1 . Lights, camera, action! Have you ever dreamed of being a director? At age 29, Di Di already has almost 10 years of directing experience under his belt. Through the media company he founded, he makes advertising and promotional videos, including for Tsinghua University.

For Di, becoming a director is “an adventure based on interest”. Majoring in journalism, he got into directing by chance. “In 2013, I came up with an idea for Tsinghua’s admissions video but couldn’t find a director,” Di said. “So I decided to be the director myself! I ended up really enjoying the process of being creative and working with a team. That was when I knew I wanted to be a director.”

While many people think that directors are experts at art, Di found that directors are, in fact, experts at management. “Only one-third of my time is spent on set. The rest of the time, I’m doing lots of planning with my customers and colleagues,” he said. This planning process includes working out the video’s theme with the client, creating a script, bringing together the visuals and text content, and also managing logistics like where to park the cars and how to bring electricity to the set.

Despite the pressure, Di gets great joy from making an impact through his works. In 2019, he made a film for Tsinghua, which tells the story of a group of first-generation college students. It was viewed more than 15 million times on social media and became a hot top 20 trending topic on Sina Weibo. Being a first-generation college student himself, Di felt very passionate about the videos goal of inspiring students to use their education to make a better life for their families. One month before the national college entrance exam in 2020, Di released a feature film encouraging high school students to keep working hard after the exam was pushed back by one month.

“I want to uncover and share China’s stories with the world, true stories of Chinese youth fighting for their dreams,” said Di.

When my friend first suggested that we join the new Tai Chi Club at school, I hesitated. I always believed tai chi     1     was popular all around the world was only for old people. After the     2     (one) class, however, I had to admit that I had been wrong about tai chi. It was amazing! One year later, I can honestly say it has affected me physically and     3     (mental). Just as importantly, practising tai chi has inspired me     4     (explore) the Chinese culture behind it.

After     5     (learn) the basics of tai chi, I found that some tai chi moves     6     (name) after animal and I had to do the same moves over and over again. Luckily, my coach taught me how to relax my muscle and focus     7     peace of mind while performing the routine. With these requirements of tai chi in mind, I found to my     8     (satisfy) that my balance and flexibility slowly improved, that I was able to do more difficult moves, and that my love for tai chi returned     9     (strong) than ever.

A year of practising tai chi has had     10     positive effect on my everyday life. I sleep better at night, and I am more energetic during the day. I am sure I will continue to practise tai chi and enjoy the benefits it has brought me.

3 . The year 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of China’s first manned space mission, with Yang Liwei becoming the first Chinese astronaut to go to space. Since then, another 17 astronauts have reached for the stars. The selection of the fourth generation of astronauts began in 2022 and is now in full swing. Experts revealed how difficult the training is before astronauts can explore the space.

The human body is not designed for space life. Astronauts are faced with multiple challenges on a space mission. The changes in gravity can have an impact on their bodies. The feeling of isolation and closed living in a small spacecraft for months can damage their mental health. Emergencies during missions challenge their knowledge and ability to solve problems under huge pressure. So it’s no wonder that astronauts have to meet extremely high standards and go through a tough training program.

To make sure that Chinese astronauts complete their missions and return to Earth safely, “Eight types, including over 200 subjects of training, were set,” Huang Weifen, chief designer of the astronaut system for China’s manned space project, told CCTV News. Apart from physical fitness training, it also includes basic scientific theories, psychological health, and mock (模拟的) missions.

Among the training subjects, the most tiring one is underwater training. This training is designed for astronauts to adapt to the microgravity environment in space. According to Huang, astronauts stay underwater in suits weighing over 100 kilograms for six hours at a time. Water resistance (阻力) and the heavy suit make every move exhausting. “Nie Haisheng once reported a two-kilogram loss in weight after one underwatei training exercise,” said Huang. Each astronaut receives training for at least three and a half years before having the chance to go to space.

Who can become astronauts? The first and second generations of Chinese astronauts were selected only from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force. However, since 2018, when the third-generation selection process began, ordinary people have been invited to apply. They can fly with pilot astronauts to space.

6 . “Nothing will ever be the same again”, Ally said to herself.

Ally’s father died last summer. It wasn’t fair, Ally thought. Dad was young and had never been ________ . Why had his heart suddenly stopped? Ally ________ slowly into her father’s favorite chair and looked at his picture on the bookcase. Ally smiled, “I miss you, Dads”.

She felt a hand ________ her hair and looked up. “Why don’t you come outside with me, Ally?” her mother asked. “The birds are ________ in the woods. By this time last year you’d already taken dozens of pictures.”

But her mother must know ________ wouldn’t be the same this year. How could it be? Ally ________ . Ever since she could remember, she and Dad had been a ________, searching the woods for the special wood warbler (林莺). “I’ll be out in a while,” she answered.

After her mother left, Ally reached for the photo album she and Dad had put together. On the cover was a photo of a tiny yellow ________ with blue-gray wings and black eyes. Dad cut it from a local newspaper. Ally smiled, remembering the ________ look on Dad’s face when he showed her the pretty bird.

“I can’t believe someone ________ this little guy way up here in New Jersey,” he said. “Wood warblers are usually found in the south, not this far north. I bet if we search ________, Ally, we’ll see this little guy together someday.” Ally closed her eyes. She loved thinking about the times she and Dad had spent searching the ________ for the little bird. They’d never spotted the warbler, but her father had an amazing way of making each outing seem ________. He was her best friend, and when they were together, Ally felt comfortable, as she did when she ________ her favorite blue sweatshirt.

If only I could get that good feeling back, she thought, ________.

7 . Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. For most areas of China, it marks the start of the coldest days of the year. Still, bitter cold can’t prevent people from enjoying their lives.     1    

Enjoy Mutton hot pot and baked sweet potato.

Mutton hot pot, and baked sweet potato are two recommended foods for Minor Cold.     2     It can help prevent cold from harming their organs. The yang energy in the three types of food is strengthened through their method of cooking: boiling, stir frying and baking.

Eat Laba porridge.

Another important traditional food for Minor Cold is Laba porridge.     3     Local people in Beijing often cook Laba porridge on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. After one night’s slow simmering, all the ingredients melt into the porridge in the morning of the eighth day, becoming a warm delicacy to enjoy on cold days.

    4    

People in Nanjing used to take Minor Cold quite seriously, and they still keep a custom of eating vegetable rice to celebrate this solar term. The rice is steamed with aijiaohuang, sausage and salted duck that are all the specialties in Nanjing.

Make Chinese traditional herbal medicine.

    5     Many people need them to prepare new medicines, which will be consumed before the Lunar New Year.

9 . If you have ever lost touch with old school friends, you may find yourself wanting to make contact again. Some teens find that certain school friends are worth keeping contact with and want to keep the friendship going strong.

Hang out at the same places

One way you can get together with old friends from your school is to go to the same places that they go to. If you still go to school together, you probably know where everyone goes on the weekends. If you are able to go there too, you may find that your relationships with your old school friends start up again.

Join sports teams

If you are athletic and your former friends are too, joining school sports teams is a great way to catch up with old friends. This doesn’t mean that you should join a sport which you do not like just so you can see your old friends. However, if you like sports, wish to join a team and your former friends are on that team, then playing the team sports is a great way to get to know them again.

Take part in school clubs

There are often a lot of school clubs in which teens participate. Depending on your interests and your former friends’ interests, you may just find a club at school. Sharing a common interest such as a club activity will help you to have something in common and something to talk about.

10 . Although I love watching Olympic diving, I’ve never understood why athletes hurry off to the showers and then proceed to relax in a hot tub (热水浴池) after each dive. They’re already wet. They’re only in the pool for a handful of seconds, so it’s not like they need to get cleaned up. And doesn’t taking a shower serve the same purpose as sitting in a hot tub?

Actually, that’s what Olympic divers usually do between dives as they know very well about the importance of warm-ups and cool-downs. So, what’s the actual reason?

As it turns out, showers and hot tubs are used pretty interchangeably by the swimming pool. However, there is a need for both. First, let’s start with why divers need to take a shower between dives. It has to do with body temperature and keeping their muscles relaxed. As you can imagine, practicing dives in the pool, then having to keep your body warm in a shower, and then jumping off a 10-meter platform and into cold water couldn’t be comfortable for anyone. Going back and forth between these warm and cool temperatures can cause a diver’s muscles to tense or cramp up (痉挛), which can lead to injuries to the muscles. Showers allow an Olympic diver to recover and prevent that.

In that way, showers and hot tubs serve the same purpose. A hot tub is generally used if you have a bit more time between dives and have already stretched. The shower walls on the pool deck can typically provide enough space for more divers at the same time, and they’re especially helpful for athletes who need to stretch or who only have a few minutes between dives. Just like Olympic swimmers depend on thick clothes to keep their muscles warm, Olympic divers rely on these methods to stay loose. If you ask me, it’s not a bad way to pass the time!