1 . The best science fiction books of 2021

We take a look at the most exciting new science-fiction books of 2021. No matter what kind of science fiction fan you are, we're sure you'll find something to add to your reading list.

The Saints of Salvation

By Peter F. Hamilton

The Olyix have laid siege（围攻）to Earth, harvesting people for their god. Cities are ru¬ined by their weapons and millions have either fled to seek refuge in space or are fighting a war that seems unwinnable. As Earth's defeat draws ever closer, a team are sent to enter the Olyix's air-ship secretly. Their plan? This is the final science fiction in Peter F. Hamilton's extremely surprising series The Salvation Sequence.

A Desolation Called Peace

By Arkady Martine

This impressive sequel（续集）to Arkady Martinets Hugo Award-winning science fiction book sees the Teixcalaanli Empire facing an alien threat which could bring about its complete destruction. Fleet captain Nine Hibiscus sends a person to negotiate with the mysterious invaders...

Jack Four

By Neal Asher

Jack Four-one of twenty human clones-has been created to be sold. His purchasers are the aliens and they only want him for their experimentation program. But there is something different about Jack. No clone should possess the knowledge that's been loaded into his mind.

Rabbits

By Terry Miles

Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes deadly underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumors of money or it might unlock the universe's greatest secrets. Everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes-and the body count is rising. Since the game first started, ten rounds have taken place. The eleventh round is about to begin, and what happens in the game, stays in the game...

It was the moment that warmed hearts around     1    globe. Two high jumpers competed for hours but neither defeated the other. Instead of     2    （head）into a tie-breaking jump off, Qatar’s Mutaz Essah Barshim asked, “Can we share the Gold? ”

When the answer came back yes. Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi     3    （immediate）jumped into Barshim’s arms on the track. Both had suffered     4    near career-ending injuries and both had tried     5    （they）best. Through years of competition, the two became close     6    （friend）.

“I know for a fact that for the     7    （perform）I did, I deserve that gold. He did the same thing, so I know he     8    （deserve）the gold, too, ” Barshim said afterward. “This is beyond sport. This is the message we deliver to the young generation. A message of sportsmanship and love. ”

“You can’t believe the emotion and the dream of a gold medal to somebody     9    sacrificed his entire life for this and it was just amazing     10    （share）it with a friend, ” Tamberi said.

3 . The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure originally ______ in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851.

The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14, 000 ______ from around the world gathered to ______ examples of technology developed in the Industrial Revolution. ______ by Joseph Paxton, the Great Exhibition building was 1,851 feet（564 m） long, with an inside height of 128 feet（39 m）. It was three times the ______ of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The introduction of the glass sheets method into Britain by Chance Brothers in 1832 made ______ the production of large sheets of cheap but strong glass. Its ______ in the Crystal Palace created a structure with the greatest area of ______ ever seen in a building. It ______ visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that did not ______ inside lights.

It has been said that the name of the building _____ from an article by the playwright （剧作家）Douglas Jerrold. He wrote in a magazine called Punch about the coming Great Exhibition, ______ to a “palace of very crystal”.

After the exhibition, the palace was moved to an area of South London known as Penge Common. It was rebuilt at the top of Penge Peak next to Sydenham Hill. It stood there from June 1854 until its ______ by fire in November 1936. The nearby residential（住宅的）area was ______ Crystal Palace after the landmark. Crystal Palace Football Club was founded at the site in 1905. The club still ______ Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins’s Crystal Palace Dinosaurs which date back to 1854.

9 . Waste Not

This eco-conscious shoulder bag is cut from old truck cloth, so each handmade bag features a unique look. The rest of the bag is constructed out of strong nylon from recycled water bottles. Sorry, pack addicts: students only. (Seriously, you need a student ID to buy one. ) Freitag F601 Malcolm Student Backpack $170

Agenda Item

Most calendars have a systematized accounting of time boring. The Every Day Calendar is a touch-sensitive device that encourages you to keep up with a daily routine. Each day you follow through on a promise to yourself tap the corresponding (相关的) number on the face and an LED lights it up. You don’t have to use it every days—it’s there when you need it and functions as glorious wall art when you don’t. Every Day Calendar $300

Night Rider

Lumenus pill-shaped bike light smartly helps cyclists see and be seen in the park. Pair it with the companion app and it taps into your phone’s GPS for some location-aware tricks. It can increase visibility at night. The 30-hour battery is good for weeks. Lumenus ioLight $100

Light Cycle

At 35 pounds, the Turbo Vado SL is light for an ebike. It’s also slim enough to swing over a shoulder, with the 320-watt-hour battery and powerful motor all hidden in the frame.

Still, the bike’s range is 80 miles, and its speed reaches 28 mph. Specialized Turbo Vado SL 5.0 EQ $4,500

10 . Take a class at Dulangkou School, and you’ll see lots of things different from other schools. You can see the desks are not in rows and students sit in groups. They put their desks together so they’re facing each other. How can they see the blackboard? There are three blackboards on the three walls of the classroom!

The school calls the new way of learning “Tuantuanzuo”, meaning sitting in groups. Wei Liying, a Junior 3 teacher, said it was to give students more chance to communicate.

Each group has five or six students, according to Wei, and they play different roles (角色). There is a team leader who takes care of the whole group. There is a “study leader” who makes sure that everyone finishes their homework. And there is a discipline (纪律) leader who makes sure that nobody chats in class.

Wang Lin is a team leader. The 15-year-old said that having to deal with so many things was tiring.

“I just looked after my own business before,” said Wang. “But now I have to think about my five group members.”

But Wang has got used to it and can see the benefits (好处) now.

“ I used to speak too little. But being a team leader means you have to talk a lot. You could even call me an excellent speaker today.”

Zhang Qi, 16, was weak in English. She used to get about 70 in English tests. But in a recent test, Zhang got a grade of more than 80.

“I rarely (很少) asked others when I had problems with my English. But now I can ask the team leader or study leader. They are really helpful.”