1 . It is well-known that silk was discovered in China. It is wonderfully strong, light and soft. As one of the best materials for clothes, silk has a perfect look and feel that no other materials can match.

There is a story about how silk was discovered. Lei Zu, the wife of Huang Di, was having tea under a mulberry tree when a silkworm cocoon (蚕茧) fell into her cup. As she tried to take the cocoon out, it started to unwind (展开) and the “line” seemed endless. She realized that the strong line could be used to make clothes. Then Lei Zu taught her people how to raise silkworms and how to get silk. In this way, the silk industry was born.

For hundreds of years after that, silk was only used by rich people. It was a symbol of identity and status (身份和地位). With the development of the silk industry, more silk was produced. It was no longer just for rich people. In the Han Dynasty, silk was transported as far away as Spain, Rome and many other countries. The trade road was famously known as the Silk Road, which connected China with the rest of the world.

Today, silk can be used for many kinds of things, not just for clothes but also for paintings, writing brushes, kites and even fishing nets. Wherever silk goes around the world, it is always warmly received.

4 . Shopping used to mean going to shops, but nowadays, you can shop without even leaving your home. Just sit in front of your computer, click(点击) your mouse and your things will be sent to your house in several days. You can also use your mobile phone to buy things you want. Nov. 11 was a big day for many people who like shopping online. On that day, many stores offer a big sale. The biggest Chinese online shopping sites are Taobao. com and Tmall. com.

Goods(商品) online are often much cheaper. Shopping online also saves you a lot of time. And you often have more kinds of goods online than in shopping centers. Another big advantage of online shopping is that it helps you get things easily from different cities, even different countries.

While enjoying online shopping, many people also have worries, especially for middle school student buyers. They often buy things that they don’t need. “Middle school students should pay more attention to their study. Searching for things to buy online wastes their time.” said teachers.

5 . It might be fun to use your smartphone, but be careful. Too much screen time may be harmful to your health.

First, it is bad for your eyes. A researcher called Sarah Hinkley says the problem comes from the blue light that the screen gives out. Looking at a smartphone for a long time can cause eye strain（劳损）, headaches and dry eyes. So it is a good idea to take a break every 15 minutes when you are working at a computer or using a smartphone.

Second, screen use can do harm to children’s brains. A new study shows that using screens too much can affect（影响） how children’s brains grow. If children use screens for more than one hour a day, they might have lower levels of white matter in their brains. White matter is a key to the development of language and reading skills. So it is wise to cut down the time of children using all kinds of screens.

Third, using screens too much will affect your sleep. According to a study, about 95% of the people between the ages of 13 and 64 use electronics before bed, especially the young people under 20. Doctors say that the light from those electronics at night may make you excited before you go to bed. Then it’s hard for you to get enough sleep. So you’d better turn off smartphones, TVs, and all other screens an hour before your bedtime.

To keep healthy, doctors and researchers strongly advise that you shouldn’t use screens for long hours.

6 . Yuan Longping, a great scientist, is the first person to develop a kind of hybrid rice （杂交水稻） which helps fight hunger in China.

Food was a big problem in China in the past. This was because China had 22 percent of the world's population, but only 7 percent of its farmland. In the 1960s, China suffered （遭受）serious hunger. Millions of people died because they had no food. As an agronomy （农学） teacher, Yuan was very sad to see this. “How can I help them have enough food?” he thought. He decided to work on a kind of hybrid rice. It has a high output（产量）.

At that time, other scientists didn't think hybrid rice was worth studying. But Yuan and his team worked on it every day. They took very good care of their rice seeds.

At last, in 1973, they grew a new kind of hybrid rice. This rice is strong. Farmers can grow it in many different kinds of farmland and also in bad weather. It can also fight disease. Its output was much greater than common kinds of nice. With the new kind, about 70,000,000 people could have food every year.

Yuan solved the food problem in China. But he is still working on rice. Before he retires （退休）, he hopes to grow rice in the sea!

7 . Street dance is an energetic and exciting type of dance. It started with people dancing in the street rather than in a studio（练功房）.

Breakdancing and the Melbourne Shuffle are two examples of street dance. Many of the hip-hop dances are popular street dance styles. Even rave dancing is a type of street dance. Street dances change and improve all the time as people try different moves. It is a form of dancing that boys really enjoy.

A school in Britain has seen how street dance has helped its pupils. They intro danced it as a subject at school. Dance teachers went to the school to teach the students how to perform. The dances were rehearsed at lunch breaks and after school. Many of the students were from homes with many problems. The students also used to behave badly. When the street dance classes started，it seemed to solve many of these prob1ems.

The students felt that they could express their feelings in dancing. If they were angry，they could do some of the dance moves and throw away those feelings. If they were annoyed about something，dancing helped them to be more peaceful. Another good thing was that the students felt better about themselves.

The students focused on other subjects more. They got better grades. Taking part in the street dancing also taught the students to work better with others, discipline(纪律) to come to practice and to learn the dance steps. They entered a dance competition and won! This was very good for them. The younger students began following them. They are active role models. Today bands have formed that combine(结合) singing with street dance. Street dance is becoming a popular culture.

8 . Have you ever wanted to achieve a goal and ended up doing lots of research on how to achieve it? As you learned more and more.it seemed you knew less and less.That is because when you learned a new concept(概念)， you found that there was a lot more to know about it.

Usually， people think they need to get more and more information before trying a new idea There is nothing wrong with learning a lot， but when you let learning get in the way of doing， you will never get going.

One of the best ways to learn is to take action and learn from the results that you get from those actions.Don't be afraid of not being perfect and just take the first step.You will go further than those who are still in preparation.It's good to be prepared， but over-preparation in trying to reach a goal won't get you results.The knowledge and skills that you will need will be picked up along the way.

If a baby wants to learn how to walk， it doesn't do it by just sitting there and thinking about how to walk.The best way for a baby to walk is to actually get up and start walking.Sure it may fall， but with every fall， it learns what is working and what is not and adjusts ( 调整) to it.By doing this over and over， it will finally learn to walk.This is the method you should use when you want to achieve your goals as well.It works.

Learning more is great but if all you're doing is learning and not taking action， it's time to change that， Just take the first step.

9 . Many years ago, there was an old man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge(判断) things too quickly. So he told them to go and look at a pear tree. It was far away from his home. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn.

When the sons came back, the old man asked them to say what they had seen.

The first son complained the tree was ugly. The second son said the tree was covered with buds and full of hope. The third son said the tree was full of green leaves. They looked so beautiful, and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The youngest son said that the tree was bowed down with heavy fruits. It was full of life and fulfillment(收获).

The man explained that all of his sons were right, but each of them had seen just one season of the tree. He told them that they couldn’t judge a tree or a person by only one season. "If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the hope of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your autumn." said the old man

It is true that we shouldn’t let the hard season break the happiness of the other seasons. Never give up during the difficult days and better times are sure to come some day.

10 . It was nearly dark, the sun was dropping down the mountains far away. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.

"What's the matter, Tom? How's your trip?" his mother asked with a big smile. "I failed（失败）. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way, I still go ahead. But I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back." Tom cried. "It doesn't matter, you are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance." his mother said. "But, standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!" Tom said. His father came over and asked, "Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?" "Sure, and there are a lot of beautiful flowers by the side of the road." Tom replied. "Did you hear the birds singing?" his father asked. "There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet." Tom said. "Did you feel the beauty of nature?" his father asked. "Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colorful flowers made a nice picture." Tom answered. "That's enough!" his father smiled and said, "Please remember, son. For often, achieving（达到）what you expect is not the most important thing. Although you didn't reach the top of the mountain, you got a lot on the way."

It is true that not every goal will be achieved, not every job will end up with a success, and not every dream will come true. The most beautiful scenery (风景) is on the way.