【推荐1】I have many teachers now and I love them all, but I love my English teacher Sophia best.

Sophia is from the UK. But she lives in China. She thinks China is great. She loves Chinese food very much. Do you know what she likes for breakfast? Bread or milk? No, she doesn’t. She has noodles or porridge. Hot pot (火锅) is her favorite and she usually eats it on Saturday and Sunday. Sophia has a son named Jack and a daughter named Mary. They go to the same school. They love hot pot, too. Just like their mother, they are all in China now.

We have English from Monday to Friday. So Sophia is very busy, but she is nice and happy. All my classmates like her and her classes very much. She often plays English games and sings English songs with us. When we have questions, we like to ask her for help. And she is very glad to help us learn English well.

Now I think I can do well in English because I have the best English teacher, Sophia.

Hello, boys and girls! I’m from Shanghai and my English name is Helen. Now this term is from September to December.     1     They are math, Chinese, English, history, computer, music, geography, science, art and P.E. My favorite subjects are English and P.E.     2     In the P.E. lesson, I can do many sports. And they are really interesting. I can play soccer and basketball well. And my favorite sport is soccer.     3     I can draw (画) fruit, clothes, desks and many fun things in the art class. Our art teacher is very nice.     4    

What subjects do you have this term?     5     Tell me, please. And e-mail me at helen2015@tom.com. You can call me at 309-7708, too.

【推荐1】The China’s high-speed railway infrastructure (基础设施) began with the construction (建设) of Qinhuangdao-Shenyang special line for passenger (乘客) transport in 1999. Now the high-speed rail network in China is the largest in the world. So far, there have been about 1,700 kilometers of HSR in service, along with trains of an average speed of 220 km/h.

Now Chinese government plans to spend $300 million building the largest and fastest HSR system in the world by 2020. It’s said that the trains can run 400 km/h and create new business for China and other countries through the Belt and Road (一带一路).

It’s predicted that the HSR network in China will reach 30,000 kilometers and it will be like a grid (网格), which is mainly made up of 8 long-distance high-speed rail lines: four north-south HSR lines and four east-west HSR lines. Except for the Qingdao-Taiyuan HSR, all HSR lines of the rail grid are longer than 1,000 kilometers.

Feng Hao, an expert, says, “Many markets along the Belt and Road, especially in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern European countries, are planning to build HSR lines. They look forward to getting technological support from China”.

【推荐2】China introduced the “double reduction” policy (双减政策) in July last year. What do middle school students think of it now? Here are some students’ opinions on how their life has changed under the policy.

Li Xiang, 13, Beijing

The “double reduction” policy really helps me. Our homework is clearly less than before. I can finish it at school so that I don’t have to take it home. I can now review (复习) or preview (预习) schoolwork when I’m home. We don’t need to buy workbooks anymore and the exercises are mainly from the textbook. I’m also happy to find that there are fewer exams.

Zhang Xiaoming, 14, Shanghai

The best thing about the “double reduction” is that we have more time to do after-school activities such as dancing, volleyball and drama. I have joined a group called “leadership development”. I can learn all kinds of useful skills there. Teachers are also giving us more chances (机会) to learn from real life. For example, I learned to grow vegetables by myself during a labor class.

Chen Meng, 13, Chongqing

I have got more time to read books I like and play sports. The art subjects are becoming more important. For example, I have been learning music for a long time. Now I feel more encouraged (被鼓励的) to do so. However, we can no longer see the scores after each exam. For sure, I do feel less stress without knowing them. But at the same time, I don’t know what level (水平) I am at, which makes me a little worried.

【推荐3】It’s important for children to get to school safely every day. For them, there is a new program called “Free Home to School Transport”. It gives children free bus rides to school. But to have the free trip, people in the program have to think about how old they are, what school they go to and where the children live. Children can have the free trip if:

* They are between 5 and 16 years old;

* They go to the nearest school;

* They walk farther than the statutory distance (比法定距离远): 2 miles for students under 8; 3 miles for students aged above 8.

Children can also take the free transport if they have problems in walking or there is no safe way for them. A safe way usually has a crossing with the traffic lights.

There are also free home to school travel policies for poor children. You can find out more on the Internet and see if your children are qualified (符合条件).

【推荐2】Every year, more than 26,000 children arrive in Britain. We ask some new arrivals what they like best about their new lives and what’s different from home.

【推荐2】The COVID-19 has changed the way we work, study, and even the way we greet each other. To help stop the spread of he virus (病毒) some people give up their traditional ways of greeting and in turn safe ones. Let’s take a look!

In Franch, kissing on the cheek is a common way to greet people. However, the government has advised the public not to do this. An expert gives the public a suggestion-simply looking into a person’s eyes. It’s much safer.

In the Eastern Congo, people greet each other by bumping (碰撞) elbows. It has become popular in other parts of Africa and around the world until now.

It’s a very Australian, way to put your hand to shake hands in Australia. Now a government official in this country says a pat (拍打) on the back would be better. But it also has some problems. For example, it may be considered as bad manners if you do this to your teachers. What do you think?

In Iran, don’t be mad if someone puts out one of his feet to greet you. The fact is that they great-each other by kicking feet.

Besides, many Asian people greet each other without touching. In Japan, a deep bow with both hands kept down to the sides is a traditional greeting.

I believe gradually people will get used to the new ways of greeting. And no matter what bappens, don’t forget the value of good manners.

【推荐3】