【推荐2】Once upon a time, many feelings lived on an island, including Happiness, Sadness and Love. One day the feelings were told that the island would sink, so they all made boats and left except Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out(坚持) until the last moment. When the island had almost disappeared into the water, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a big boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Vanity(虚荣心)who was also passing by in a beautiful ship. “Vanity, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.” “Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an old man. Love was so thankful and happy and even forgot to ask the old man where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the old man walked away.

Love asked Knowledge, another old man, “Who helped me?”

“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.

“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?”

Knowledge smiled and answered, “Because only Time is able to understand how valuable Love is.”

【推荐3】My grandfather had a small farm. He also worked in a factory (工厂).

One autumn, he told his neighbor that he would help him pick his fruits. But after Grandpa picked his own fruits, the factory asked him to work longer hours. He had to leave the farm early in the morning and didn’t get home until the sun went down. It seemed he had no time to help his neighbor.

One night, Grandpa decided that he wouldn’t let his neighbor’s fruits rot (腐烂) on the farm. He decided to help his neighbor anyway.

“When do you think you’ll have time to do it?” asked Grandma. “Besides, it’d be too dark.” “There’s still one more full moon in October. If the weather is clear, I think I can do it,” he said.

So a few days later, after finishing lots of busy work at the factory, Grandpa made his way to the farm. The weather was cold but clear. He worked through the night to keep his word.

Sometimes, when I want to go back on my word, I’d think of my grandfather picking fruits in the light of the full moon.

【推荐3】Which country has the most islands?

Many countries around the world can be proud (自豪) of having the most of something. Canada has the most lakes—around 879, 000—while Russia has the most trees. Forty-five percent of the land there is forest.

When it comes to islands, which country tops the list?

According to Statista, a German company, Sweden is home to 221, 800 islands! Most of them have no people living there. Some of these islands are just 25 square meters. That’s about the size of a car.

Number of islands

In early spring,     1    . Cold air, bringing rain or even snow, easily tears up (破坏) the warmth of the spring within a night.

However, with the coming of Guyu—the Grain Rain, the blue sky and gentle winds would finally stay. Falling usually on or around April 20 every year, Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms (节气).     2    .

Sow (播种) grains

This is an important period of the growth of grains. The ancient Chinese already knew that as Guyu comes, the weather will become warm enough for sowing     3     .

Hope for safety and harvest

    4    , they will hold some ceremonies on Guyu, hoping for safety as well as harvest during the coming fishing season.

Watch the peony

It’s also a great time to see the peony, which is known as “the Queen of All Flowers” in Chinese culture. As a result, watching peonies becomes one of the most enjoyable activities for many people. The flower is said to be the favourite of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, who was the only woman ruler in Chinese history.

Pick tea leaves

Tea leaves picked before Guyu are among the best tea leaves.     5    . So the habit of drinking tea at this time of year has become a tradition in some places of China.

【推荐2】Dragon Head Raising Day: time for a haircut

China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them.

This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for (代表) the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 10.

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons.

On the day in ancient times, people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to “lead the dragon into the house”. People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.

Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat “dragon whisker (细须)” noodles and dumplings called “dragon teeth”.

Today, many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother’s brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

【推荐3】Nowadays, many people look for fun online. Watching livestreaming shows has become part of their lives. At the same time, traditional culture has found a bigger platform online. Many traditional artists are starting to livestream like Douyin and Bilibili. Some of them sing Peking Opera, some make paper-cutting, while others perform Chinese classical music. A growing number of young people are starting to become more interested in traditional culture because of livestreaming.

Li Jun is a Peking Opera performer from the Shanghai Jingju Theater Company. He took up his smart phone and started livestreaming. Unlike performing on a real stage, Li uses common places as his stage, including his office and study room. Except singing, Li also teaches viewers about Peking Opera. People can ask him questions and get answers directly.

“Livestreaming has brought this traditional art down to earth.” One viewer said, “it gives young people an easier way to learn more about the traditional art.” Li has more than 6,000 fans on Douyin, while one of his videos got 42,000 views on Bilibili.

On March 26th, 2020, Bilibili livestreamed a huafu show on the third China Huafu Day (华服日). Performers showed clothes in traditional Chinese style, including those from Wei, Tang and Ming dynasties. During the show, viewers not only enjoyed looking at the clothes, but also watched how performers used ancient styles of make-up.

As Guangming Daily said, livestreaming has come to a new stage through which traditional culture can be kept alive.

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【推荐1】I’m so troubled these days. We are taught that using violence（暴力）is not a good way to solve problems. For example, last week I thought about hitting my friend for winning a beautiful shell while we were playing at the beach. I talked with him instead and we came to an agreement. If two adults had a disagreement, and if they used violence towards each other in order to win. Is it all right?

When two countries disagree, they often fight a war. Why is violence used not okay at home, at school, or in your country but okay between countries? So many people have been killed because of wars, not only soldiers but ordinary people, even small children and babies. And refugees（难民） exist, too.

A war is a great violence, like two people fighting over a shell, just much bigger. Adults say they are fighting wars in order to solve problems and make peace. But can you really “make peace” by killing so many people? I don’t think bombs （炸弹） can reach people’s hearts and change them. Bombs can’t create love and caring, and that’s what we need in the word. Why do adults use violence so quickly? Why can’t they use their wisdom and talk it over?

Adults might say that things are not that easy. But they are the ones that teach us to be kind, not to hurt people, and not to kill. Why don’t they act as what they say and set us a good example?

—A page from a 12-year-old boy Joshua’s diary

【推荐2】Imagine you are walking through the woods and you see a small dog. It looks cute and friendly. You move up to pet the dog. Suddenly it barks and tries to bite you. The dog no longer seems cute and you feel afraid and possibly angry. Then, as the wind blows, the leaves on the ground are carried away and you see the dog has one of its legs caught in a trap. Now, you take pity on the dog. You know it becomes unfriendly because it is in pain.

We all judge (评判) others all the time. It might be over small things, like a workmate who takes too long of a lunch break. Or it might be over bigger matters, such as a person who behaves selfishly or hurts our feelings. There are many reasons why we judge others. It is human nature to find a way to survive. When we see a dog(or a person) that might bite us, of course we feel threatened (威胁). We become nervous, want to fight back and are unable to see the possible reasons for another's behavior.

Although judgment is a natural reaction (反应), try to catch yourself before you speak, for you can't get your words back. Make a short stop. Try to change your thought into a positive (正面的) one.        

After all, like that dog in the trap, we really don't know the reasons for someone's behavior.

When someone disagrees with us or somehow makes our life difficult, remember that it's usually not about us. It may be about their pain or struggle(挣扎). Why not give others the right to express their doubt? "Never underestimate the pain of a person," Will Smith said, "because in all honesty, everyone is struggling. Some people are better at hiding it than others."

Have you ever heard “You never get a second chance to make a first impression(印象)?” It may sound like an unusual piece of advice, but it is true—the first impression someone has of you when meeting you for the first time will probably influence how that person reacts to you in the future.

What is even more interesting is that the brain takes in all the information to create that first impression in about three seconds. When you meet someone for the first time, by the time you have said your name or shaken hands, the other person has already formed(形成) an opinion about the kind of person you are.

So how do you make a good first impression? Being polite and being well dressed is very important. However, the most important way of making a good first impression is your face. Smiling almost always leaves a positive(积极的) impression on people, especially those who do not know you. Most people, generally speaking, are ready to smile back when they are smiled at.

What’s more, smiling and being positive helps you to know and get a better understanding of new things. This means that you can possibly be friendlier to people you do not know and be more creative and able to solve problems more quickly. So if you ever need a reason to be happy, think about the wonderful people you might meet—and impress—with a cheerful smile.