China’s top museums are excellent places for learning about China and its history. Here are some of the top museums.

One day we went to pick up our grandson Mark at his school. It was a beautiful spring day so we went to the garden.

We noticed that Mark was sad. He said, “There is nothing special about me. Well, I am smaller than my elder brother and I am bigger than my younger brother.” I knew he felt that he, was not getting the same attention.

We walked a little farther into the woods when Mark asked me if we could throw rocks into the stream （小溪） to see which one would go to the farthest. I agreed. Then Mark said, “I am going to throw the biggest rock, because I know it will go the farthest.” Mark picked up the largest rock he could find and threw it. Although it made a very big splash（飞溅的水）, it didn’t go very far. Mark thought for a minute and said, “I am going to throw a little rock instead.” He picked up a little stone and threw it but it didn’t go very far because it was too little.

I thought this was a very good chance to teach him. I said, “Why don’t you pick up a medium-sized rock and see what happens?”

Mark picked up a medium-sized rock and threw it. Mark said, “Look, the middle-sized rock went the farthest!”

I smiled, “You see, Mark, you are like the middle-sized rock. In this situation the little rock was too light, the big rock was too heavy, but the middle-sized rock was just right. ”

“So, I am special?”

“Yes, Mark, everyone and everything is special and has a special purpose, especially you.”

When Xiong Chuanfa, 34, blows a lifelike tiger out of sugar in just minutes, thinking he is a magician.

Xiong has been blowing sugar figurines（吹糖人） for twenty years. Blowing sugar figurines is a Chinese traditional folk art with a history of over 600 years and has been listed as a state-level intangible cultural heritage（非物质文化遗产）.

Every morning, Xiong prepares the sugar and drives to different markets in Nanchang to star this magic show.

He heats the sugar, pulls off a little to make a ball and blows it into different shapes—a rabbit, a monkey, and even Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

However busy he is, he often spares time to drop by colleges to make young people know more about the folk art. Many college students have been drawn（吸引） to the art. Simon, a foreign student, he found it difficult to make it. Thanks to Xiong’s help, Simon finally saw a horse slowly taking shape.

Simon was deeply moved after learning about the art. “I just can’t believe the traditional folk art can be kept so well here. I love it. Chinese culture should be spread around the world,” he said.

This art has been passed down for four generations （代） in Xiong’s family. His 6-year-old son often blows sugar balloons, just like what he used to do as a child.

“We will pass on the intangible heritage,” said Xiong.

It might be strange to wear clothes made out of plastic bottles. But in fact, some clothing companies are already making such clothes.

Fashion（时尚）brand JUMA recently showed its newest collection at a workshop in Shanghai. Eighteen clothing items from the collection, including jumpsuits, shirts and dresses, were made from recycled plastic bottles.

“We realized that billions of water bottles were being thrown into landfills and oceans every year and that these bottles take hundreds of years to decompose （分解）. We thought we should use them to create our clothes and help the environment,” said Alia Juma.

Many other fashion companies are finding similar ways to save our planet these days. The process is rather simple. First, the plastic bottles are washed and cut into small pieces. Then they are melted（融化）and shaped into small balls. The balls are melted again to form thread（线）. People can use the thread to make different kinds of clothes.

According to Juma, it takes 67, 000 bottles to create one ton of thread. This cuts down carbon emission（碳排放）.

“Three bottles can make one glove. Five can make a skirt, ten a dress, and twenty a short coat.”

Some people might have doubts about wearing something made out of plastic bottles. But according to Causeartist, a website that focuses on innovation（创新）, clothes made from plastics could even be better than nylon and polyester（涤纶）. Plastic thread can be made into different textures（质地）, such as cotton, silk, or even wool. It seem that this innovation may lead to a greener future of fashion.

It is believed that a good memory comes naturally, while a bad memory cannot be changed.     16     Here is some advice for you.

▲ Take an interest.

    17     This can explain the reason why schoolboys remember football results clearly but have trouble with dates from their history lessons.

▲ Repeat things in chunks（块）.

Repeating things in chunks is the best way to remember things for a short time.     18     The following numbers would be impossible for most of us to remember: 1492178919318483. But look at them in groups or chunks repeatedly and it becomes much easier: 149 217 8919 318 483.

▲    19    

To remember long lists, try inventing a story which includes all the things you want to remember. In experiments（实验）, people were asked to remember up to 120 words using this way. When tested later, they could remember about 90% of them. The test result was really amazing.

▲ Take physical exercise.

Physical exercise is important for your memory, because it sends more oxygen（氧气） to your brain, and that makes your memory work better.     20     As we know, too much pressure is very bad for the memory.

I used to feel hopeless and frustrated（沮丧的）. Last year my mother was ________ ill and had an operation（手术）on her brain. I felt my whole world turn upside down and I had no ________ what I could do to help her feel less painful. My eyes were filled with tears ________ I was alone.

Last month, I lost a watch, which was a ________ for my 18th birthday from my father. I could not fall asleep for a couple of nights and I felt very upset.

There have been many ________ things like these in my life. I could never know how to deal with such hard things ________ I read If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade（柠檬汁）.

“When the wise man is handed a lemon, he says, ‘What ________ can I get from this? How can I improve my situation? How can I turn this lemon into lemonade?’” the author wrote.

I suddenly ________ that life is full of ups and downs, so we need to stay positive（积极的）all the time. Now when I think of my past, I wish I could have done with things ________. When my mother was fighting against her illness, I should have held her hands in mine, telling her things would get better ________ hiding and crying.

Several weeks ago, I took part in a school singing competition. I didn’t ________ a prize. If I had not read this article, I would certainly have felt ________ again. But instead, I smiled after the competition. I was happy that ________ I had got some stage（舞台）experience.

Life is not just a bed of roses. There are thorns（刺）________, but these thorns help us become brave and strong. When life ________ us a lemon, let’s try to make lemonade.

Time flies and you may feel down when leaving junior high school. But it may make you feel much     36    （sad） to say goodbye to your teachers and classmates. This feeling was shared more than 1,000 years ago when Tang Dyansty poet（诗人） Wang Wei had to say goodbye to his friend.

A Farewell Song begins with a lovely morning scene. On that morning. Wang had to say goodbye to his friend Yuan Er, who would leave for Anxi in today’s Xinjiang. The last two lines are the most well-known. Yuan     37    （invite）by the poet to drink wine（酒）because he knew that life in Anxi would be difficult. Most cities in China were prosperous（繁荣的）,     38     the western areas were quite desolate（荒凉的）. The journey     39     the west would be full of difficulties, Wang thought. Wang invited Yuan Er to drink a cup of wine again     40    （express）his care and good wishes. This love for his friend made this poem popular back then and it remains so today.