1 . Tea and coffee are two of the most popular drinks in the world. However, people usually like one more than the other. These drinks also have very different uses.

Tea drinking started in China over 4,000 years ago. Tea is made from leaves. These days, some people drink tea for health, using it to help with stress(压力) or losing weight. However, most people in tea-drinking countries think of tea as more than just a healthy drink. In fact, tea drinking in some countries is a part of the culture. In Turkey(土耳其), tea is always there when people meet. Whether in someone’s home or a company, tea is always offered as a way of welcoming. In the UK, homes and offices usually have tea time. Tea and other dishes are served at tea time in the afternoon. It is a way of relaxing with friends or co-workers(同事).

Coffee came much later than tea, just over 1,000 years ago. Coffee is made from beans. Something in the coffee beans makes a person feel active. Most people do not drink coffee to relax. Instead, they drink coffee to get going. Many people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up. Others will also drink coffee during short breaks in the afternoon to keep going through the working day. Some people may visit coffee shops just to meet and talk with friends. However, many people in coffee shops drink coffee while working on their computers.

Is tea or coffee more common in your country? Between the two, which do you like to drink more?

3 .

When the famous scientist Albert Einstein was 16 years old, he imagined himself riding alongside a beam (束) of light. He used this picture in mind to help him when working out the “theory of relativity(相对论)”. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Einstein.

Daydreaming, called “thought experiments” by Einstein, can make you have wild imaginings, like flying around in space. It lets your mind walk slowly around ideas, memories and experiences that aren’t happening right now. It means thinking ahead to a holiday or remembering how much you enjoyed a birthday party. According to China’s health authorities(权威机构), daydreaming for a while each day can improve your health and creativity.

Disappearing into a daydream lets your mind escape when things are difficult. It helps you deal with worries and fears. For example, imagining how you’re going to speak up in class is like practicing the scene in your head, which can make you feel calmer. Daydreaming also inspires creativity and lets you find new worlds where there are no limits (限制) to what you can do or who you are. Guo Qiang, an expert in thoughts and feelings, thinks we should all make time to daydream. “Thinking for pleasure can be a powerful tool to shape our feelings,” he said.

However, try not to let your mind be absent when you need to focus (聚焦) in class or cross the road. Instead, find a time when you don’t have to focus on anything, like going for a walk or brushing your teeth. Guo suggests you can start by focusing on a happy memory or imagining a future success, like scoring a goal in the World Cup.

To encourage creativity, think about interesting ideas and see where your mind takes you. Research shows that people often come up with more solutions to problems after they’ve taken a break. So next time you’re stuck with homework, stop for a moment and see where your daydreams take you.

4 . Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen… Do you know where the names of Chinese space programs come from?

Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite (暗物质粒子探测卫星), is named after Chinese superhero Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, Monkey King has a pair of sharp eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.

The name of the space station, Tiangong, means “Heavenly Palace”. In Chinese myths, this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space. And China welcomes foreign astronauts to Tiangong so that they can work together.

Tianwen, China’s Mars missions (任务), gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen missions will end up answering some of Qu Yuan’s questions.

If you look into more names of Chinese space programs, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished (珍藏已久的) space dream. So the naming of Chinese space programs is taken very seriously.

Energy is the ability to do work. Solar energy comes from the Sun. There is also energy that comes from wind and water.

But do you know that energy can come from people, too? When you pedal a bike, you produce energy. You use your legs to push the pedals. Your energy is transferred (转移) to the bike. That makes the bike move.

Now imagine riding your bike to create enough power to run a computer. Some students at one school did just that! They jumped on bikes connected to generators (发电机) and pedaled in place. Soon they were producing electricity. This energy is needed to run their computers.

Here is how bicycle-powered energy works. When a student pedals the bike, the back wheel spins. The wheel spins the generator. The generator produces electricity. As long as a student pedals the bicycle, electricity moves through the generator. The electricity can be used right away. This energy can also be stored and used later.

People use bicycle-powered energy to run small devices (设备) such as small televisions and fans. They often use less than 100 watts per hour. However, it would be a mistake to use pedal power to run a fridge. This large machine often uses more than 700 watts per hour. The electricity for these machines comes from power lines overhead or underground.

Pedal power can be seen in schools, gyms, and homes. What a fun way to provide electricity!

6 . There’s nothing quite like falling sound asleep after a full day of work. Like people, animals need to rest after working hard. Some animals sleep in water. Others dig holes under the ground. Some even sleep high in trees or under leaves. But they all find a way to rest.

Some animals in the sea sleep in strange ways. Fish sleep with their eyes open. They seem to look ahead far into the sea while they rest. Sea otters sometimes sleep in beds of the plants that grow in the sea. This keeps them from moving away. Parrotfish blow something from their mouths when they are ready to sleep. Then a bubble (气泡) will be formed around them. The bubble protects them from harm while they sleep.

Some animals sleep under the ground. Chipmunks (花栗鼠) sleep curled up (蜷缩) in a ball. Their beds are made of leaves and grass. In winter, they sleep for two weeks and wake up to eat the stored food. Then they go back to sleep for another two weeks before waking up again. Some desert frogs dig underground holes during the hot, dry season. A frog may stay in its hole for months.

High above the ground, monkeys find leafy places in trees each evening before they sleep. The tall trees help to keep monkeys safe during the night. Some insects even sleep under the leaf that will be their next meal. A bee may climb down into a flower to rest. When it climbs out the next morning, it is rested and ready for work.

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7 . After reading so much, you may wonder how to make a book. It’s time for you to have a try!

Have you ever wondered how a book is made? It takes a lot of people to make a book. It can take months, or even years, for a book to go from an idea to a finished product.

A book begins when an author comes up with an idea for a book. Authors get ideas in different ways. They may get ideas from their own lives, from watching the world around them, or from reading.

Next, an author may plan the book by making an outline （提纲）. Sometimes authors do research to gather information. They may read books or articles. They may interview people or visit places.

Then, the author begins to write. Authors may write for months or years to finish a manuscript. A manuscript is the text an author produces for publication.

Finally, the author sends the completed manuscript to a publisher. If the publisher decides to publish the book, the author works with an editor. An editor reads the manuscript. Then he or she recommends changes to improve the book. A copy editor reads the manuscript to correct any grammatical mistake.

After an author makes the suggested changes, a designer may decide how the book will look. The designer may choose the size, shape, and type styles for the book. Some picture book authors create their own illustrations（插图）. If not, an illustrator is chosen to create pictures for the book.

The illustrator makes sketches of pictures that will go on each page. The sketches are sent to the publishing company. The editor makes sure the pictures clearly tell the story. The designer checks how the words and pictures will fit together on the pages.

After the design changes are made, the illustrator begins creating the final pictures. He or she may change the colours, the perspective, or the composition of pictures. It may take months to create all the pictures.

The finished art is then sent to the publisher. The designer adjusts（调整）how the pictures and words fit together on the pages. The completed pages are sent to the printer. Many books are still made into books with paper pages.

The printer uses huge printing presses to make the pages. The pages are fixed together. The book cover is added. The finished books are then sent to the publisher’s warehouse. They are stored there until they are bought by libraries and bookstores.

E-readers have changed how some books are made. Some authors do not use a publisher at all. Instead of sending a manuscript to a publisher, some authors turn their manuscripts into eBooks themselves. Finally, an author’s eBook is uploaded（上传）to virtual bookstores on the Internet. Customers can buy and download eBooks from these websites.

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8 . Researchers found that people who go to live concerts and museums live longer than those who do not. Experts from a London university looked at over 6,700 British people for 15 years. They examined how often the people went out and where they went. They found that over-50s who regularly went to concerts were around 30 percent less likely to die in the next 14 years. The over-50s could lengthen their lives by looking at “beautiful arts”. These include art centers, concerts, museums, and the opera and theater. In addition, people who often go to concerts could have more fun.

The lead researcher said money was important in whether or not people went to concerts. She wrote, “Over 40 percent of people in the least wealthy group reported that they never took part in cultural activities.” The UK Health Secretary believes the research. He said arts and culture could improve things like mental health, ageing and loneliness. The UK’s National Health Service will use the arts to improve people’s happiness and health. The researcher said, “I hope more and more people will have more chances to go to concerts, museums, art centers and so on.”