【推荐1】In AD 79, Pompeii was a large town in Italy, with a population of about 20,000. On the evening of August 24th, there was a very big volcanic eruption. The eruption destroyed the town.

This is how Pompeii looks today. It's an open-air museum and it's very popular with tourists. The town is in ruins, but you can still see the remains of the ancient streets and houses. You can imagine life two thousand years ago! You can also see people preserved by the boiling volcanic ash with terrified expressions on their faces.

Before the eruption, Pompeii was a very busy town, and the people were rich. There were shops, squares, schools and markets. There was an enormous amphitheatre-a type of sports stadium. The amphitheatre was a very important place in the town. On special days it was full of people, gladiators and lions. It wasn't a very safe place to go!

FACT! About 2.5 million tourists visit Pompeii every year. It is often called The City of the Dead.

【推荐2】How do you travel in the city? Do you have a car in your family? People in Edmonton made a survey on ways of transportation and reasons for using the car in the city. Here are the results. The pie chart explains what ways of transportation people prefer to use most of the time and the bar chart（柱状图）shows the reasons why people in Edmonton use their cars in the city.

All in all, people in Edmonton make good use of different methods of transportation but there is a heavy dependence on cars for work. What’s the situation in your city? No matter how people travel in the city, do remember the more people choose public transportation, the better the environment will be.

【推荐2】In recent years, great changes have taken place in China. Li Lin’s grandparents have been enjoying free health checks for people aged above 65 since 2013. It was hard to imagine in the past. The river near Li Lin’s house used to be dirty and smelly. But now, it is clean and green trees are on both sides. There are even fish swimming in it.

From 2013 to 2016, 55.64 million people in China was gotten rid of poverty (摆脱贫困). This means their personal income (收入) has increased to more than 3,000 yuan a month. By the end of 2020, China had made all the people get rid of poverty.

Also, China now has more than 22,000 kilometers of high speed lines. That’s about 60 percent of the world’s total high-speed railways.

Thanks to the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), China has made such progress, the Party has more than 89 million members who are from all walks of life. They have a big influence on both the government and people’s lives.

According to President Xi Jinping, our socialism with Chines characteristics (特色) has entered a new era (时代). The Party must always put people first and continue working hard to help people live better lives. “Our people’s lives will improve year after year,” he said. “This is a society to be enjoyed by each and everyone of us...No one must be left behind.”

【推荐2】As usual, Amber was hurrying to catch the yellow school bus. Luckily the traffic lights turned green as she was to cross the road, so she made it. When the bus passed a golden arch（拱形门）, it reminded her of a hamburger. She hadn’t had breakfast that morning because the fruit salad on the blue dish didn’t look delicious at all. However, Amber remembered that she was still on a diet. So now she was really in a black mood.

You may have noticed that several colours were used in the above story so as to help describe Amber’s morning. In fact, colours influence your life more than you can ever imagine. Take language for example: You may describe a sick person as being “a bit green”. To describe a depressed（沮丧的） person, you say that the person is “feeling blue”. In short, colours do add interest to daily conversations.

Besides, colours can be used in many parts of your daily life. Have you ever thought about why many school buses and taxis are painted yellow, and stop signs red? Since yellow is the most eye-catching colour, it can catch people’s attention, especially in heavy traffic. As for red, it is the colour which usually shows warning. As a result, some traffic signs use this colour. For the same reason, hot- water taps are usually marked red.

The colours of a dining environment possibly decide how much you eat. Most fast-food restaurants are often decorated in bright colours such as red, yellow, orange, and white for the purpose of increasing people’s appetites（胃口）. This is because bright colours are natural colours found in many foods, and, therefore, able to raise people’s spirits. Blue, in comparison（对比）with bright colours, is said to lower people’s appetites because few foods are blue in nature. For those who are on a diet, blue dishes and bowls might help!

“Morning, Amber! What happened? You look a bit green,” said Violet, Amber’s best friend.

“Nothing… just feeling … blue,” said Amber.

“Hey! Come to my place tonight. Do you know what I just bought? A phone! It’s red-hot.”

Amber was tickled pink to have the chance to play with the phone and said, “Sounds great!”