2 . What Is Space Camp?

Space camp is a camp for kids (10-14) on Earth. It is a camp to get young people excited about space, science and maths. For a week, build and launch a model rocket and eat space food. They also get to meet an astronaut (宇航员). Not only that, they get to train like an astronaut, too. The campers find out how an astronaut’s spacesuit (航天服) and helmet (头盔) stop the astronaut from getting too hot or too cold in space.

Training for Moon Walking

There is an unusual chair at space camp — the gravity chair. It hangs from springs (弹簧). The chair helps the campers to feel what it is like to walk on the moon. The gravity on the moon is six times weaker than the gravity on Earth. When the campers are in the gravity chair, they find it hard to walk. There are three different ways they can move in it. They can bunny hop (兔子), or do a slow walk.

A Day in Space and Rocket Centre

One of the most exciting activities of space camp is visiting the space and rocket centre. The space and rocket centre has more than 1,500 things for campers to look at, such as small moon rock and the Saturn V rocket. A week at space camp is the best way to experience space life without even leaving the Earth!

4 . Hangzhou is now in the spotlight as the main host of the 19th Asian Games. Tourists from various places have gathered to this heavenly city to enjoy its slow life tempo and beautiful natural surroundings. Here are some highlights of the city you can’t miss.

West Lake

The West Lake is definitely a place people can never miss when visiting Hangzhou. The lake itself covers 6 sq km, and includes some of Hangzhou’s most famous scenic places.

There are “10 scenes of West Lake” and “10 new scenes”, but it is not necessary to make a checklist and walk back and forth to look for these scenic spots. Just walk casually along the Nanshan and Beishan roads and the causeways, take a ferry on the boat to the islands on the lake, or simply sit in a lakeside teahouse and enjoy the picturesque views and the longjing (dragon well) tea.

 Lingyin Temple

Lingyin, or the Temple of the Soul’s Retreat, has historically been the most renowned destination

The temple has undergone several restorations, the latest of which was in the 1970s at the urging of Premier Zhou Enlai. Lingyin Temple is now considered one of the largest Buddhist complexes in the country.

Leifeng Pagoda

On the south of the West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda is considered the top scenic structure around West Lake due to its stunning silhouette in the glow of evening.

For almost a thousand years the pagoda withstood fires and wars, but finally collapsed in 1924, due to the removal of bricks as souvenirs by locals. Rebuilt on historic ruins, the pagoda was restored in 2000 in the style of the Southern Dynasty (AD 420-589) and opened to the public in 2002. The 71.7m-tall pagoda is eight-sided with five stories.

The Xixi wetland park

Xixi, located less than five kilometers from West Lake in the west of Hangzhou, is China’s first national wetland park. The area covers about 10 square kilometers and it has been around for more than 1,500 years, although it was only recently revived to offer residents and visitors a green respite from the concrete of the city.

5 .

Animated film ‘Chang An’ love letter to golden age of poetry

A Chinese animated (动画) film, Chang An, featuring some of China’s most well-known poets has been a surprise hit at the box office. Since its release on July 8, the film     1    (fetch) over 700 million yuan, leading the domestic box office over the weekend. It is also a success by     2     (arouse) enthusiasm for poetic romance in the hearts of moviegoers.

The film is set in the Tang dynasty,     3     is often seen as a golden age in Chinese history from 618 to 907 due to its     4     (economy) and cultural prosperity, describing the stories of Gao Shi and Li Bai, their struggles to better themselves and society in the Tang dynasty.

Sitting in cinemas     5    (crowd) with moviegoers of all age groups, the audience     6     (eager) recited poetry alongside the actors on screen as they headed down memory lane. The movie is undoubtedly a masterpiece showing the characteristics of Chinese culture to the world. “The most fascinating part of the film is realizing that these familiar names were not just great poets but real people with flesh and blood,” Liao Kun, a Guangdong resident who watched the movie Saturday,     7     (tell) Sixth Tone.

Zou Jing,     8     chief director, emphasized, “We created Chang An to explore into the limitless treasures of Chinese culture through animation”. Xie Junwei, who co-directs the movie with Zou Jing, says the film is aimed at increasing     9    (aware) among young Chinese of traditional Chinese culture and history. “We wanted to tell the stories of these brilliant figures to young people through an animated film so that they can have a deeper understanding and more passion     10     our history and classic works,” Xie told domestic media Beijing Daily.

7 . Benefiting from the 5,000 years history, many ancient cities exist in the vast land of China. Here are 4 ancient cities in China and each has their unique features.

Shangqiu Ancient City

●History: 4,000 years

●Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30 in winter; 08:00-18:00 in summer

●Ticket Price: ¥70 per combo ticket (组合票)

Situated in the Yellow River Valley, Shangqiu area is considered the birthplace of Chinese civilization. The best time to visit it is around the Chinese New Year, when the grandest temple fair at Shangqiu is held to worship the God of Fire.

Ancient City of Pingyao

●History: 2,700 years

●Opening Hours: 08: 00-17:30

●Ticket Price: Free entry

It has no charming landscape, green mountains or clear waters. What is unique there is the well-pre served ancient city with a grand City Wall, traditional residences, time-honored shops, and even the previous government office.

Fenghuang Ancient Town

●History: 467 years

●Opening Hours: all day; 08: 00-17:30 for Tuo River day cruise;18:00-22:30 for night cruise

●Ticket Price: Free entry

Constructed in 1556, Fenghuang Ancient Town is another historical city in China known for ethnic diversity. Generations of Miao, Tujia and Han people live here, and it now accommodates28 ethnic groups in total.

Huizhou Ancient City

●History: 2,240 years

●Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00

●Ticket Price: ¥95 for one adult; ¥140 for one adult and one child; ¥230 for two adults and one child.

Huizhou Ancient City is famous for its unique architectural style since the old days. The Huizhou-style building is one of the most important architectural schools in China, using bricks, wood, and stones as the raw materials.

9 .

10 . Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” That’s the truth behind the following inventions — the scientists were prepared and were able to see the magic in a mistake.

In 1856, William Perkin was trying to come up with an artificial medicine, but his experiments produced a thick mess. But the more Perkin looked at it, the more he saw a beautiful color in his mess. Turns out he had made mauve, the first-ever synthetic dye (合成染料), which was far better than any natural dyes: the color was brighter, clearer, and didn’t fade or wash out.

This super-sticky substance was discovered by accident — twice! Chemist Harry Coover had been attempting to make clear plastic gun sights, and in 1942 one method he tested produced an extremely quick bonding adhesive (黏合剂). It was useless for his gun sights, though, and he forgot about it until almost ten years later, when he came across it again while developing heat-resistant parts for airplanes. This time he realised its potential, and the product was put on the market.

In 1907, shellac (虫胶) was used in electronics. It was costly, so American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland tried to produce an alternative. Instead, his experiments produced a material that could take high temperatures. He later developed it into plastic, and it was soon used in the production of almost everything.

Back in the 1930s, Young DuPont chemist Roy Plunkett was working to make a new kind of CFC for refrigeration. After storing the gas in certain containers, he opened one to discover that it had changed into a white powder that was extremely sticky and had a very high melting point. Three years later, the substance, which was named Teflon, was patented.