In the early days, life was very hard for humans. However, it all changed when Prometheus sent them the gift of fire. Zeus was angry and he planned to punish them.

The gods created a woman and named her Pandora. Aphrodite gave her the gift of beauty, Athena taught her different arts, and Zeus gave her curiosity（好奇心）. Last, Zeus gave her a shiny gold box and told her never to open it.

Pandora was sent to Prometheus’s brother, Epimethius. The two married and lived happily. But Pandora could not forget about the box. Every night she stayed awake and thought about what could be inside of it. She tied the box shut and safely locked it away in a chest（箱子）. But she could not get it out of her mind. One night, Pandora couldn’t sleep again. Finally, she decided to do something. She held her breath, unlocked the chest, and opened the box carefully. Suddenly, a group of evils （祸害）flew out of the small box. Among them were Disease, Envy, Vanity（虚荣）, Spite（恶意）, Distrust, and more. From that moment on, humans would suffer from these evils.

Pandora shut the box as quickly as she could. She still left one evil inside. It was Despair, the total loss of hope. With Despair trapped in the box, hope would remain. And because of hope, human is able to be optimistic（乐观的）and always look on the bright side.

Do you have good teeth? We brush our teeth to keep them clean and healthy. In fact, having good eating habits is also helpful for the health of our teeth!

Eating too many sweets is the worst thing you can do to your teeth. When you eat candies, for example, the bacteria（细菌）in your mouth will produce some acids. These acids can destroy your teeth and cause you to have tooth decay（蛀牙）. You can try eating sugar-free snacks instead of sugary ones. Chewing（咀嚼）xylitol gum（木糖醇口香糖）,   for example, can help reduce the bacteria in your mouth.

More or less, eating leaves food debris（残渣）on your teeth. If you chew more while eating, the friction between your mouth and tongue will help you to better clear out the food debris. People often chew more when they eat high-fiber（高纤维的）foods, such as cabbage. When they eat low-fiber foods, such as white bread, they chew fewer times. Therefore, it’s a good idea to eat more high-fiber foods.

You may think it doesn’t matter to eat ice cubes（冰块）because they’re just water. However, chewing ice can create tiny cracks（裂缝）in your teeth. These cracks can then weaken your teeth. While it may feel good to break up ice cubes with your teeth, it’s better to let them melt（融化）in your drink.

All in all, in order to have a brighter smile, you should improve your eating habits and brush your teeth twice a day. Also remember to visit your dentist often!

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Here are more different kinds of species（物种）living in the world than we even realize. However, while we’re discovering new types of plants and animals, species are also disappearing all the time. This is a big problem. When one specie dies out, it often causes unexpected problems for many other species. A recent study shows that around a million species are in danger of dying out.

Many scientists say that biodiversity（生物多样性）loss is as big a problem as climate change. To help protect all living things on Earth, officials from across the world came together at the UN Biodiversity Conference. The meeting took place in Montreal, Canada from December 7 to 19 in 2022. On the last day, a historic agreement was reached between 190 countries. This agreement laid out 23 different targets（目标）. The most important among them is known as 30×30. This would place 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans under protection by 2030. At present, about 17 percent of the planets land and 8 percent of its oceans are under protection.

While many different things can lead to biodiversity loss, humans are behind each of them. On land, the biggest problem is agriculture（农业）. In the sea, it’s overfishing. Other problems include hunting, pollution, and climate change. The agreement aims to solve these problems. Take Target 17 for example, it calls for the world to cut the use of pesticides（杀虫剂）by 50 percent. Pesticides allow farmers to grow more food, but they’re a danger to beneficial insects（益虫）.

“This is a huge moment for nature.” said Brian O’Donnell, director of an environmental group. But dealing with biodiversity loss is very much like fighting climate change. It doesn’t depend on what countries say they’ll do. Instead, it depends on what they actually do.

It’s not easy to discuss sadness with kids, but we all need to talk about it—whether it’s about the loss of a family member, friend, or pets.     56     Here are some tips for you.

Encourage your children to share their feelings with you.

Listen, comfort and tell your children that they are loved and have your full support.     57     Be truthful and calm when you answer their questions. Sadness is an ongoing process that happens over time. Remember to check with them often to see how they’re doing and feeling.

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Your children can express those hard-to-share feelings by drawing, writing, or creating a memory box to remind them of their connections to their loved one. Such creative displays are physical reminders of how important that loved one is in your family’s history and life.

Read stories that lead to conversations.

Reading Children’s books is an excellent tool to help deal with feelings like sadness and loss. Two new books that you can get worth adding to your family bookshelves are Calling the Wind and Where Did Poppy Go?     59    

It takes a lot of caring people to support families in great sadness. Try to reach out to support groups and organizations.     60     There are plenty of kindnesses around the world.

Bian Que was a famous doctor during the Warring States Period. He travelled     61     town to town to heal (治疗) people. He always treated the rich and poor in the same way,     62     he was highly respected by everyone. It was said that he could heal almost any disease. For this reason, Bian Que is sometimes     63     (call) the “doctor of miracles” (神医). Bian Que is thought to write several     64     /ˈfeɪməs/ works of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including Neijing and Waijing. But     65     (sad), only small parts of these works were passed on in later works.

Bian Que also invented the “Four Diagnostic (诊断的) Methods-looking, listening, inquiring (问) and taking (切).” Looking means     66       (watch) the patient’s complexion (气色) and tongue carefully. By listening, the doctor pays attention to the patient’s     67     /vɔɪs/ and breath. When the doctor is doing the inquiring, he asks about the patient’s symptoms. And taking is the     68     /’ækʃn/ of feeling the patient’s pulse (脉搏).

Bian Que remains     69     well-known name in China to this day. The stories from his life are still often told. There are some popular Chinese     70     (say) about him, such as “bringing the dead back to life” and “concealing one’s illness and shying away from doctors”（讳疾忌医）.