1 . Nowadays there seems to be an app for everything. And mobile apps have been a part of our life. The following apps are part of the most popular apps.

Ctrip: It can be the best helper when you feel it hard to buy the train or airline tickets. You can buy tickets anywhere at anytime.

Ximalaya Reading: It has lots of books, including poems, short stories, novels and even fairy tales for children. We can download book recordings and listen to them. It has more than 1 million valuable resources( 资源).

Baby Bus: It is a very good friend for children under three years old. Kids can learn to speak and draw pictures with the help of this app.

World Heroes: It may help you learn more English words while you’re playing games, so if you have problems remembering the new words when you learn English, use it!

4 . Nowadays, students’ safety has become a big problem. As students, we should know how to protect ourselves. So, Mr. Li, a teacher from Zhangjiajie, gives us some advice on how to deal with danger.

★If you are in a traffic accident

If a car hits you, you should remember the car number. If it is a bicycle, try to call your parents before you let the rider go. That’s because you don’t know how seriously you are hurt.

★If it is raining hard and there is lighting

Don’t stay in high places and stay away from trees.

★When there is a fire

Get away as fast as you can. Put wet things on your body and try to find an exit(出口). Don’t take the lift.

★If someone is drowning(溺水)

If you can’t swim, don’t get into water. Cry out for help. Remember that danger is never as far away as you think. Take care of yourself at all times.

★If you are robbed(打劫)

Keep calm. If you cannot cry for help or run away, give the robber your money. Try to remember what the robber looks like and tell the police later.

6 . On Dec. 28, a small satellite(卫星) was launched(发射)into space from Taiyuan, Shanxi. It was big news for students at Beijing Bayi School. After all, they designed the satellite.

With the help of space scientists, more than 30 students built this satellite (12 cm long, 11 cm wide and 27 cm tall). This is the first satellite designed and built by middle school students in China.

This August, the school worked with the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology International Communications(CCASTIC 中国航天科技国际交流中心) and started the satellite program. It allowed space experts to teach students about basic knowledge of satellites.

After several months of hard work, students designed their own satellite. Their main achievement was the design of the satellite’s functions (功能) in space. “We worked together and came up with more than 10 ideas. But after tests and experiments, we settled on four,” Zhu Xun, 16, told Beijing Evening News.

Indeed, they have to consider the weight of the satellite. The satellite will stay in space more than 180 days. Its functions include taking pictures of Earth, radio communication and sending information to Earth. The students hope that the satellite can take photos of smog, typhoons(台风) and other weather conditions.

The students were divided into five groups. The group members worked closely to make satellite models. “Every time we think the satellite we are designing will fly into space, we are so excited and try to do experiments,” said Shen Shulang, 17. They also visited the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other organizations to get inspiration(灵感).

Thousands of years ago, Shennong, who had an ox (牛) head and human body, lived in the south of ancient China. Seeing that local people were suffering from disease, he built ladders (梯子) and houses on a high mountain to store medical plants. To remember him, people named the place Shennongjia.

The story makes Shennongjia in Hubei an inviting place for tourists. Traveling there is a quite different experience, as you can see sceneries (风景) of the four seasons from different height. “When the bottom of the mountain is summer, the top is spring and while the foothill is autumn, the top is covered with ice,” local people say of the special climate of Shennongjia.

Shennongjia is also home to 5,000 kinds of animals and plants. Manyrare animalslive there, such as the golden monkey and the Asian black bear.

One intersting thing about Shennongjia is its story of wild men. Some people said that they saw big foot marks. Yet so far, scientists haven’t proved (证实) it is true and some say they are just bears.

The beautiful place has recently received a new title. It was added to United Nations World Heritage (遗产) list as a natural site. China now has 50 world heritage sites, only less than Italy in the world.

People around the world were shocked by the death of Stephen Hawking this year. They respect (尊敬) the British scientist not only because of his achievements in physics but also his great spirit.

Hawking was born in England on January 8^th, 1942. When he was a child, he was interested in science. In 1959, he entered Oxford University (牛津大学) to study natural science. However, he got a very serious illness in 1963. He couldn’t move or speak. He had to sit in a wheelchair (轮椅) and he could only communicate with others by computer.

In the face of these difficulies, Hawking didn’t give up. He went on to study at Cambridge University (剑桥大学) and did research on space and time. He wrote many great books. The most famous one is A Brief History Of Time (《时间简史》).

Hawking was invited to China to give speeches several times. His self-confidence (自信) and humorous words impressed (留下印象) us deeply.

Hawking’s unusual life encourages many people. Let’s not worry about our problems. Let’s face the challenges instead. As he once said, “Life is not fair, you just have to do the best you can in your situation.”

Your body is special—no two people in the world are alike. Although you are different from everyone else, you have exactly the same body parts as the people around you, doing different jobs that keep all of us alive.

What is inside my head?

Your head houses the most valuable part of your body—your brain. As you are reading, your eyes send pictures to your brain which makes meaning from what you see. Your brain helps you to remember and think, and make sure your body is doing what it should.

What is my skin for?

Your skin covers your body. In most parts of your body, the skin is just as thick as half a centimeter. If you have your skin cut, it will have a quick cure and stop viruses(病毒)from entering your body. Your skin also helps you feel the heat and coldness of the environment around you. Hair grows from inside the skin. When you feel hot, extra heat comes out through your skin. As a result, your body temperature                                        drops.

How do I move?

Muscles(肌肉)are found in most parts of your body. They work with your bones to help you a lot—whenever you cry or smile, eat or speak, walk or dance, etc.

Why do I breathe?

Your body needs to take in oxygen from the air and give out the unwanted carbon dioxide in the body. When you breathe, air comes through your nose and mouth into your lungs where oxygen flows to different parts of your body.

What does my heart do?

Your heart is a very special muscle. It is slightly bigger than your fist(拳头)and grows bigger as you do. If you place your hand on your heart, you will feel your heart beating which forces blood to move around your body.