【推荐1】An Accidental Invention

Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water), was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world’s favorite drinks was invented.

A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, “the saint of tea”, mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the sixth and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn’t appear until around 1660, but in less than 100 years, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

【推荐3】Computers can help us in many ways, but they cannot think or do things on their own.     1     They cannot come up with any new information, but they can save much time and work. For example, all the information and office files can be stored in a computer’s “memory”.

The first computers were huge and expensive. They filled up almost the whole floor of large offices.     2    . They invented chips(芯片) which made it possible to store more information in less space.

    3     They can just be placed on top of an ordinary writing table. They can even be carried from place to place easily. Computers are not only used in offices by companies, but are used at homes by families who can afford them.

    4     A robot can do the same work as a person for 24 hours without complaining or getting tired.     5     As computers become more and more common in businesses and factories, people fear that one day computers and computer-controlled robots will put human workers out of work.

【推荐1】Helping others is a great thing to do. You can learm new things and have fun. You can help people, animals or the environment. It can make you feel good too! How can you help?

Charities(慈善机构)are organizations that help others, for example, UNICEF or the World Wildlife Fund. You can help charities by giving your time, giving money or giving things that you own. You can also help people or places you know.

Volunteering

Volunteering is when you give your time to help others. Some ways of volunteering are:

●visiting old people to talk to them or help them.

●walking dogs at an animal shelter(避难所).

●cleaning up a park.

Fund raising

Fund-raising is when you collect money to help others. Some ways of fund-raising are:

●making cakes or biscuits to sell.

●doing a sponsored (赞助) activity. For example, family and friends give you money if

you finish a long walk.

Donating

Donating is when you give your things to help others. Some ways of donating are :

●giving your old toys or clothes to a charity that helps sick children or poor people.

●giving your old books to a library. So, what can you do to help others?

【推荐2】The Double Third Festival(上巳节) is an ancient Chinese festival. It comes on the third day of the third lunar month. The day is said to be the birthday of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi). He, along with the Yan Emperor (Yandi), is considered to be the ancestor of all Chinese people. The date was fixed after the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty people often took a bath in the river on that day to wash away bad luck. Wang Xizhi wrote in his Lantingji Xu about how people took a bath and wrote poems while drinking from cups drifting(漂流) along the river. In the Tang Dynasty, people enjoyed drinks and sightseeing. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people did activities like drifting cups, throwing stones, hiking and listening to music.

In modern times, it is mainly celebrated by the people in the southern parts of China. For the Zhuang people in Guangxi, it is a festival for young people to sing songs and find their true love. Bamboo dancing is another important activity for them. For the Li and Miao people in Hainan, it is a day for remembering ancestors. For the Han people, it is a time to go outside to enjoy flowers and cook eggs with jicai. The Han people believe the special eggs are good for their health.