That’s all. Thank you!

SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

“Are we alone? What’s out there?” People have always looked up at the stars and wondered about space. Today, scientists design vehicles to carry astronauts into space to make important discoveries.Space exploration has come a long way, and we now hope to discover other planets that are suitable enough to support life.

Before the mid­20th century, most people felt travelling into space was only a dream that could never come true. However, scientists were determined to realise that dream. After many experiments, they succeeded in making rockets that could escape Earth's gravity. On 4 October 1957, the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR and successfully orbited around Earth. Afterwards, the USSR focused on sending people into space, and on 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in the world to enter space. Over eight years later, on 20 July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, famously saying, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following this, there were many more important space achievements. For example, on 5 September 1977, America’s NASA space agency launched Voyager 1 to study deep space, and it still transmits data to this day. And the International Space Station (1998) has provided a continuous human presence in space, with astronauts from many different countries on board.

Although scientists try to make sure nothing goes wrong, accidents can still happen. For example, all the astronauts on the Soyuz 11, Challenger, and Columbia spacecrafts died during their missions. However, while such disasters brought much sadness and disappointment, the desire to explore the universe did not die. This is because people believe in the importance of carrying on space exploration despite the huge risks.

China’s space programme started later than those of Russia and the US, but it has made great progress in a short time. China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space in 2003, when Yang Liwei successfully orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. Then Shenzhou 6 and 7 completed a second manned orbit and the first Chinese spacewalk, followed by the vehicle Jade Rabbit being sent to the moon to study its surface. On 23 July 2020, China sent Tianwen 1 to explore the surface of Mars. It arrived in February 2021 and then sent back lots of valuable information. And from 2021 to 2022, China completed a number of rocket missions to establish its own space station. In 2022, the launch of the Mengtian module signaled the basic completion of the Tiangong Space Station. This modern space station will allow astronauts to conduct many important experiments, greatly furthering our understanding of the universe.

The future of space exploration remains bright. Many countries have plans to further study planets like Mars and Jupiter. Despite the difficulties, scientists hope to make more valuable discoveries that will enable the human race to survive well into the future.

Wednesday, 21 June

Today was my first day back in San Francisco after camping in the Redwood Forest and visiting the wine country of Napa Valley. I have to admit that it definitely feels good to be back in the city again. And what a city—a city that was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake that occurred in 1906. There are so many beautiful old buildings—many siting on top of big hills, offering great views of the city, the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

My hotel is near downtown, in the Mission District, one of the oldest parts of the city. Many of the people living here are from Mexico or Central America. This district used to be a poor area of town, but is now a centre for art, music, and food. In fact, an art movement called the “Mission School” started here. It’s influenced by graffiti art and comic art. I walked around looking at the street art for a few hours. It was quite modern and lively. Afterwards, I ate some delicious Mexican-Chinese noodles from a food truck. A real mix of cultures here!

In the afternoon, I headed to a local museum that showed the historical changes in California. I learnt that America got California from Mexico in 1848. In the same year, gold was discovered near San Francisco, which started a gold rush. Over 300,000 people came from all over the world to seek their fortune, and San Francisco quickly became a big city. Many Chinese arrived during this period. To earn a living, some opened up shops and restaurants in Chinatown. Many others found jobs on farms, joined the gold rush, or went to build the railway that joined California to the eastern region of the country. The museum did a really good job of showing how America was built by immigrants from different countries and cultures. When these immigrants left their countries, they carried a bit of home in their hearts, and built a new home here.

This evening, I went to Chinatown. There were so many cafés and restaurants to choose from. I selected a Cantonese restaurant that served its food on beautiful china plates. What great food! That’s enough for today. Tomorrow evening, I’m going to a jazz bar in the Richmond Distinct. Can’t wait!

A．	B．
C．	D．

A．	B．
C．	D．

A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS

There are various reasons why people compose poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe a certain image in the reader’s mind. Others try to convey certain feelings such as joy and sorrow. The distinctive characteristics of poetry often include economical use of words, descriptive and vivid language, integrated imagery, literary devices such as similes and metaphors, and arrangement of words, lines, rhymes, and rhythm. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. Now we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

Some of the first poems a young child learns in English are nursery rhymes. They are usually the traditional poems or folk songs. The language of these rhymes, like Poem A, is to the point but has a storyline. Many children enjoy nursery rhymes because they rhyme, have a strong rhythm, and often repeat the same words. The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

One of the simplest kinds of poem is the “list poem”, which contains a list of things, people, ideas, or descriptions that develop a particular theme. List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme 〔like B and C〕, while others do not.

Another simple form of poem that amateurs can easily write is the cinquain, which is made up of five lines. With these, you can convey a strong picture or a certain mood in just a few words. Look at the example 〔D〕.

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that consists of 17 syllables. It has a format of three lines, containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and, like the cinquain, can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using very few words. The haiku poem 〔E〕 on the right is a translation from Japanese, which shows a moment in the life of a delicate butterfly.

English speakers also enjoy poems from China, those from the Tang Dynasty in particular. A lot of Tang poetry has been translated into English, such as this one〔F〕.

With so many different forms of poetry to choose from, you may eventually want to write poems of your own. Give it a try!

A

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,

Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won’t sing,

Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns to brass,

Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,

Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat won’t pull,

Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.

B

Mother

Hundreds of stars in the deep blue sky,

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

Hundreds of bees in the sunny weather,

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the world over.

George Cooper

C

LIFE

Life can be good,

Life can be bad,

Life is mostly cheerful,

but sometimes sad

Life can be dreams,

Life can be great thoughts

Life can mean a person,

Sitting in court.

D

Brother

Beautiful, athletic

Teasing, shouting, laughing

Friend and enemy too

Mine

E

A fallen blossom

Is coming back to the branch.

Look, a butterfly!

F

Where she awaits her husband

On and on the river flows.

Never looking back,

Transformed into stone.

Day by day upon the mountain top,

wind and rain revolve.

Should the traveller return,

this stone would utter speech.

Wang Jian

HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if left unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. For example some of them may become involved in tobacco or alcohol abuse, which can lead to physical and mental health problems. To prevent harmful habits like these from dominating a teenager’s life is essential. They must learn to recognise bad habits early and make appropriate changes.

To change bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. There is a famous saying based on the philosophy of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” In many ways, our lifestyle is the sum of choices we have made. We make a choice to do something, and then we repeat it over and over again. Soon that choice becomes automatic and forms a habit that is much harder to change. The good news is that we can change, if we understand how habits work.

According to modern psychology, we must first learn about the“habit cycle”, which works like this: Firstly, there is “cue”, an action, event, or situation that acts as a signal to do something. Secondly, there is a “routine”, the regular action you take in response to the cue. Thirdly, there is a “reward”, the good thing or feeling we get from the routine.

For example, when we feel unhappy (cue), we eat lots of unhealthy snacks (routine), which makes us feel happy (reward) The reward makes us much more likely to continue the cycle, and the bad habit of relying on unhealthy snacks is formed.

To facilitate a positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by combining the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. For example, we could try to replace a negative routine with something more positive. So, when we feel unhappy again (cue), rather than eat snacks, we could listen to some of our favourite music instead (routine), which will make us feel relaxed (reward). Aside from changing bad habits, we can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. For example, when we come toan escalator(cue), our normal routine is to ride it, but we could change this routine into something more positive by taking the stairs instead.

Many of us try to change bad habits quickly and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, but over a period of time. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Zi wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” One step seems small, but it is essential. To reach the goal of change, a person must show some discipline and repeatedly take many small steps. After all, it is not easy to break bad habits.

For young people, there is plenty of time to change bad habits. However, there is no “magic pill” or delete button that will help you; you have to think about your bad habits and decide on some changes. You have the power to build a happy and healthy life full of good habits!

ENDURANCE

THE STORY OF ERNEST SHACKLETON, HERO OF THE ANTARCTIC

The story began in 1914, with an advertisement in a British newspaper: “Men wanted for a hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful.”

The man who had placed the advertisement was the explorer, Ernest Shackleton. He planned to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea via the South Pole, something no one had ever done before. More than 5,000 men applied to join the expedition. Only twenty-eight were chosen.

Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, left England on 8 August 1914 and it reached the Weddell Sea in December, the Antarctic summer. But the weather was exceptionally bad and on 17 January 1915, the Endurance got stuck in ice. Unable to move, Shackleton and his men had to wait for eight months in complete darkness and freezing cold.

Finally spring came, but it brought disaster. As the ice melted, the ship broke in half. The crew had to abandon ship and camp on the ice for two months. When the Endurance finally sank on 21 November 1915, Shackleton and his men tried to survive by floating on the ice. Eventually the ice melted and Shackleton put his men into three small lifeboats and headed for the nearest land.

After five days at sea, they reached Elephant Island. The men were cold, exhausted, and weak from the journey and the lack of food. There was no chance of rescue in this remote place, so Shackleton decided to continue to South Georgia. He knew there was a Norwegian whaling station there, where he could get help, but it was a journey of 1,300 kilometres. Leaving the others on Elephant Island, Shackleton chose five men to accompany him to South Georgia in a tiny, seven-metre-long lifeboat.

After fifteen exhausting days with winds of sixty kilometres an hour and waves of up to fifteen metres high, they arrived in South Georgia. The weather was so bad that they couldn’t land for two days. Even when they landed, their journey wasn’t over. The whaling station was sixty kilometers away on the other side of the mountainous island. No one had ever crossed South Georgia on foot before.

The men marched continuously for 36 hours. They had no tent and could not stop to rest for more than a few minutes—if they fell asleep they would die of the cold. Starved and frozen, they finally reached the station.

On 30 August 1916, two years after the expedition began, they returned to Elephant Island in a small boat provided by the Chilean government. The other twenty-three men were still waiting. Miraculously, not one person had died.

Shackleton even returned to Antarctica. In 1921, he set out again to sail round the continent, but died during the journey in 1922. He was buried in South Georgia, remembered by history as a man who showed exceptional leadership and unbelievable endurance.