kites on Chunfen can drive away bad luck and bring back good luck.
Chunfen also means hope and growing up, just like the plants. Since ancient times, people ate food based on the changes of (season). In southern China's Fujian and Guangdong provinces, people (live) in villages dig wild vegetables and cook them in soup to clean their stomachs. The meals are also thought as a way to wish for a healthy and strong body. During Chunfen, wheat grows and flowers come out. Leek (韭菜) is delicious and fresh. It's the best time to cook food with it, although cooking styles are quite different between northern and southern China.
When Chunfen comes, remember to have fresh vegetables on your table. Also, don't say no if you are invited to take part in different activities to enjoy the good weather.
In Chinese poet Yu Guangzhong's poem Nostalgia, he describes his memory for his late mother as a grave(坟墓)，"Nostalgia was a low grave/Me on the outside/, Mother on the inside". And when the news came that Yu passed away on Dec 14, 2017, his fans rewrote his poem to express their nostalgia for this great writer:"Now it's us on the outside, and you on the inside. "
Born in 1928 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, Yu spent his younger days on the Chinese mainland before moving to Taiwan in his 20s. Nostalgia, which Yu wrote in his 40s to voice his homesickness for his childhood motherland-became his most well-known work. The poem appeared in Chinese school textbooks and was written into songs.
However, the fact that Nostalgia became so famous also worried Yu because among the over 1, 000 poems that he'd written, Nostalgia seemed to be the only one that the public ever talked about and enjoyed. "I'd like to think of Nostalgia as my business card, but unfortunately it got too big that it kept people from seeing the real me, "Yu once said. Writing poems is only one of Yu's many talents. And he used his talents well. He spent his whole life working, even in his 80s. To him, writing was an important part of life that shouldn't be affected by age or anything else.
参考词汇：diet(v. 节食)，appearance(n. 外貌)，inner beauty(内在美)
Dear Li Hua,
I have been a bit larger than other girls since I was little. For a long time, this really troubled me. I feel more worried because I will start my senior high school life soon! I am afraid that the students in the new school will laugh at me because I am "big". I decide to look more beautiful, so I want to lose weight by dieting. What do you think of my plan? Can you give me some advice?
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Amy
要求：1. 要点齐全，并适当发挥；2. 文中不得出现真实姓名与校名；3. 卷面整洁，书写美观;4. 80词左右。开头与结尾已给出，不计人总词数。
Dear Amy,
I have received and read your letter, in which you said you wanted to lose weight by dieting.
