【推荐1】A language is a living thing. A language needs to be used; otherwise it gets forgotten. There are about 7,000 languages still in use in the world. But about every fourteen days, one of these languages is no longer spoken and dies. Experts believe that by 2100, more than half of today’s languages will extinct.

There are many reasons why a language starts to disappear. Often it’s because the need for the language disappears. Or because fewer people communicate with it.

In Bolivia, more than 30 languages are spoken today. One is a secret language called Kallawaya. The reason it’s known as a secret language is because it’s only taught by a father to his son or a grandfather to his grandson. Girls almost never learn to speak it. The Kallawaya people use their language for healing and in their family. They don’t really use it anywhere else. These days, there are only about twenty people who can speak Kallawaya. With each new generation, fewer males will speak the language and pass it on to their children. Kallawaya is disappearing because of cultural and social changes in people’s behavior.

The eastern group of the Cherokee Indian tribe (部落) lives in the state of North Carolina, the USA. Today, there are fewer than 200 fluent (流利的) speakers of Cherokee living in North Carolina. Cherokee people in North Carolina are trying to change that. They set up an elementary school to teach the Cherokee language and culture. Now, more children can speak Cherokee. Many people are trying to help their language grow. In fact, you can find smartphone apps and computer software (软件) in Cherokee.

【推荐2】Can anyone be an astronaut?

Of course not. You don’t have to have a science degree but most astronauts do. Most of them are pilots too. Life in a spaceship is hard so you must have a healthy body and mind. You need to be easy-going, patient, and helpful to spend so much time in a small space with other people.

What’s the training like?

People have to train for a year to learn how to stay healthy and safe. They practise space walking and living in zero gravity(重力). They train in difficult conditions to learn how to solve problems and to work in a team. Everyday tasks like eating, washing and sleeping can be difficult on a spaceship. There is no running water so you have to wash with wet tissues: it’s hard to enjoy the dry food that astronauts have to eat. And to sleep you must cover your eyes because the sun rises every 90 minutes on the International Space Station. You also have to tie yourself to something so you don’t fly away!

What health problems do astronauts have?

Life in zero gravity causes changes to our bodies. Bones and muscles(肌肉) become thin and weak so you must do a lot of exercise in space to stay fit and to help the heart move blood around your body. Astronauts often get backache because you grow in space— up to 8 centimeters! It’s also common to have headaches and to feel sick, especially at the beginning. You must have vitamins to take the place of fresh fruit and vegetables. But you don’t have to put on sun cream because space suits can protect your skin (皮肤).

Are you still interested?

So now you know. If you want to go to space, study hard, learn to fly and take care of your body and mind.

The first lecture (讲座) of “Tiangong Classroom” was scheduled (安排) for December 9th. The members of Shenzhou XIII include Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu. In our country’s Tiangong space station, they held a science lecture at twenty to four on Thursday afternoon.

It was the first lecture of the Tiangong Classroom. Millions of students across China watched the 60-minute televised event. China has set up ground-based main classrooms in the China Science and Technology Museum, and set up another four ground-based classrooms in Guangxi, Sichuan, Hong Kong and Macau, so that the students in the whole country can enjoy the space lecture.

At first, the three astronauts greeted everybody and introduced themselves. Then they showed how they live and work inside the space station. After that, they carried out some scientific experiments (实验) in space such as “disappearing buoyancy” and a “water ball”. The astronauts also answered questions from students on the ground. It made the students excited and proud of our country. For Wang Yaping, this is her second time to have a space class. She did it on June 6 in 2013 for the first time in Shenzhou X.

More lectures will be held based on the country’s manned spaceflights and will also be presented by Chinese astronauts. Such activities are planned to spread knowledge about manned spaceflights and spark enthusiasm (激发热情) for space science among young people.

The Shenzhou XIII mission (任务) was launched on Oct. 16. The astronauts are scheduled to spend six months working in the station, making it China’s longest manned space mission.