1 . Nowadays, mobile phones take up most of our time. We look at our mobile phones as we’re walking, play with them as we’re studying, and don’t want to put them down as we go to bed.

The Internet Development Research Institution (机构) of Peking University says over half of internet users say they want to get away from the internet and stay away from mobile phones. However, it is a very tall order especially now in China because we use our phones to pay for everything we bought every day.

There’s a new app (软件) which has a function (功能) to help users manage the time. For example, users can see how many times they’ve unlocked their phones, how many times they’ve checked their social media apps, and how much time they spend on each app every day. After seeing this information, the users will make some changes.

With the App Timer (计时) function, users can set a time limit (限制) for how long they can use each app for every day. After they’ve reached the limit, they won’t be able to use the app until the next day. And with another function, the app gets incoming calls silent when the user puts the phone face down.

But if people truly want to make full use of their free time instead of losing hours on their phones, it will not need to depend on any apps.

After all, who needs to use an app to stop you from using other apps? The easiest answer would be just to use your willpower (毅力).

2 . Do you know “China’s four great new inventions (发明)?” They are greatly changing our life.

High-speed train

China has the world’s longest railway network (铁路网) of more than 22,000 kilometers. And the high-speed train Fuxing can run at the speed of 350 km/h. This makes it the fastest train in the world. China also builds high-speed railway in Europe, Southeast Asia and South America.

Bike sharing

There are about 10 million (百万) shared bikes in China now. Users can unlock (解锁) the bikes with their cellphones (手机). And they don’t have to find a station to leave the bikes. This makes bike sharing much easier for us.

Cashless payment (无现金支付)

In China, if you don’t need cash to buy things, you could just pay with your cellphone. All you need to do is to scan a QR code (二维码). Even an apple seller on the roadside has a QR code for WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Online shopping

China has many big online shopping platforms (平台), such as Taobao, Tmall and JD. com. They have attracted (吸引) a lot of shoppers. Now JD. com is trying to use drones (无人机) to send goods. Taobao even has an “Online Shopping Festival” on November 11 each year.

3 . Benny is my best friend. He is my exercise partner and loves to play with me. He is always happy to see me when I come home.

Benny and I have a lot in common. He enjoys napping(打盹) as much as I do. We both love to sleep on the sofa. If I have a bad day, he will comfort(安慰) me. He will always stay with me when I feel unhappy. He will always be there when I need some help.

Benny doesn’t care if I look silly. No matter(无论) what I’m wearing, he’ll go out with me happily. He is kind and generous. He loves all the gifts I give him and is always willing to share his toys with me.

However, Benny isn’t perfect(完美). He likes chasing cats. I’m certainly not perfect, either. But together, we make a great pair. Benny is teaching me to be more patient, and I’m teaching him that cats aren’t evil(邪恶的).

Yes, Benny is my best friend. He is my lovely pet dog.

4 . Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big and they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap(捕蝇草).

The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book, they can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If a fly(苍蝇) touches one of the hairs, the leaves will close quickly. The fly cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaves press the fly until it is dead. Then the plant covers the fly. Slowly the plant eats the fly.

Why do plants do it?

Most plants get what they need from the sun, the air and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn’t have all these important things, but animal meat has a lot of these important things. So some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let’s hope that some of the bigger plants don’t get the same idea!

5 . Do you believe stones can move by themselves? There are some stones that can move in Death Valley of the USA. Many of the stones are small, but a few of them are big. The biggest stone weighs about 350 kg.

The stones only move at night. Nobody has seen them moving, but now scientists know why the stones can move. The answer is the wind. When the wind comes from the west, the stones move to the east(东). When the wind is from the south, they always move to the north. But how can the wind move the heavy stones?

Death Valley is one of the hottest places in the world, but it can be very cold at night. Sometimes, there are even storms at night. Rain falls, and the wind is strong and cold. The water on the ground turns into ice(冰) easily. Then the strong wind can move the stones along the flat(平的) ground. In the morning, the sun comes up and dries the ground. Then people can find the stones move from one place to another in the daytime.

9 . Do you know cotton（棉花）? Cotton is everywhere in our life although we might not notice it. Humans have been using cotton to make clothes for more than 7,000 years. Today, it still is the most widely used natural material（材料）in the whole world.

Cotton has many advantages（优点）that make it an excellent clothing material. On hot days, cotton clothing feels cool and comfortable.

Cotton comes from the cotton plant, a small plant that is easy to grow. The fruits of the cotton plant are covered by soft（柔软的）and light white fibers（纤维）for protection. These fibers are collected and made into cloth and then it can be made into many things,

The cotton seeds（种子）are not wasted either. They are put in a squeezing machine that presses the oil（食用油）out of them. This oil is a pretty useful thing for cooking and is used in many foods. The thing that is left is used to feed animals such as pigs and cows.

Nothing is wasted. That’s why cotton is such an amazing plant.

Because people like natural materials better than man-made materials, the things made of cotton will still be popular in the future. Humans will continue wearing clothes made of cotton.

10 . Good study habits are important for all students. When you have good study habits, you’ll learn faster and find you have a good memory (记忆).

Do you usually study in the living room? This is not a good place for study because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, such as your bedroom. A quiet place will help you learn better.

Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. It helps you study well, too. Light (光线) is important, too. You will feel tired easily if there is not enough light.

Of all the good study habits you can develop, asking questions is the key. Just ask. No one knows everything but we can always learn from each other by asking questions.

One easy but important habit is to tell yourself what you’re studying for. Put your dream grades (分数) on the wall next to your bed or computer. That means you’ll see and think about it every day.

When do you work best? Are you an early bird or a night owl (夜猫子), or something in between? Find your most productive work time and then plan (计划) to study at that time.