【推荐2】

Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang in Shandong Province has a long history of making kites. At first kites were used by the army for measuring distances and communicating. During the Song Dynasty, kites became popular among people for fun.

Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor（传承人）of the Weifang kite-making technique（技艺）. Born into a kite-making family Yang often saw kites in bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather’s workshop. “Every time I see these beautiful kites, my bad feelings go away,” said Yang. Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.

Many places around the world have kites, but Yang’s kites are special. On her kites, people can see some prints telling Chinese old stories and history. Yang once made a kite showing a phoenix（凤凰）that was lined with pictures of 50 famous women from Chinese history on each side. Yang said that each woman was different in looks, clothes and makeup style. To create their portraits, she made lots of effort to check historical records and talked about details（细节）with professionals.

“It takes me a lot of time,” Yang said, “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign people, I feel a great sense of achievement.”

In her free times, she travels to different countries to tell people the Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways kites are made. “It is important to spread our culture around the world,” she said.

【推荐3】During the two sessions（两会）, people around the world talk about China. Have you ever wondered what topics Generation Z (people born 1995—2009) are most interested in? In March 2022, China Daily did a survey on topics of the two sessions to see what interests Generation Zers most. Let’s take a look.

Among all topics, “mental health” got the most votes（投票）. “Spreading traditional culture” (83%) followed closely. The top choice is not unexpected. Reports on mental health problems of teenagers have increased in recent years. The rate of depression（抑郁）among them was nearly 25%. The attention they give to mental health shows that they care for their own well-being. When they don’t feel well, they dare to speak out and ask for help.

Although Generation Zers are young, they understand the power of traditional culture. They believe that China is deeply rooted in traditional culture and would like to spread it to the world. Zhao Yan, a junior 2 student from Liaoning Riwan Middle School, said, “My school set up many clubs to help students understand the importance of traditional culture. I join a paper-cutting workshop and a hanfu club. I have learned a lot. I made a tiger-shaped paper-cutting. It has not only helped me practise my handwork skills but also let me know the beauty of art. It’s our duty to pass this great art to future generations.”

Instead of only focusing on themselves, Generation Zers also set their eyes on social problems. Kevin Xu, a 16-year-old boy from Shenzhen, told the reporter. “I care about the prevention and control measures（防治措施）of COVID-19. I’m now studying in the UK. In February, the UK government ended quarantine（隔离）rules. It means that COVID-19 patients can go out. This would never happen in China! I think China’s ‘dynamic zero-case’ policy（动态清零政策）sounds more responsible. A country should protect its people in a pandemic.”

People seem to know little about Generation Zers. Thanks to this survey, we are able to take a closer look at “what Generation Zers care about” and paint a picture of what they are like.

【推荐1】Lily Born is an 11-year-old girl from Chicago, America. When most 11-year-olds are watching Hunger Games, Lily is busy designing(设计) a special cup to help people with Parkinson’s disease(帕金森病).

Lily is the daughter of an inventor, and her grandfather has Parkinson’s disease. After Lily noticed that her grandfather spilled his drinks, she decided to make a special cup for him. Lily’s cup has three legs, so it’s harder to knock over than the common cup. She named it the Kangaroo Cup.

The design was not a success at first. The cup broke easily. However, with the help of her father, Lily worked with some older designers and manufacturers(厂商)to improve her design. Now Lily’s grandfather can use the Kangaroo Cup. This new Kangaroo Cup is made from plastic(塑料), and Lily’s grandfather can’t break it. The new cup can stand up on anywhere, even on the grass. It also has many colours, so it’s the perfect cup for picnics.

Lily gives some advice to boys and girls like her. “Don’t be afraid if you fail, because you’ll fail a lot before you get it right,” she said. “Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your parents and teachers ca n help you with a lot of things. Most of the time they are happy to help you if it’s not anything really expensive.”

【推荐2】What words did people search for the most in 2019? You can check Google’s list of the top 10 most-searched words and phrases for 2019 to find out. The list shows what people were most interested in this year. Let’s look back at three of them.

Notre Dame (巴黎圣母院)

A terrible tragedy (悲剧) hit France on April 15. A fire broke out in the Notre Dame cathedral (教堂), destroying (毁坏) its spire (尖顶) and a large part of its roof (屋顶). Built between 1163 and 1250, Notre Dame is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture (哥特式建筑). It is also home to many priceless works of art. It was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the cathedral.

The first black hole photo

History was made on April 10 when researchers unveiled (公布) the first-ever photo of a black hole. The image shows a black hole with a bright ring around it. The black hole lies in a faraway galaxy named Messier 87. Scientists say that the image proves (证明) that black holes are real. It also supports Einstein’s theory (理论) of general relativity (广义相对论).

5G

At the top of your phone display (显示), you’ll usually see a little symbol that says 3G or 4G. The “G” stands for the “generation (代)” of your mobile network. Now, the age of 5G is arriving. On March 30, Shanghai vice-mayor (副市长) Wu Qing made the first 5G video call on a Huawei Mate X smartphone, CGTN reported. Shanghai has also become the first city in China to start testing 5G networks.

About 100 times faster than 4G networks, 5G will let its users download and upload data faster than ever before. It can also be used to power other technology, such as self-driving cars and the Internet of things. China is set to become the world’s largest 5G market, with 460 million users by 2025.

【推荐3】Mr. Brown is 80 years old. Every morning he goes for a walk in the park. And he comes home at twelve thirty for lunch. But today a car stops at his house. Two policemen help him get out. One of them says to Mr. Brown’s daughter, “The old man can’t find his way in the park. He asks us to take him home by car.” The daughter thanks the policemen and leave. Then she asks her father, “Dad, you go to that park every day. But today, you can’t find the way. What’s wrong with you?” The old man smiles like a child and says, “I can find my way. I don’t want to walk home.”

Kitty wrote an article about the English Week in their school.

Many schools have an English Day or English Week every year. Students love it and they usually take an active part in it.

Last week our school had an English Week. We did everything in English. The Students’ Union organized (组织) many activities. Each class put up a special wallpaper outside their classroom. There was an English speech contest on how to be a good student in the new century. Many students and teachers enjoyed it. There were also a lot of English riddles on the walls of the school gym. I got three prizes because I guessed many riddles.

On the last day, all the teachers and students gathered (聚集) in the school hall. We had the closing ceremony of the English Week there. We also invited some students from an American School. First, our headmaster made a closing speech in English. Then we watched some performances by some students and teachers. There were short plays, dances, piano-playing group sing, etc. This was really wonderful closing ceremony. We enjoyed every minute of it. We are all looking forward to the next English Week.

【推荐2】The Dragon Boat festival is very popular in China. It comes on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. It is known for dragon-boat racing. Dragon-boat racing is the most popular activity during the festival, especially (尤其) in South China. A dragon boat looks like a dragon, and is painted in red, white, yellow or black. Usually, a dragon boat is twenty to forty meters long, and needs twenty people to row. Boatmen row the boat in cadence (节奏) with the drumbeats(鼓点), as the captain (船长) in the front of the boat waves a small flag to help coordinate (使动作协调) the rowing.

Dragon-boat racing is quite a spectacle (奇观). Now it becomes a popular activity in South China.

International (国际的) dragon-boat racing is held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year.

【推荐3】One day, on a small farm in Maine, a man sat in a barn watching a large spider(蜘蛛) on a web. The man was E.B. White -- or Andy, as he was called -- who thought spiders were wonderful creatures. He thought one day he might like to write a children’s book about a spider.

But writing was hard work for Andy. He had written articles and essays and poems.He had also written one children’s book, Stuart Little. But Andy could never just rush to turn an idea into an article or a book. He told his editor (编辑) that he needed to let his ideas ripen.

So for years, Andy continued to think about writing a children’s book about a spider. He did some of his best thinking while he walked slowly around his farm.

Once while he was cleaning his barn, he found a spider’s egg sac (卵囊). Andy wanted to see the eggs hatch(孵蛋). But he was going to leave for New York City. So he found a small box and carefully placed the egg sac inside. When he got to his hotel, he put the box on the dresser. The next morning , there were hundreds of baby spiders rushing across the dresser!

Years later, Andy finally began writing Charlotte’s Web, the story of a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur.

Sometimes he stopped writing and aimlessly drew pictures of spiders. Andy always said Charlotte’s Web was more than just a children’s story about animals. It was a timeless story about true friendship.