【推荐2】After a month of fires that gave off record-breaking amounts of polluting gas, smoke from Siberian wildfires is now making its way to the west coast of the United States.

The New York Times’ Somini Sengupta reports that Arctic wildfires in June 2020 caused more pollution than the data (数据) that had been collected in the previous 18 years. Seasonal wildfires are common in Siberia, but this year’s fires are unusually widespread in part because of a climate change-driven heatwave. The Arctic is experiencing climate change-driven warming faster than the rest of the earth, which sets up the dry conditions that make fires spread.

“I was surprised to see a fire burning 10 kilometers south of a bay of the Laptev Sea, which is like, the sea ice factory of the world,” said fire researcher Jessica McCarty from Miami University in Ohio. “When I went into fire science as an undergraduate student, if someone had told me I’d be studying fire regimes (管强体制) in Greenland and the Arctic, I would have laughed at them.”

This June’s Arctic fires beat the pollution record set in 2019, said Mark Parrington, who works with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service tracking worldwide wildfires. Some of the fires may have spent the winter months smoldering (闷燃) only to grow again in warmer weather. And the weather has certainly gotten warmer. In June, a Russian town above the Arctic circle called Verkhoyansk hit a high temperature of 100,4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The current situation in the Arctic circle shows that previous predictions (预测) “underestimate what is going on in reality,” earth scientist Vladmir Romanovsky sold. He added that temperature observation in the High Arctic made in the last 15 years weren’t expected for another seventy years.

Millions of acres of land are on fire this wildfire season. Most of the wildfires are located in Siberia’s Sakha Republic, which sees wildfires frequently, but fires are also spreading further north and into unusual ecosystems, like those that are characterized by permafrost (永冻土).

【推荐3】After winning the gold medal in the women’s 10-meter platform diving competition in the Tokyo Olympics on Aug 5, 14-year-old Quan Hongchan has caught the attention of the nation. Not only because of her flawless performance, but also for the innocence she displayed while speaking with the media. Quan said her dream is to save enough money to treat her sick mother, buy snacks, and go to an entertainment park and a zoo.

Were it not for the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, Quan would not have participated in the Games as she only joined the national team last year. Quan is the third child of her parents who live in a village in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. The city of Zhanjiang has been a cradle of elite Chinese divers through the years, producing the likes of Lao Lishi, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, and He Chong, who ranked first at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

During a visit to Maihe Primary School, Chen Huaming, the diving coach at Zhanjiang Sports School, noticed Quan was more agile (敏捷的) and jumped much higher than other kids. After giving her a try on a diving board, he instantly knew he had discovered a true talent. Quan was not the only youngster to impress Chen, but he admitted she was the one that always practiced the hardest.

Now Quan has become a sporting sensation. Her previously quiet rural home has become a must-see place for not only locals, but also livestreaming hosts and business people, who come for various purposes, all of which are aimed at trying to capitalize on the national attention her success story has attracted.

These uninvited guests have seriously disturbed the Quan family's daily life, and their worldly-wise sophistication (精明) is in stark contrast with the innocence of Quan. The government is duty-bound to extend a helping hand to protect the family from being disturbed, so that the young diving genius can focus more on her training and studies.

【推荐1】A 33-year-old hospital security guard in Ottawa, Janelle Niles is making her childhood dream come true by moonlighting as a stand-up comic (喜剧演员).

But she was unhappy and unsatisfied to be the only Indigenous (土著的) comic on the bill most nights — and it didn’t take long for her to grow tired of being the “token (象征性的) one.” Niles loved the comedian Kenny Robinson’s long-running, all-Black Yuk Yuk’s Toronto set, “Nubian Show”, and wondered, “Well, where’s ours?”

Then she gave her all-Indigenous show a name.“Got Land?” is a nod to the Land Back movement. And Niles found some actors to make Indigenous comics, such as Don Kelly of APTN’s “Fish Out of Water”. Last September, Niles stood up inside Eddy’s Diner, an Ottawa diner, and welcomed the people to her show. The night sold out: she had to turn people away at the door.

Melissa Lambert-Tenasco attended the first show and is now a big fan. “Laughter is big in our communities,” she says, “and it was really nice to laugh with a group of Native people.”And while the show is “for our people, with our people,” Niles also wants “Got Land?” to help increase Canadians’ general knowledge about Indigenous culture. “It’s a safe environment for us not only to get along with each other, exchange laughs and get some knowledge,” she says, “but also to tell some unpleasant truths.”

Niles says her next step is to bring Indigenous comedy into the mainstream (主流). She wants to see Indigenous comedians share the stage next to big stars like Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr. Her own comedy dream is to be featured on “Just for Laughs”. ‘With ‘Got Land?’, I’m trying to pull everyone together,”says Niles. “As I make my way through comedy, I want to bring everyone with me.”

【推荐3】Li Hua Has Come Back

Most members of China’s post-80s and post-90s generations would be familiar with Li Hua, a character who appears as the leading role in many of the country’s English examinations.

President of the Student Union at Red Star High/Middle/Primary School, Li is a staple of English writing tests all the way through to the national college entrance exam.

Nicknamed the “King of English Writing”, Li is thought by netizens to be the child of Li Lei and Han Meimei, two other fictional characters who appear in students’ English textbooks.

Li Hua has the following features:

·Isn’t good at English.

·Doesn’t know how to write a letter or send an e-mail.

·Likes making friends, especially foreign friends.

·Thinks that you are his friend.

·Has big ideas, but can’t come up with detailed plans to carry them out.

·Has been at school far longer than most people.

·Always wants to undertake voluntary work, but never seems to be accepted.

·Is an activist in protecting the environment.

·Is always ready to help others.

But above all else, Li Hua has helped thousands of you improve your proficiency in English.

For those who have already left high school, thank Li for improving your writing skills. For those who are still at school, never miss a chance to help Li. Doing so will help your grades!

Gaokao always evokes the memory of those who have experienced it. Those questions, jokes of Gaokao, and the relaxed mood after the exam are always memorable.