100 Most Influential Stars in 2021

Times magazine just released (发布) its “100 Most Influential People” list for 2021. They have influenced the world, for better or for worse. Let’s meet some of them!

	Kate Winslet, a 46-year-old actress from England, was the star of Titanic. Since her first role at the age of 13, she refused to play similar roles. Instead, she often appears in small, independent (独立的) films.
	Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico, America in 1994, but he sings in Spanish (西班牙语). As a great rapper and musician in the US, he has his special style.
	Scarlett Johansson, 36 years old, is one of the most influential actresses in the US. She has played many successful roles in Marvel (漫威) films. However, she wants to direct (导演) movies rather than just being an actress. “I want to make all kinds of movies.”

I often ride bikes around Australia and am about to cycle the Nullabor to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS, 多发性硬化症). I have MS myself, but cycling is a pain-free activity for me. I feel quite relaxed after cycling. But a not-so-kind person stole all of my bikes when I was traveling, which made it impossible for me to continue cycling at that time.

The human kindness I have met since this happened was so amazing. A kind lady bought a mountain bike for me to continue riding. A gentleman gave another bike to me to continue training on roads. It was almost impossible to find a bike in my size because the bike I had before was very short and required an extra-small frame (框架). And there is a bike supply and demand issue (供需问题). My hometown got behind me to raise some money. With this money, I have bought a bike that is just the right size for me.

So far, people have offered me places to stay, welcomed me into their warm homes and made sure I have enough water when riding long distances (距离). They also put money in my hands in the street to help me reach my goal. The stolen bikes turned into an interview with ABC Radio and papers in Tasmania.

My point is that there are so many good and kind-hearted people out there. My experience is that people are mainly kind and beautiful. I could never doubt (怀疑)the fact that the world holds more good and kind people than unkind people. That, in itself, is hope! It won’t be long now before I hit the road again and do my bit to give back kindness.

The Torch Festival (火把节) is a traditional festival celebrated by Yi people. It usually falls around the 24th of the 6th lunar month. Certainly it is also celebrated by other ethnic groups (族群) in the southwest of China such as Bai, Lisu and Naxi people.

The celebration of the Torch Festival lasts for three days. The first day is called Duzai, which means “welcoming the fire” in the Yi language. The first day is to worship (尊敬，崇拜) for fire. On this day, people have to kill sheep and share them with families, friends and villagers. They build big torches and then they light the fire to worship their ancestors. On this day, young people get together for different kinds of activities such as horseback riding, bullfighting, wrestling (摔跤), and girls singing and dancing. The second day, called Duge, is the climax (高潮) of the festival. The last day is called Dusha, which means “seeing off the fire”. On this day, when the night falls, everyone holds the hands of the torch and stands around a big torch, waiting for the fire to be lit.

In the past, the Torch Festival was just celebrated by ethnic groups (族群). However, now more and more people join together to celebrate the torch festival. During the Torch Festival, some famous places of interest will introduce some activities to celebrate the Torch Festival. For example, in the Yunnan ethnic villages, besides the traditional activities like bullfighting, they also invite dancing team, Bai suona band and fighting sheep team this year. Visitors can come to enjoy and have a unique taste of the Torch Festival.

There are a number of stories about the Torch Festival. Whatever the stories are, they all express the same idea—the Yi people are a fearless group and able to fight against everything.

On August 20, Chinese astronauts Liu Boming and Nie Haisheng did the second spacewalk of the Shenzhou XII mission (任务). They set up equipment (设备) and lifted a camera outside the Tiangong space station (空间站).

    16    . There is no air in space, of course. And it’s filled with harmful radiation (辐射). But the spacesuits (宇航服)can protect astronauts.

A spacesuit is like a small station.     17    . For example, China’s spacesuits are filled with air and have six layers (层). The sixth layer is made of special fibers (纤维) that protect astronauts from radiation.

Astronauts are connected to the space station with safety ropes. The suit has headphones and speakers for them to communicate. There is also a mirror on the wrist (手腕).     18    .

Each suit costs around 30 million yuan and it takes four months to make just one!     19    . Zhai Zhigang wore it to carry out China’s first spacewalk for about 19 minutes. The suits Chinese astronauts wear today are the second generation (代). It can support walks as long as eight hours and can be used more often. The first generation could only be used five times within two years,     20    .