Colour can affect our feelings. Different colors can make us feel different. Blue usually makes us feel calm and ________. But blue also represents sadness, so you may say “ I’m feeling blue ” when you are feeling sad. White makes you feel pure, ________ and clean. Orange represents ________. It can cheer you up when you feel sad. Yellow is the colour of the Sun and ________ you hope. Green is the colour of nature. ________. When you feel tired, you can wear green clothes. Red gives you strength ________ and means power and strong feelings.

Hangzhou is buzzing with excitement as it gets ready to host the big Asian Games. Behind the scenes, a special army of volunteers is working tirelessly to make the event a success. These volunteers come from different backgrounds and age groups, but they all share a common goal – to help the smooth functioning of the games.

The tasks of the volunteers are as different as the sports in the games. Some are standing at information booths, helping lost people find their way. Others help athletes, making sure they have everything they need to perform at their best. There are volunteers responsible for the comfort and safety of the people, making sure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

To prepare for their roles, volunteers have strict training sessions. They learn about the different sports, getting familiar with the game venues(场馆), and practise problem-solving skills. This training helps them to deal with any situation that may happen during the games, from a lost child to a medical emergency(紧急情况).

For many volunteers, this isn’t just an opportunity to give back to their community(社区); it’s a chance to learn and grow. They develop leadership skills, improve their communication abilities, and make friends with people they might never have met. The friendship among the volunteers is deep and warm, creating a positive atmosphere(氛围) that adds to the whole success of the Asian Games.

As the city of Hangzhou gets ready to welcome athletes and visitors from all over Asia, these volunteers stand as unknown heroes, ensuring that the games run smoothly and leave a lasting impression on everyone.

A man wondered why an elderly lady was all alone on a cruise ship(游 轮). He noticed that the staff on the ship all knew her. Therefore, he asked a waiter about the lady, half-expecting to hear that she owned the cruise line. However, all the waiter knew was that she had been on the cruises for four times.

As he left the dining room one evening, he caught her eye and stopped to say hello.

He asked, “I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises.” She replied, “Yes, that’s true.”

“I don’t understand,” he said.

Without waiting, she replied, “It’s cheaper than a nursing home (养老院). The cost for a nursing home is at least $200 a day. Here on the cruise, I can get a long-term discount price of $135 a day. That leaves $65 a day for extra. I can enjoy up to 10 meals a day of fantastic food through room service. There are also free pools, an exercise room and nightly shows. Clean daily necessities are provided every day, without needing to ask. They treat you like a valued customer, not just a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips (小费) will have all the staff happy to help you.”

“I have the chance to meet new people every 7 or 14 days! Is the TV broken? Need to change a light bulb (灯泡)? No problem! They will fix everything soon and say sorry for the problems. There is always a doctor on board. This is how I want to spend the later years of my life.”

People started using the abacus（算盘）over four thousand years ago to calculate numbers. It was used in ancient China, Rome, Egypt and Greece.     54     The Chinese abacus is called Suan Pan and is made of beads and thin rods. The beads and rods are usually kept in a wooden frame. A horizontal bar divides the abacus into upper and lower parts. The upper part has two beads on each rod and the lower parts have five beads on each rod.     55     Each bead above the bar represents five while each bead below the bar represents one. There are more than seven rods for a Chinese abacus. Starting from right to left, the first rod is one, the next rod is ten, the third rod is hundred, etc.

When using the Chinese abacus, the first thing to do is to clear the numbers.     56     When a bead above the bar is moved down, or when a bead below the bar is moved up, it becomes active and takes value. Recording numbers on an abacus is quite easy. To represent one, simply push up one bead on the first rod below the dividing bar.     57     It is quick and easy to add or subtract numbers with an abacus.     58     A really good abacus user can even calculate square roots.

I'm excited to tell you about Rong Bao, the mascot of the Chengdu 2023 World University Games!

If you have more questions, feel free to ask me!

Best regards,

Li Hua