【推荐1】Most of us believe that our parents will always be there for us. But this is not the case for “left-behind” children (留守儿童). Their parents work in cities, leaving them behind in the countryside to be cared for by their grandparents.

As of August, China had 6.97 million left-behind children, accounting for about one-third of all rural (农村的) children. With Spring Festival arriving, Ministry of Civil Affairs is calling on migrant (外出打工的民工) parents to return home and celebrate the new year with their kids.

In fact, children living without their parents can face many problems in terms of their education, safety and mental (心理的) health. For example, their grandparents may not be able to help them with their homework or raise them properly. This can result in children having an unsociable (孤僻的) personality, according to Workers’ Daily.

The government has taken some action to care for and protect left-behind children, such as sending social workers to rural areas. They will report to the government if they find that any left-behind children are suffering from abuse (虐待), China Daily noted.

But the best way is to bring their parents back. The government has encouraged migrant workers to return to their rural hometowns to look for work. Another solution is to make it easier for rural children to attend urban schools in the cities, People’s Daily noted.

Some of the government’s efforts have paid off. The number of left-behind children has dropped by 22.7 percent from 9.02 million last year, according to Xinhua.

Teenagers often have problems in their life and don’t know how to solve them. Some are serious and some are not.     1    

Teenagers think they have too much stress. First of all, they have too much homework to do both at school and at home.     2     And parents usually send them to different classes at weekends because they worry their children may “lose the race at the starting line” if they do not attend training courses as early as possible. So teenagers don’t have their own time to do what they are interested in.

    3     They often read in bed or keep reading for a long time without having a rest. Some of them lose themselves in playing computer games. Some spend too much time watching TV.

Another serious problem among teenagers is that many of them are becoming fat.     4     A new study found that one third of the kids from 12 to 15 aren’t getting enough physical activities.

I think teenagers should think of ways to deal with their problems.     5     And find time to relax as much as possible. To encourage kids to eat right and get in shape, the schools should hold exercise events or offer more outdoor classes.

AI is a double-edged sword. It can help us, but also cause us harm. Who is using AI? Is AI replacing humans? What should we do to avoid the risks and dangers that AI might bring?

Artificial intelligence is set to benefit mankind in many ways. It will make everyday tasks easier and bring efficiency to various industries. It might just prove to be one of man's greatest inventions.

And yet, like any other technology,      ▲ . In February 2018, a group of AI experts got together to discuss the possible misuse of AI. What they found was that "Every AI advance by the good guys is an advance for the bad guys, too," according to Quartz.

Their biggest concern was that criminals (罪犯) could use AI for wrongful purposes. One of the areas they looked at was the use of AI to create websites that could be used to steal people's personal information. Another possibility is that AI programs could be taught to hack software and break into computer secure systems.

There are some other concerns as well. It is possible that AI could be used to create fake images and videos. Chinese tech giant Baidu, in fact, has developed a program called Deep Voice that can "clone" anyone's voice by studying a 3.7-second audio sample.

Many leading figures in the tech world have expressed concern about AI. People like Bill Gates and Elon Musk have called for the industry to be more strictly regulated, as there are few laws right now on the use of AI.

However, this is set to change. In March 2018, the European Union plans to set up a group that will discuss the moral and ethical dangers of advanced AI – and hopefully, suggest some regulations that will help us keep it safe for mankind.

【推荐1】You get home from school, eat a snack, play soccer, finish your homework, eat dinner, and finally, go to bed. Too many teens are busy with their school activities, but in the end, does that pay off?

How many after-school activities do you take part in? Three? Four? Are they worth your time? Think about it. Your grades may be falling but you keep telling yourself what you’re learning is really hard and you’re still trying your best. Don’t believe it, you’re lying to yourself.

You’re not the only one with that problem. Across the United States, teens’ free time has decreased greatly. If you really feel like you’re too busy, cut back on what you do. I know that sounds like a crazy idea, but try it. You’ll have more time to relax. William Doherty, a professor of the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota says, “What happens when children are over-scheduled is that they get more stressed out, become angry easily or don’t get enough sleep, and in general their health may worsen.

Here’s the biggest problem: many teens are so busy with activities because their parents want colleges to think their children are well-rounded students. But many colleges don’t consider children with the busiest schedules to be top students, resulting in lower grades.

The big question remains: is it really worth your time? You may have fun when you do these activities, but what about when you get home? Is it fun rushing to do your homework at 10:00 p.m.? Is it fun constantly telling yourself to stay awake at school? Or is it fun not having free time to hang out with your friends? I don’t think so. Part of growing up is having time with friends. If you always do activities, when are you going to have time?

The best advice I can give you is to balance your life. It’s fun and good for you to take part in after-school activities, but sometimes too many activities are not good for you. The best way to live your life is to balance it out. Try it, and you’ll like it.

【推荐2】In an Italian school, the students are taking a science lesson.

Mr Marco, their teacher, explains, “For part of our lesson today, some of you are going to visit the Lakeside Park to study trees in natural surroundings. You will be looking carefully and thinking about the conditions trees need to grow.”

Mr Marco and the group walk to the woodland where there are many beautiful trees. The students are required to match the trees with the names of three trees on their question paper. Two students try guessing the height of young trees. Then they measure the distance from a young tree to the parent tree by counting their steps between the trees. One of the students reminds them to stay on task and follow the group. The rest of the group see several trees matching the descriptions on their task list and run towards them.

Mr Marco gives the students three large plastic bowls with three labels (标签). The students begin to search under each tree and find things to fill the labelled bowls. They put the things they find into a bowl labelled red birch. Then they find the other two trees, a Tibetan cherry, and a paperbark maple with red and orange curly leaves. Once the students have finished, they relax, draw and make notes.

When the group return to school, Mr Marco gives them special glasses to look through. They begin to sort and order their collections. Two of the students put tiny seeds between two pieces of glass.

They examine them carefully. Two more students pour water into a metal container (容器) to cover some leaves and dead flowers. They put on special gloves to stir the liquid (液体) as the container heats up on a hotplate. Two other students are drawing and taking notes.

Then Mr Marco calls the group together. The group tell the class about the things they saw and the results of their experiments (实验). Mr Marco thanks the group and says he hopes to see the results of their experiments growing in the school garden.

In July, 2022, China introduced the “double reduction” policy (双减政策). It hopes to reduce students’ learning burden (负担) by reducing homework and after-school classes. One month has passed since the new term began. How do students feel about this new policy?

“Our homework is clearly less than before” said 13-year-old Shen Yuzhe from Beijing. “We are not encouraged to buy workbooks any more. The exercises are mainly from the textbook.”

According to Shen, teachers now teach at a much slower pace (节奏). Students have enough time to process new knowledge. “Our teachers are also giving us more chances to do experiments and learn from real life,” said Shen “For example, we went to research earthworms (蚯蚓) in a field during a biology class. This is a much better way to learn things than just hitting the books.

For 13-year-old Zhang Hangming from Tianjin, the best thing about “double reduction” is the increased time in after-school activities. “We can now spend more time taking part in clubs and activities, such as dancing, volleyball and drama. I have joined a group called ‘leadership development in business’ where I can learn all kinds of skills beyond academic (学业的)study,” said Zhang.

Both Shen and Zhang find there are fewer exams now. But they think it’s not necessarily a good thing. “Exams force me to study harder. Each exam shows my progress as well as my weak points,” Zhang said.

Shen also pointed out that when burden is lightened, self-discipline (自律) becomes the key. “Some students now spend more time having fun when homework is finished early. But if you use all the free time to relax, you might fall behind others,” he said.

【推荐1】Around 200 years ago, a well-known English poet called John Keats attacked science. He said that British scientist Isaac Newton had “unweaved（拆除）the rainbow”. Newton explained how light forms a rainbow. For Keats, this explanation meant rainbows could no longer be beautiful.

This is just one example of many. We often hear people talk of problems with science, or say that it is boring. Some people, like Keats, also say that science takes away the beauty of the world. But is this fair?

First of all, science helps us get things done. We need to study science to produce certain kinds of people. After all, where would we be without engineers and doctors? When you are studying science in school, remember that one day you might be using that knowledge to build a bridge, or save a life. Next time you use your phone to send a message, remember that this is possible thanks to science. When Keats criticized Newton, the very paper he wrote on was created through science.

Beyond helping society and getting things done, science also makes us think in a certain way. It asks us to believe things only through evidence（证据）. It teaches us never to trust our assumption（假设）. It teaches us that sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction.

When you study science, remember what it means. Science has changed the world, and it can change you too. Humans once looked up at rainbows, and said that they were beautiful. Science explained them, and they were no longer mysterious to us.

But discovery never stops. Through science, we can find new rainbows: mysteries that lie beyond the stars themselves.

【推荐2】“I’m bored.” You may turn your nose up at（对……嗤之以鼻） the words when a child says so. In fact, boredom is generally viewed as an unpleasant emotional state. How can anyone claim boredom when there’s so much that can and should be done?

But boredom is something to experience. Despite the lesson most adults tell you—boredom is for boring people—boredom is useful. It’s good for you.

If kids don’t figure this out early on, they’re in for（免不了遭受） a not-so-pleasant surprise in the future. Life isn’t meant to be full of amusements（乐趣）.“That’s right,” a mother says to her daughter in the novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette. “You are bored. And I’m going to let you in on a little secret about life. You think it’s boring now? Well, it only gets more boring. The sooner you learn it’s on you to make life interesting, the better off you’ll be.”

People used to accept that much of life was boring. But things happen when you’re bored. Once you’ve truly felt bored, you find yourself on the route to discovery. This is why so many useful ideas occur in the shower, when you’re held captive（被困住）to a routine activity. You let your mind wander and follow it where it goes.

Of course, it’s not really the boredom itself that’s important; it’s what we do with it, when you reach your breaking point, boredom teaches you to make something happen for yourself.

Teaching children to endure boredom will prepare them for a more realistic future. One day, even in a job they otherwise love, our kids may have to check spreadsheets（电子数据表）, or assist robots at a vast Internet-ready warehouse.

This sounds boring, you might conclude. It sounds like work, and it sounds like life. Perhaps we should get used to boredom again, and use it to our benefit.

【推荐3】Studies have found that owning money can make people happy. But giving money to others also makes people happy. It could be buying a present for a friend. It could be buying a homeless person food to eat. It could be giving money to a person in need. Just think about the last time you used your own money to do something for someone else. How did you feel? Whether it is a small or large amount of money, you feel happy when you give. This is because making someone else happy makes the giver happy, too.

Ubuntu, an African word, means connecting your happiness to others. There is a story about a man visiting Africa. He asked some kids to race to a nearby tree. The first child to touch the tree would get one cookie. Surprisingly, all the children held hands and ran together. They all touched the tree at the same time. The man asked why they had done this. The children simply said they could only enjoy the cookies if everyone had one.

Clearly, those children understood that the secret to happiness is making others happy.

【推荐1】It is often said that elderly people don’t understand youngsters, while many believe that children are too young to fully appreciate the wisdom ( 智 慧 ) of their elders. But in truth, both groups have a lot to learn from each other.

Sister Geraldine Tan runs the St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged and Hospice in Singapore. It’s mainly a facility (机构) for serving the elderly. But not all of its visitors are senior citizens (老年人).

The home also includes a childcare center for about 50 kids between the ages of 2 months and 6 years old. At the center of the home’s courtyard (庭院), there’s a playground where the elderly can play with the kids. By doing so, they can learn more about each other and gain mutual ( 相 互 的 ) respect and understanding.

I think this is quite an interesting idea. For one thing, we live in a world where aging societies are becoming more common. China itself is facing this problem as its population ages. It will be important for young people to be able to understand and care for the elderly in the coming decades (数十年).

Sadly, my own grandparents weren’t around when I was little, as they had already passed away. I never got to learn what the world was like through their eyes, or what kinds of challenges they might have faced when they were my age. Their lives will always be a mystery to me.

But I suppose I can still learn from other people of older generations. I might find some of their ideas old-fashioned, and they might believe that my generation’s way of thinking is strange or incorrect. But we can still learn from each other anyway.

【推荐3】My family and I have just returned from a family reunion(团聚). Six years ago, my aunt and uncle decided to move to Los Angeles. I was still young when they left so I did not remember them very well. Since moving, they have had two children, a boy and a girl. It was my chance to get to know my family and meet my cousins for the first time.

My uncle now works in the film business. His job is to translate(翻译) English dialogue into Chinese. Nowadays it is quite common for some American films to have some parts with Chinese. We had some really enjoyable days in Los Angeles. We went to the beach a few times and went on a tour of a film studio.

However, the best part of the trip was learning about my family. I could not believe how similar we all are. It is easy to tell we are a part of the same family. My dad and uncle have a lot in common. They are quite short, like making jokes about their hair loss(缺失), and really enjoying eating seafood.

My mum and aunt are both quite tall with curly hair, and are interested in Beijing Opera and going for long walks. Even my cousin Sunny and I are similar! We both have big eyes and long, straight hair. We like playing the same games and we are all scared of spiders! Also, we both find maths too difficult but are quite good at speaking English. I am so glad we had the Chance to visit Los Angeles. I hope they can visit China in the near future.