A slow train in Southwest China with its own study room has drawn much attention. The train No. 5609/5610 runs between Chongqing and Xiushan county.

It is a public-welfare (公益的) “slow train”. In some carriages (车厢), some desks and chairs next to the windows take the place of seats in order to turn the carriage into a “study carriage” for passengers in need.

The train No. 5609/5610 is not the only one of this kind. Other “slow trains” have become “study carriages”, too, including No. 5619/5620 and 5633/5634. They run along the Chengdu-Kunming Railway. Students from nearby schools often take the trains between school and home. The trains are their “school buses” and they often use their travel time to finish homework. Many passengers also use their travel time to complete work.

On the train No. Z150, running between Guiyang and Beijing, a “book bar” carriage has been popular with college students. There are nearly 400 universities and colleges in the cities along the line, making the train the top choice for most students from those schools. Since 2015, the train’s dining car has been open for free at night. It provides students with a lending library, free tea and other services. It’s a relaxing place for the students to continue their studies.

Many scientists find that colors can change people’s feelings. It’s very interesting. Some colors can make people feel relaxed, and some colors can make people feel nervous.

Now, this kind of knowledge (知识) is being used in many places. For example, school walls are always painted green because green makes students feel relaxed. It is also good for the students’ eyes. Some books are also green or light blue for the same reason. Restaurant owners not only have to know how to make food, but also have to know how to make money. Here are some things they’ve learned from scientific (科学的) studies. The colour red makes people hungry. Many fast food restaurants have red furniture or walls. Soft colors like pink and light blue make people feel relaxed, so they spend more time eating. Loud music may be nice at first, but it soon makes people want to leave. Hard seats also make customers want to eat quickly and leave. Many restaurants, especially fast food restaurants, use this knowledge to make customers eat faster.

The British Museum is the biggest one in the world. It was built nearly 300 years ago by a doctor, Sir Hans Sloane. The man liked to collect things such as books, drawings, clothes and so on. He also hoped that his children and grandchildren kept his things well and so people would visit them after his death. His wish came true, and the museum opened in 1759, six years after Sir Hans Sloane died. Later, more antiques (古董) arrived at the museum and more people wanted to visit it.

The museum had a famous round Reading Room. There was something unusual in the room. Cool air came up through small holes in the tables. Hot air flowing under the floor kept readers’ feet warm. Since its opening, many famous people wrote and studied there.

It is open every day of the year, except two holidays (New Year’s Day and Christmas). Entrance (入场) is free. There are lots of special exhibitions and every day there are different films and talks, some of them for children. Small machines tell you about the museum as you walk around it.

So if you are one of the British Museum’s two million tourists this year, don’t try to see it all too quickly. There is a lifetime of looking in the British Museum.

7 . You might feel tired after solving a difficult math problem or studying for a whole day. Are our brains (大脑) really “burning” when we spend a lot of time thinking? In fact, our brains never stop burning calories (卡路里), even if we aren’t thinking about anything.

Our brain gets energy (能量) from a kind of sugar that can be found in rice and noodles. Since our brain never really rests, it is burning energy in the form of sugar all the time. Even when we sleep, our brain needs energy to keep our body working. These include breathing, digesting (消化) and keeping the body warm.

The brain uses up 20 to 25 percent of the body’s total (全部的) energy. That’s 350 calories per (每一) day for a woman and 450 for a man. When you are five or six years old, your brain uses up to 60 percent of the body’s energy, according to Live Science.

When we are thinking hard, the brain burns more calories. In one study, researchers found that people who worked on a hard task on a computer ate around 200 more calories than those who were resting. That explains why you feel hungry and eat more after taking exams or studying for a long time.

I’m living in a busy city. There are too many people and too many cars. Too many people and too many cars cause too crowded traffics. At the same time, the cars give out much smog(烟雾), especially(尤其是) at rush hours(高峰期). The smog pollutes(污染) the city terribly. The problem is becoming more and more serious. We should do something to prevent(阻止) it. First, I think we should have more police officers at the busy crossings. They can stop the traffic jams(阻塞). Second, we should not make more parking lot(停车位) for cars. When people think that it’s easy to park in cities, more people will drive to work and it will make the traffic more crowded. Third, we should make it more expensive for drivers to drive cars to cities. Then more people will leave their cars for their bikes. Fourth, we should encourage people to take a bus to work. Fifth, we should build special ways for bikes so that more people will go to work by bike instead of by bus or in a car. Finally, we should spend more on the public transportation(公共交通). For example, we can build more subway lines. Of course, we can also do many other things to improve our traffic.

9 . In China, the year 2024 is known as long nian in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Over a long period of time, it has been called the Year of the Dragon in English. But actually, there are a lot of differences between the Chinese long and the Western dragon.

The Chinese long is made up of parts of some gentle animals, such as a rabbit’s eyes and an ox’s ears. In Chinese mythology, long is able to fly. In addition, it can also spray (喷洒) water from its mouth to create rain.

However, in Western culture, a dragon breathes fire and has the body of a snake and big wings of a bat. What’s more, you will find most of the Western dragons in dark colors because they usually stand for evil (邪恶). As a result, normally at the end of the stories, the evil dragon will be beaten by the superheroes.

What makes such differences? In fact, they have something to do with the cultural differences. In Chinese Confucian (儒家的) ideas, kindness and harmony (和谐) are very important. It is our duty to help each other and live a peaceful life. Western culture, on the other hand, prefers individual heroism (个人英雄主义). Whenever something terrible happens, there will be a superhero who is brave enough to stand out, fight against the enemy on his own, and, of course, save the whole world.

In recent years, Chinese have tried to translate long in another way. For example, Zhejiang’s Loong Air has already written long as Loong. One of the reasons is that Loong sounds the same as the Chinese character long. Besides, the letters “oo” in the word Loong look like the two big eyes of the animal, which makes it easier to memorize this word.

Anyway, no matter how long is translated, there is one thing for sure: the Chinese long is different from the Western dragon, and it is a symbol of good luck.

Wish you and your family the best in the Year of Loong!

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In September 2023, Luckin Coffee launched a partnership with Kweichou Moutai, selling the moutai-flavored latte for 19 yuan per cup, offering a 50% discount on the product.

The collaboration (合作) between Moutai and Luckin Coffee has caught the attention of many people. They are curious to try the coffee mixed with the most famous Chinese liquor (白酒). “For young people, this is their first taste of Moutai baijiu; for middle-aged and older people, it’s their first cup of Luckin coffee,” wrote a Weibo user. According to Luckin, on the first day it was sold, September 4th, 5.42 million cups of this special coffee were sold, bringing in 100 million yuan in sales.

“This creative collaboration lets Moutai make its brand younger.” Li Honghui, a marketing director for drinks said. “Through collaborations, brands can share what they need, make the market bigger, and bring more creative things to buyers.” added Li.

In 2023, China’s collaboration market will grow to over 100 billion yuan and may reach 300 billion yuan by 2025．However, wrong collaborations may have undesirable results and even hurt brands.

“The key to making a collaboration work is about how good the products are. The brands should not just pay attention to getting the public excited.” said Li.