1 . In late May, 2020, a country in Florida, USA suffered strong storms. The roads in the city changed into brown rivers.

When it rains heavily, rainwater builds up the streets, the drains (下水道) get plugged (塞住). And it becomes the key cause of weather-related problem of deaths in the USA.

A team of teenagers from local middle school made a plan to solve this problem. With the help of their science teacher, they invented a device (装置) to warn city workers when and where there is a danger of flooding (洪水).

Bianca, one of the team members, said, “All of us experience problems with flooding, and we knew we had to do something about it. Students at our school hope our device will help because most of them once met with this problem.”

A laser system (激光系统) was used in their device. When a drain is plugged up, the device could warn the city workers then they could clean the drain at once.

_______ Their classmates helped them find information about how to use the laser system. Class parents who were engineers help them solve the technique (技术) problems. They each took on a task that they are good at. Each member put in a lot of effort and finally they made it.

Reading is very important. World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It encourages people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor great writers.

Many countries celebrate World Book Day. On that day, millions of school children can buy books at a much lower price than usual in any bookstore in England. It has been done every year since 1998. World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Young people should spend more time reading. Books can not change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading.

Reading helps us become more knowledgeable and smarter. Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Reading gives us information about other cultures and places in the world. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English. We all know that it is difficult to learn everything in the classroom, for example, the ways English people are living and working today can be learnt by reading.

Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world. Therefore, it is necessary for us to spend time reading every day.

You may have already forgotten the days when you had to learn how to use chopsticks. Every Chinese kid struggles with them for some time. But chopsticks are not just simple tools to pick up food. They come with their own special rules and traditions. Let’s learn the rules and traditions behind chopsticks.

Generally, people should not make noise with chopsticks. Playing with chopsticks is seen as bad manners, just as playing with forks and knives in a Western country would be rude. There are also some superstitions（迷信 ） related to chopsticks. For example, some people believe that chopsticks should not be left standing upright in a bowl. It looks like the incense （香 ）that Chinese use to honor（祭奠 ）the dead. Doing it at the dinner table is believed to bring bad luck.

You should not tap chopsticks on the edge of the bowl either, as beggars（乞丐）do this to ask for food. Parents might get angry if children do this as they don’t want their children to be as poor as beggars in the future.

Chopsticks can also be a great gift. In Chinese, “chopsticks” are known as “kuaizi”, which means to have babies soon. Newlyweds（ 新 婚夫妇 ）sometimes receive chopsticks as a wedding gift. Skilled craftsmen（ 手艺人 ）paint beautiful images on chopsticks to make them look like fine artwork.

In the year of 2020, the coronavirus(新冠病毒) broke out(爆发) all over the world. A lot of people suffered from(遭受……折磨) a fever or a cough. Don’t be afraid. Here is some advice to help you protect yourself.

Wash your hands. You need to wash your hands with soap and water before you eat, after you use the toilet, and after you touch animals, because your hands may carry viruses(病毒).

Cover your nose and mouth. When someone sneeze(打喷嚏) or coughs, the viruses can travel as fast as one meter through the air, so you’d better stand a proper distance while talking to someone who has a cold. And always cover your mouth and nose with a piece of paper when you sneeze or cough, and then clean your hands.

Wear a mask(口罩). Some doctors say that masks can stop the virus as much as 80%, but if you don’t wash your hands often, it’s no use wearing a mask. So it’s necessary to wear the mask in the groups of people.

Do sports often. Exercise will help make your body strong enough to resist(抵抗) the virus.

7 . Zhurong, the name of China’s Mars rover(火星车), was announced on April 24th, 2021, China’s Space Day. The name of Zhurong comes from a character in ancient Chinese stories.

The way it was named is the same as other space programs like Chang’e, Tianwen and Beidou. In ancient Chinese stories, Zhurong is a fire god. He is a proud man dressed in the soldier’s clothes, holding a sword(剑) and riding on a large tiger. And he is famous for stopping his son from causing floods(洪水) for humans successfully. Besides, according to the words’ Chinese meanings, “Zhu” means “wish”, which can be used to express the good wishes for humans’ study of the universe(宇宙). And “rong” means “integration”, which shows Chinese people would like to use the space with other countries peacefully, and to build a community with a shared future for human beings.

Zhurong, the Mars rover, is 1.85 meters high and weighs about 240 kilograms. It has six wheels and four solar panels(太阳能面板) and it can move at 200 meters an hour on the planet’s surface. With six scientific instruments, it can work for at least three months. On the Mars, ▲ such as the make-up(组成) of the planet’s surface, the weather and environment conditions on the Mars. Zhurong shows that China’s space programs have taken a huge step forward again.

The Arctic is home to over 21,000 kinds of animals and plants. Two thirds of it is the Arctic Ocean. In winter, it is completely covered with sea ice. In summer; nearly 50 percent of the sea is ice.

It’s also home to about 4 million people, a group of whom are Inuit. Jim is an Inuit boy. At 6:30 am, he wakes up and gets ready to go to school in his fur （毛皮）coat. It keeps him warm in the freezing weather. Half an hour later, he gets to school on a ski or snowmobile. Some of his friends go by car instead. At 11:30 am, it’s time for lunch. There’s fish and other meat in his lunchbox. He sometimes eats them uncooked. These foods give him enough energy. Besides local food, some people eat Western food. At 5:00 pm, the snow outside makes everything bright, so he wears snow goggles on his way back home, or his eyes may be hurt badly by the strong light. From December to March, the sun never rises. However, it always shines in the sky during the summer. At 10:00 pm, he goes to bed. Sometimes he stays in an ice house called igloo. It looks cold but it’s warm inside. Many local people live in houses made of wood.

The Inuit mainly make a living by hunting and fishing. Now, their life is greatly influenced by climate (气候) change. For example, many animals they hunt for food are disappearing. There is less food for the reindeer they keep, too. They face more terrible weather, such as snowstorms. Hunting becomes more dangerous. Hunters may accidentally fall into water if the ice becomes too thin. Actually, the temperature in the Arctic is 18℃ higher than it was 125 years ago. All Arctic ice may disappear during the summer in less than 100 years.

The Arctic

What do you want to be when you grow up? Would you rather be a scientist or an artist? If you have siblings（兄弟姐妹）, the order in which you were born may influence your choice of jobs, The Independent reported. Family roles based on birth order can influence people’s behavior and shape their personalities.

A group of British scientists studied 500 people from 11 different career（事业）groups. They found that older children are more likely to become astronauts and scientists. NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong and British scientist Stephen Hawking are both the oldest children in their families. The reason is probably that parents usually treat older children more strictly than younger children. This gives the older children a more disciplined（遵守纪律的）personality.

The scientists also found that middle children are 30 percent more likely to become CEOs than their brothers and sisters. The scientists said the reason could be that middle children need to do more to get attention from their parents. This makes them more competitive, more flexible（灵活变通的）and better at negotiating（谈判）. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, are both middle children.

Younger children, on the other hand, may be the “softest”. They learn to pay attention to other people’s thoughts. This makes them sensitive to others’ feelings. Therefore, younger children are more likely to become musicians. German musician Johann Sebastian Bach and Austrian composer（作曲家）Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are both the youngest children in their families.

The results of the study also suggested that the only children are more likely to become artists. They get full attention from their parents and are freer to develop themselves. This makes them more creative and confident.

10 . Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do, be and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.

Successful people in life imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination（目的地）in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there without wasting time or making wrong turns. The other driver has no destination on the map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly（漫无目的地）around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

Winners in life set goals and follow them through. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set, and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals really are. You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

Research tells us that ________. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like contracts（契约）with yourself they are harder to forget. Also when you write your goals in particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously（连续不断地）aware（意识到）of situations that will bring you nearer to your goals.