1 . Culture Flying High

Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang in Shandong Province has a long history of making kites.

Weifang kite-making dates back to 2,000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the army for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty(1368—1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment. Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage lists(国家级非物质文化遗产名录) in 2006. Since 1984, the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.

Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor(继承人) of the Weifang kite-making art, born into a kite-making family. “Every time I see the beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away,” said Yang.

Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the art from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the skills for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992. On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and birds, but also some paintings telling Chinese legends and history.

Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy. “It’s really hard work,” Yang added, “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers, I feel a sense of great achievement.”

In her space time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites. “I’m an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation,” she said.

2 . Famous Places around the World

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7 . Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.

Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition (释义) to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENTON THE SEA. When you are homesick, the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.

Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart. People are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.

But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.

8 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3,000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world. The Silk Road covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East. Merchants travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold. Along and around these ancient paths (小路), have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.

It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the legend of the blond-haired, blue-eyed tribes of China was started.

Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏) of war almost 2,800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these people travelled the Silk Road. And they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a silk route museum in Jiuquan, in China. It has over 35,000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

9 . ①A recent report found that kids 30 years ago could run faster and longer than kids today. ②The report found that today’s kids were 15% less healthy than kids from 30 years ago.

You’re a 13-year-old girl. Your mom was the same kind of kid when she was your age. Now imagine we could set up a mile race between you and your mom from 30 years ago. The study shows your mom would probably beat you in the race by 1.5 minutes. It was the same for boys. A boy from 30 years ago would beat a boy today.

The scientists who did the study think there are some reasons for the big fall in health. First, too many of today’s kids are overweight. That makes it harder for them to run fast. Second, kids today don't get enough exercise. The doctor says that kids should take exercise at least 60 minutes every day. That’s why ③学生在学校上体育课是重要的。

So what should kids do? If you don’t want your mom and dad to think they are faster than you, don’t spend a lot of time looking through the Internet, watching TV or movies. Instead, do things that will get you up and to move.