【推荐1】Figure skating(花样滑冰), as we know it, got its start in the mid-19^th century when an American named Jackson Haines combined dancing and skating for the first time. Americans did not accept Jackson’s technique at that time.     1    There he achieved an immediate success. And about 50 years later, Jackson’s style finally caught on in the United States.

    2     Figure skating first appeared at the London 1908 Summer Games, while the first Winter Games was held in 1924.

In single skating, each skater performs a short routine of required steps.     3    The pain skating follows the same format, but with one male and one female performing together.     4     Bu unlike pair skating, ice dance does not include overhead lifts and jumps. An ice dance competition is made up of three parts: one part is set to music that has a required rhythm and tempo and the other two parts are set to whatever music the ice dancers choose.

A panel of mine judges scores the quality of each figure skating performance, but only scores of seven judges are used. To determine which judge’s scores will be used, there is a random draw before each event. Skaters are given a grade for each step, jump, spin, or any other element that is part of their routine. They also receive an overall score for each performance.     5    

【推荐1】Because of the COVID-19, we have to study at home. But Lee taught us a lot of intriguing and useful things. What gave me the most unforgettable memory is a lesson about Li Ziqi. In class, we have learned relevant words, improved our reading level, expanded our knowledge, and further understood the importance of traditional culture to the nation. We also call on more people to protect, promote and carry forward our traditional culture.

That is one of the Chinese students commented after a somewhat special so-called Chinese-culture-related English class on Li Ziqi, a celebrity of contributing to the promotion of Chinese traditional culture.

Her life looks like one straight out of a fairy tale. Li Ziqi, without much exaggeration, starts with almost nothing all by herself. Soon she impresses millions with her videos, where she makes seemingly everything from scratch with her own two hands, from dying a dress with fresh grape juice to fashioning traditional lipstick from roses in her garden to searching on horseback in order to prepare one exquisite meal after another, after which she sometimes brings his neighbors her hand-made and scrumptious food and even helps them to do likewise by themselves.

She has some 50 million fans in China and another 8 million overseas, but she remains a mystery to many of them. In her videos, she doesn't speak, and she rarely gives interviews. Li grew up with her grandparents in rural Sichuan Province in southwestern China. She says she came to live with them as a little child after her stepmother mistreated her. But they were poor, so when she turned 14, Li went to work in the city. In 2012, she decided to return to the countryside to take care of her grandmother.

Four years later, she started filming her life there. The dishes she prepares range from a single condiment to elaborate multi-course meals. But whatever she makes, she leaves no stone unturned, going as far as raising baby ducklings just to make a sauce out of salted duck eggs. Some joke that she's brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “from scratch”.

【推荐2】It is presently harvest (收获) season for Christian Nacht Wey, who operates an apple farm, or orchard, in the western German town of Gelsdorf. Besides apples, Nacht Wey’s farm also produces a second harvest: electricity. Many of the farm’s trees grow under solar panels (太阳能电池板) that have been producing power during this year’s unusually sunny summer. Putting solar equipment on the same land as crops is becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America. Farmers are finding that this method can make the most of their land, while creating a second way to earn money.

But getting the right mix of crop and solar is difficult. Most fruit requires specific growing conditions. Even small changes in the environment can harm crops and cause money losses. Even if the fruit survives (幸存), it might turn the wrong color or be less sweet and may be difficult to sell.

For these reasons, Nacht Wey is working with researchers to test which kinds of apples do well under a solar cover. For testing purposes, Nacht Wey covered some of his trees with a traditional netting material. It is normally used to protect sensitive (敏感的) crops from serious weather events.

Juergen Zimmer is an expert with the area’s agricultural services department. He told the AP that apples grown under the solar covers were a little less sweet this year than those under the nets. But almost no solar-shaded apples got damaged (损害) in the strong sunlight that hit the area on July 24. In the non-shaded group, about 18 percent of apples suffered sun damage that day, Zimmer said. Researchers hope the tests will show that fruit crops perform well under solar panels. This could help prevent renewable energy production from competing for valuable agricultural land. That competition has become an increasing question as the need for renewable energy increases to fight climate change and rising food prices.

【推荐3】A South Korean company is operating the country’s largest indoor “smart farm” inside a former road tunnel (隧道). The farm produces fruits and vegetables hydroponically (水培), which means the plants do not grow in the ground. Instead, they grow on vertical (垂直) equipment that provides a continuous flow of water.

There are other vertical smart farms in South Korea. But this one, built by the company NextOn about 200 kilometers south of Seoul, is the nation’s biggest. It is also one of the largest indoor vertical farms in the world, with a total area of 2, 300 square meters. But what makes the farm even more unusual is the fact that it sits inside a huge tunnel. The tunnel was built in 1970 for one of South Korea’s first major highways, but it closed down in 2002. NextOn signed an agreement with the government to take over the tunnel and turn it into a high-tech farm.

NextOn officials say the tunnel environment provides ideal conditions for an indoor farm. It keeps a steady temperature of between 10 and 22 degrees Celsius. The tunnel s also completely dark, making it easier to provide exactly the night amount of artificial light.

The farming system can produce more than 60 different kinds of fruits and vegetables. The company said foods produced in the indoor farm are also healthier since harmful chemicals are not necessary to prevent large insect attacks. It can be difficult, though, for smart farmers to make a profit because of the high cost of building and operating. But NextOn said it cut its building costs in half by using the former tunnel and developing its own lighting and water systems. These technologies reduced water and energy use and the need for workers. Sensors also measure things such as temperature, light and air quality.

In South Korea, indoor vertical farming is seen as a possible solution to crop damage related to extreme weather that could get worse due to climate change. The country’s farming industry has also been hurt by shortages of land and workers.

The company says it plans to expand its farm inside the tunnel in the near future to begin growing even more kinds of fruits, as well as plants used for medical purposes.