【推荐1】Self-disciplined (自律的) people are not all outstanding (杰出的) people. But nearly all outstanding people are self-disciplined people. Some of them read every day. Some of them never run late. The real difference between an elite person and an ordinary (普通的) person is that an elite person can manage his or her time well. That’s where their success comes from. What people call self-discipline is in fact self-management.

One example is staying fit. Never underestimate (低估) someone who is in good shape. Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that it’s not easy. It’s even harder to avoid putting weight back on. If someone is in good shape, it shows that he knows the principles (原则) of staying fit and is able to stick to a plan that uses these principles.

If someone is in good shape, it means that this person is good at managing themselves and their time. Whether it is natural or acquired, it is a great skill. It also shows that this person is able to keep persevering (坚定不移的) and can balance long-term goals with short-term goals.

So if someone is in good shape, he or she is more than just healthy.

How do you learn self-management? First of all, set a goal and write down your reasons for wanting to achieve it. Create a list of all the things you need to do to achieve this goal and start to work on them one at a time. With self-discipline, small things in life will no longer trouble you. Only through self-discipline can you truly own your future.

【推荐3】①It’s easy to point fingers when disagreements happen. Wouldn’t it be great to avoid (避免) conflicts (冲突) with one word? It’s possible. Conflicts often start and become worse by our choice of words. Words like “You are so…” or “How could you…?” are not a good choice for polite conversations. Instead, you can start with an “I” and center on your thoughts and feelings about the matter.

②Dr. Thomas Gordon used the “I-message” in the 1960s. “I-message”, also known as I-statement, is a form of sentence that can show your thoughts without making others feel down.

③I-statements enable you to express your opinion without using upsetting language. For example, “I forgot to ask you for your address after you invited me to come,” is better than “You invited me so you should have given me the address.” In this way, you avoid getting into a fight with others or directly pointing out the other person’s mistake. Also, you carefully make them realize what’s going on, showing them how the situation makes you feel. Doing so, you can finally have a meaningful, two-way conversation.

④I-statements are useful in any conversation when you want to tell your side of the story in a more agreeable and reasonable way. Using an I-statement can also lead to necessary changes and even add warmth to your relationships. Strangers you come across will find you pleasant and understanding. You and your friends will continue to build trust in each other.

⑤However, not all I-statements are effective in avoiding conflicts. For example, “I feel like you’re responsible for this,” is as upsetting as “You’re wrong.” Thomas Gordon also said that to successfully use an I-statement, your words should match your tone (语调), body language, and how you feel.

⑥What’s more, an I-statement also has its disadvantages. The more use of “I” can make you appear self-centered, especially in some cultures. Some may even think you’re weak and unable to understand others’ opinions. You have to be careful not to use the I-statement in a way that fail to politely voice your real intention (意图).

⑦All in all, correctly using the I-statement in conversations is a good way to avoid misunderstandings. Whether you are talking with a classmate or a family member, expressing yourself well is the key. Practice using I-statements more and you’ll be amazed how it can make a big difference in your social life.

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【推荐1】China’s Mars rover（火星车）Zhurong, named after the Chinese god of fire, landed safely on Mars on May 15, 2021, making China only the second behind the United States fully succeed.

The 240-kilogram, six-wheeled rover is carried with six scientific instruments, giving it the appearance of a “blue butterfly”. Unlike Perseverance, the American Mars rover, Zhurong needs sunlight to power itself. Now that Zhurong has got down successfully, it is expected to spend the next 90 days mapping the area on Mars, monitoring changes in weather such as temperature and searching for signs of water ice. Zhurong will therefore help build a more complete geological picture of the red planet’s history.

China has successfully landed on the moon three times, and has even brought back lunar rocks to Earth. But landing on Mars is even more difficult. Mars exploration is known for its high risks and difficulties, as well as the uncertainties in the long-distance interstellar（星际）flight. The landing is the most challenging part of it. Around half of Mars exploration missions（任务）failed, and most of them went wrong in the landing process. A Mars landing is often considered as “the seven minutes of terror” because the process is completely autonomous. “The distance is too far away for the spacecraft, so it has to do it all on its own.” said Chen Lan, a scientist in China’s space program. “If something goes wrong, people on earth have no way to help.”

“Mars is the planet in our solar system that we are most likely to live on in the future. That’s why we want to understand it,” Ge, another scientist, said. “The success of Zhurong’s landing will lay the foundation for future Mars missions, including a sample return mission in 2030.”

【推荐2】From tiny seeds(种子), great things grow. A mini-garden carried on China’s Chang’e 4 moon lander(着陆器) became home to the first plant to grow on another world.

This is yet another success for Chang’e 4. On January 3, 2019, the probe(探测器) became the first lander to touch down on the far side of the moon. This is the unknown face of the moon that is always looking away from us, so we never see it from down here on the earth. Although it is often seen as the dark side of the moon, the far side actually gets as much sunshine as the near side. For example, when all we can see is a silver of a new moon the far side of the moon is in full sunlight.

Part of Chang’e 4’s mission(使命) is to see how a moon base could be built for humans, including exploring(探索) whether humans could grow crops and other plants there. Chang’e 4 carried a mini-garden with air, water and soil with seeds planted in it. When plants shoot on the earth, their stems(花茎) grow away from the gravity(the force that keeps your feet on the ground) , and so they always shoot upwards. The gravity of the moon is one sixth as strong as the earth’s, so Chang’e 4’s experiment was a test.: would the earth plants know which way was up on the moon? Four days after landing, a tiny cotton shoot showed that they do.

Night has now fallen on the far side of the moon; sunlight will not return until the start of February. As a result the cotton shoots died. Besides the darkness, the plants can’t stand the cold(it can drop to -170℃ on the moon at night). However, the experiment is a success, since it has proved that it is possible for plants to grow in space.