【推荐1】Sarah Allen

Hong Kong China

April 10th 2019

I am writing to complain(抱怨) about the 5-day trip to London organized by your company last month.

On the first day, March 15, the tour guide should have brought us to London bridge and Buckingham Palace(白金汉宫) but he didn't. He said we couldn't visit those places, because it was raining. But in fact it was just cloudy! We stayed at the hotel all day! The next day, we only visited one place, not the four places on the schedule(计划表). The tour guide told us to go shopping by ourselves most of the time during the next 3 days.

The food was terrible during the trip. We wanted to try traditional British food but we ended up eating rice every meal.

I want your company to refund(退还) my money. If you don't reply, I will tell a TV station my story. Please reply by the end of this month.

An angry customer,

Sarah Allen

【推荐3】Tommy and Jacky were brothers. They were going on a school trip the next day. It was their first school trip so they could not sleep the night before. The next morning they both woke up very early. First they took a shower. Then they quickly got dressed and ran to the kitchen to eat breakfast. After that, they made their lunches. They made hamburgers and fruit salad and put them in their bags.

At school they lined up (排队) in the school playground. Mrs. Green, a strict teacher, told them to get on the coach(长途汽车) one by one. The driver was a tall,friendly man. Tommy and Jacky got on the coach first and sat at the very back of the coach. When the coach set off(出发), all the students on the coach began to sing.

Tommy sat next to the window. The view(景色) outside the window was beautiful. Tommy enjoyed it a lot. After about one hour and a half they arrived at the beach. All the students took their bags and got off the coach. There were lots of activities for the students. Some students played volleyball. Some swam in the water. Tommy flew a kite. As for Jacky, he tried paragliding.

Everyone had a good time. When it was time to go home, no one wanted to leave. Jacky said “▲” Jacky and Tommy were glad that their school planned this trip.

【推荐2】Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province in the north-east of China. Harbin is famous for its cold winters. People call it “Ice City”.

Every year, millions of people from all over the world visit Harbin. They come to see the famous Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. The festival usually begins in January. During the festival, visitors can enjoy the beautiful Ice and Snow World. They can see many fantastic ice and snow sculptures (雕塑). They can go skating and skiing, too. If you like ice and snow, you will love Harbin.

Harbin is over 800 years old. Tourists can see many buildings in the city. If you take a walk down Central Street, you can see many nice European style buildings. People also call this street “the Eastern Moscow”. Come and visit Harbin. You will love it!

11 children from Nanning, Guangxi took an educational trip to Harbin. People call them “little tangerines (小砂糖橘)”. This is because of the orange down jackets (羽绒服) they wore. The oldest is just 6 and a half years old, while the youngest only 3 years and 5 months old. In Harbin, they ate the local food and watched a firework display (烟花展). When they arrived in Mohe, the group was warmly welcomed by a local travel agency (代理机构). Moreover, the police officers at the station spent some time making snow sculptures and snowmen for these children.

【推荐2】Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing (令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications (沟通误解) were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her. She had raised her eyebrows. In Micronesia, it means “yes”.

Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded (点头) his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.

【推荐3】Wang Yaping, together with Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, went into space aboard the Shenzhou XIII on October 16th, 2021. The 41-year-old Wang became the first Chinese female(女性的) astronaut to enter Tiangong space station.

Wang’s space dream started in 2003, when China sent its first astronaut Yang Liwei into space. At that time, Wang was a pilot in the Chinese army. After having safe flights for 1,600 hours over nine years, Wang was a strong candidate(候选人) to become an astronaut in 2010. She pushed herself hard, getting the same training as men. “The space environment won’t change because you are a woman,” she told Xinhua.

The hardest part is the high-G training. Sitting in a spinning(旋转的) machine, Wang would become blind for a while because her brain was short of blood. “There’s a red button(按钮)”, said Wang. “If you can’t stand it, you can press it to stop.” But Wang never used it. “There is no such red button in my heart.” That strong spirit finally made her dream come true in 2013. She joined the team for the Shenzhou X mission(任务).

Wang said that as astronauts, women have their own advantages. “Women may be more patient and can better deal with loneliness. Women’s hearts are also easier to adapt to the weightless environment, making them more suitable for long-term missions.”

Wang Yaping went a long way before becoming the first woman to enter the Tiangong space station. She sets a good example for all women who dream of going to space.