1 . ①Around the world, people are more and more worried about the environment. Many people now prefer products and companies (公司) that care about the earth and cause less pollution. This need for green products has led large companies to change their business.

②Before, customers used cheap plastic bags, and then threw them away. But now most supermarkets and stores usually provide reusable shopping bags for them. This causes less waste. They also offer more local products, because less energy is needed for carrying them from one place to another.

③To help lower air pollution, big car factories are looking for other ways to control the amount of oil. Cars that use much less oil are very popular. Many companies are developing fully electric cars, too. They produce no air pollution at all. Both kinds of cars have another advantage: They are cheaper to run and people don’t need to worry about oil prices.

④The airline companies face an even greater green challenge. Airplanes use much more oil than cars. So many airlines are now developing planes that can run on some other kinds of oil. They create less pollution and cost less. The companies are also developing a new kind of planes, and some of them use only solar panels (太阳能板) to fly!

⑤Green businesses used to be popular with only a small group of people. But now, more and more companies have to show they care about the environment. Many products are marked “green” in order to look nice. However, people still have to be careful when choosing green products. It’s important to make sure the products are as environmentally friendly as the businessmen say.

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2 . China sent a new X-ray astronomical satellite in space, Einstein Probe, on Jan. 9, 2024.

According to Yuan Weimin, a researcher of the satellite project, the satellite is expected to find the first light from supernova explosions (超新星爆炸) in the universe, monitor high-energy transient (瞬态) objects in the universe, which are now poorly understood by scientists.

When developing the satellite, a new generation of detection equipment (探测设备) with large fields of view and high sensitivity (灵敏度) was needed. But the important question was how to make such equipment.

Lobsters (龙虾) are a kind of sea animal which can be found around the world. Scientists discovered early on that lobsters’ eyes are different from other animals’. Lobsters’ eyes are made up of lots of tiny square tubes, pointing to the same center, which allows light from all directions to reflect in the tubes and meet on the retina (视网膜), which gives lobsters a large field of view. Scientists then simulated (模仿) the lobsters’ eyes to create a telescope to catch X-rays in space.

Through working together with other organizations, the X-ray Imaging Laboratory began the research and development work on lobster-eye X-ray imaging technology in 2010 and finally made a breakthrough.

“Thanks to the lobster-eye telescope technology, the Einstein Probe is able to monitor the poorly known soft X-ray band with a large field of view and high sensitivity,” Yuan said.

5 . There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”. But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment.

First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.

Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white. The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wave length. It reaches our brain through sense organs (器官).

According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors.

7 . Building Bridges between Nations

① In 2013, China proposed (提议) the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, “一带一路”倡议). It’s the 10th anniversary (周年) of the BRI this year. More than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have taken part in it. People from the Belt and Road countries have a deeper understanding of it.

② Many young people from other countries stand by the idea of the BRI. Lashyn, a Kazakh (哈萨克的) student at Nazarbayev University, said that in 2013 she visited China. “To me, it was an amazing new world with different cultures.” So she decided to continue learning Chinese. Thandi, 22, from South Africa, said that the BRI helped improve relationships between countries all over the world. “I support a win-win relationship of the BRI,” she told China Daily.

③ Great changes happen in the Belt and Road countries. Kairat from Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦) grew up in a small town 35 km away from the border (边境) with China. When he was little,he always waited for his father who worked in China to bring candies and new toys. “The center helped many people to improve the way of life. They built new houses, schools and also developed roads. That makes our life easier,” said Kairat.

④ The BRI also brings changes to China. Wang Zongnan, a student in Tsinghua University, notices that recently there are more and more people from the Belt and Road countries coming to China as international students. He said, “That really changed how we look at questions and social problems.”

⑤ The BRI covers almost all parts of people’s lives, including travel, trade, education, technology and culture. Like a bridge, it continues to bring the world closer than ever.

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As we move through life, we find that there are many things out of our control. One thing that we can control is who our friends are. It is important because it either makes our lives colorful and enjoyable or more stressful and disappointing.

Why Do We Need Friends?

Friends can enrich your life in many ways. Some people even say friendships are just as important as eating and exercising.

How Many Friends Should We Have?

You might think that you need to have tons of friends to be happy, but actually, it isn’t the number of friends, but the quality (品质) of friends, that leads to the true happiness. There are always some close friends who you always share all your good and bad experiences with. You also need some friends with whom you share the same interest.

How Can We Make a Good Friend?

Anyway, developing and keeping healthy friendships includes give-and-take. Sometimes you’re the one giving support, mistake and other times you’re on the receiving end.

Letting friends know you care about them and value them can help improve your friendships.

Be open and honest to your friends. If you feel good around them and they care about you, you know you have a good friend.

9 . Earthquakes usually come without warning. What should you do if this happens to you? An earthquake is dangerous, but there are still things you can do to protect yourself.

Stay calm as the earth begins to shake. Your chances of survival in an earthquake go up if you can keep calm. Staying calm is not easy, but it can save your life.

If you are inside when the earthquake starts, get under a table or a bed. You need to have something strong around you to protect you from falling objects. Do not stand near walls and windows and stay out of the kitchen. The kitchen is dangerous because of many glass objects.

If you are outside, get to an open area as fast as you can. Stay away from buildings and trees. If you are in a car, pull over to a place where there are no trees or tall buildings and stay in the car. If you are close to the sea, try to get as far away from the water as possible. Earthquakes can cause huge waves (浪) that can really harm the people nearby.

When the earthquake is over, there is still plenty of danger. For example, a gas fire often comes with an earthquake. If you see a fire, quickly move outdoors to an open area.

Always remember to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.