【推荐1】Today, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, no one had any idea of roller skating. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball (化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make an amazing entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was very surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. The mirror fell down, breaking into pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's amazing entrance for a long time.

【推荐3】An Edinburgh inventor has created a fully biodegradable bottle that is made from paper and a secret combination of plant materials, and it could help save the planet's oceans from plastic pollution and can also be eaten by sea creatures.

The Edinburgh-based Durham University chemistry graduate James Longcroft started a non-profit bottled water company two years ago. He wanted to put all his profits into a charity that provided clean drinking water to countries in Africa.

However, after concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles, Mr. Longcroft decided the Edinburgh and London-based company, Choose Water, should go plastic-free. So he came up with a new type of water bottle—a waterproof paper bottle.

“The outside is made from recycled paper, but the inside has to be waterproof, and provides strength so the bottle would keep its structure, and keep the water fresh,” Mr. Longcroft said.

When the bottle is thrown in the ocean the degrading process begins within hours leaving the bottle totally degraded (分解)within weeks. The steel cap breaks down within a year.

Mr. Longcroft now believes these novel bottles could revolutionise the industry and says the cost of producing the bottle is around 5 pence more than one made from single-use plastic.

“The main difficulty we face is breaking into a saturated (饱和的)market and competing with an old industry,” he said. “Changing an industry will be a big uphill battle, but with the support from the public, we will change the way we look at bottled water.”

Researchers warn that eight million tonnes of plastics currently find their way into the ocean every year which will stay in the environment for centuries.

“We really want to get our bottles on shelves and into people's hands as soon as possible—if we can stop even one plastic bottle ending up in the environment it will be worth it,” said Mr Longcroft.

【推荐2】Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living creatures are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It’s the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.

Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community (社会)groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are automatically expected of all members of that society. Often, cultures can be identified(识别)by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes a society forms around people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.

Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong emotions(情感)connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result. People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we learn, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.

【推荐3】Prague is cracking! My sister was right. It really is one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, which has beautiful old buildings. So far, my favorite place is Prague Castle. I think it is the largest ancient castle in the world. Prague also has a lot of cultural events, like the World Dance Festival. I went to a ballet (芭蕾舞剧) just last night.

----------- Lily

I’ve come to Shanghai at the right time. Summer has begun, but it is not too hot yet. Yesterday was the Dragon Boat Festival. It was exciting! If you come to Shanghai, you should see the Bund---a street with very nice shops, nightclubs, and hotels. There are many tourists there. It has some wonderful buildings from the 1930s.

I went on a night cruise(乘船游览) of the Huangpu River last night. I met some great people on the boat, mostly foreigners, like me.

------------Stan

Buenos Aires is a fun city, but six days is not enough time for a visit! I’m staying near the mile-long shopping street called Calle Florida. It is a great place to meet people and watch dancers perform that tango. Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the tango.

I also spent a day in the suburb of Tigre. It’s about 30 km from the capital, and you can get there quickly by train. However, I chose to take a boat on the canals(运河) of the Paraná Delta.

-----------Melinda