1 . ①Do you know podcasts (播客)? Have you ever paid for educational podcasts or live videos? Ask some people and most of them will say yes. “Pay-for-knowledge” has been a fashionable thing these years. Everything you think of can be found online, skills of talking, designing, computer programming and so on.

②Why is “Pay-for-knowledge” industry (产业) developing so quickly? First, its development is based on (基于) the Internet. With a fast network and a smart phone, anyone who has passed the identity (身份) check can be an online teacher, and anyone with an online account (账户) can buy “Pay-for-knowledge” products that he or she wants at a good price. Second, people are afraid to miss any information. They hope for more useful information which is usually at the hands of experts. Moreover, the need to learn new skills in today’s job market also pushes people to learn on such educational podcasts.

③The industry of “Pay-for-knowledge” has proved to be a great way of making money. It promises possibilities of turning information into money. It is good for the development of our country and it can help sellers make lots of money. Besides, buyers can enjoy self-growth from it. What’s more, this is a reflection (反映) of people’s respect for knowledge and talents.

④However, “Pay-for-knowledge” also causes a few problems. For one thing, the market is full of eye-catching words such as “How to be a good CEO?” which sound like if you pay for it, you are sure to succeed. For another, a large number of customers buy them just for showing off. That means, with or without these products, they can make it anyway, because they are those who have the ability to learn by themselves.

⑤In general, the best is the one that suits you most. “Pay-for-knowledge” may be used as a good start for self-growth. But be careful when you make a choice, or your dream of success may not come true.

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5 . The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

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6 . ①Parkinson’s disease (帕金森病) is the second most common neurodegenerative (神经退行性) disease worldwide. It affects about 1% to 2% of people aged 65 and over. As the global population ages, more and more people have this disease. Nowadays, more than 6 million people worldwide have Parkinson’s disease, and there are about 60,000 new patients each year.

②A recent study was carried out by Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The study observed (观察) the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years.

③They studied two groups of people. One group of 147 people often practiced tai chi (太极), helped by training class to improve their ways. The traditional Chinese exercise includes slow gentle movements, deep breathing and relaxation. The other group of 187 patients continued with their common care, but didn’t practice tai chi.

④After five years of study, the researchers found that ________. This group also saw fewer falls, less back pain and fewer memory problems than the other group. At the same time, sleep and quality of life kept getting better.

⑤What’s more, an earlier test of people with Parkinson’s who practiced tai chi for six months found greater improvements in walking, posture (姿态) and balance than those not on the program. Experts say the findings support earlier studies on the benefits (益处) of exercise for those with Parkinson’s.

⑥Writing in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, researchers say their study shows that tai chi has the long-term beneficial effects on Parkinson’s disease, which include making quality of life last longer, cutting down the task on nursing care and medicine use, while still helping to keep patients active. They also find that tai chi training is safe for patients with early primary Parkinson’s disease.

⑦This was an observational study, so the relationship between tai chi and improvement in Parkinson’s discase could not be sure. But the researchers will continue to study it.

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7 . The drum has existed in Chinese culture for thousands of years and has a deep meaning which is more than a kind of musical instrument.

The drum was mentioned in Chinese history in the Pottery Age (陶器时代). The Zhou Dynasty set up the drum music organization that was responsible for the management of officers known as “drum men” and developed a complete drum music system. From then on, drums came to be used in ancient Chinese practices.

In ancient China, agriculture (农业) was the main form of production and drums were considered important for a good harvest. Since the sound of drums echoes that of thunder (雷), it was believed that playing drums could attract rain. So the instrument was used to ask for good weather and to “communicate” with them.

Drums also played a part in the war. The drum’s sound could go very far while increasing fear in the heart of the enemies. So the drum was used as a military inspiration for a long time.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the society was developing fast and drums were widely used. The national band, drama, folk art, song and dance, boat racing, lion dance, festival gathering and labor competition were all together with the beats of drums. The sound of drums means celebrations, filling hearts with joy.

Different types of Chinese drums exist today. For example, “Taiping Drum” is used to express hope for peace and prosperity (繁荣) while “Ansai Waist Drum” is meant to show the spirit and the heroic character of farmers in Northwest China.

In a word, drum culture reflects the development of Chinese society. For thousands of years, Chinese people are always been expecting peace and satisfaction.

8 . From different TV dramas or books about the ancient time, we can often hear titles (like quanzi (犬子) and “kaimo (楷模)”. In fact, they are so popular that people regard them as part of ancient Chinese history and culture. What do these Chinese titles refer to? Have you ever wondered what the stories behind these ideas are?

Modesty (谦逊) and respect

Chinese people in the past or even sometimes today call their sons quanzi. They believe that dogs are humble animals. When Chinese parents use quanzi to refer to their sons, they are being modest. Although most parents do want them to be successful, they don’t usually talk about this in front of others. Instead, they try to play it down. This is similar to how even rich Chinese people call their big houses hanshe (寒舍), which means “my humble home”.

Although people are modest about themselves, they respect others a lot. They call their own sons quanzi, but call others’ sons linglang (令郎), a respectful way to say “your son”.

Trees of character

In Chinese, kaimo means “role model”. Both of these Chinese characters have a “木” on their left side. People believe that kai and mo might are two kinds of trees in ancient China. It was said that there were many kai trees growing near Confucius’ tomb (孔子墓). These trees were so straight that they made people think of Confucius’ character—straight and honest people believed that the mo trees grew near the tomb of the Duke of Zhou (周公). The straightness and the leaves’ color of these trees made people think of two sages’ (先贤们) character—integrity. Since the kai and mo trees grew near the tombs of two respected people, kaimo was then used to refer to role models.

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Are there any hangnails (倒刺) near your fingernails (手指甲)? If you try to pull them, they really hurt. So why do we have more hangnails in winter? The answer is that our hands are drier during the season.

Our skin (皮肤) near our fingernails isn’t oily compared to other parts of our skin. The weather is usually dry in autumn and winter, and dryness takes away oil. So when the skin becomes really dry, it cracks (开裂) and becomes harder. This gives us hangnails.

So how to prevent hangnails? Most people think having enough vitamins (维生素) can play a part, but vitamins are not as important as people think. Nevertheless, it’s good to have foods rich in vitamins A and B, such as carrots, eggs and fish, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Also, it’s best not to pull the hangnails off. It may not only hurt but also result in more hangnails because the skin becomes damaged (被破坏的). You can put your hand in warm water for a few minutes and then cut the hangnails with nail-scissors. You can also try using hand cream more often.

10 . How do you usually sleep—barefoot (赤脚) or with socks on? Scientists have found that wearing socks to bed can help you fall asleep more quickly. Isn’t that amazing?

The temperature of your internal organs (内脏器官) is called your core body temperature (核心体温). During the day, your core body temperature stays around 37 degrees. Over the course of seven or eight hours of sleep, it drops by as much as 1.2 degrees. How does this happen? Well, when your brain decides that your internal organs should cool down, it will widen your blood vessels (血管). The warmer blood from your body’s core will then flow to the rest of your body. In this way, your core body temperature gradually drops.

This process is important for falling asleep. In fact, the faster your body’s core cools down, the faster you will get to sleep. According to scientists, wearing socks can help widen your blood vessels. This, in turn, lowers your core body temperature and helps you fall asleep more quickly.

If you have trouble getting to sleep, why not give it a try? Take a warm foot bath before bed and put on your socks. You’ll probably fall asleep fifteen minutes faster than usual!