1 . The history of the school bus can date back to 1886 when the Wayne Works company made horse-drawn carriages (四轮马车) known as “ school wagons” or “kid hacks” in Indiana.     1    

In the early 1900s, the car industry was beginning to develop fast.    2     The company managed to make its carriages powered by engines. But the design remained mostly the same as that of the previous ones, with students sitting along the walls of the bus while facing inside.

In 1927, a man built the first bus that primarily used steel. Before long, Wayne Works introduced the first all-steel school bus body with safety glass windows.     3     This led to a turning point in the history of the school bus in 1939, when a conference was organised at Manhattan College to develop school bus standards.

Many new national standards were created, determining everything from seating designs to the famous yellow color that school buses still sport today. The reason why the color was chosen was simple.     4    The color is especially easy to see in the early morning and evening light when school buses usually operate.

    5     For example, a variety of changes have been made to enable the school bus to not only be safer but also have better fuel (燃料) economy, be easier to drive, etc. The most creative approach among all of these is probably a kind of stop signal arm that warns traffic of a stop in progress, which states began to require in the early 1950s.

4 . Unexpected Things About Archaeology (考古学)

Archaeology is an amazing career. We get to explore and debate how life has been and can be lived, and we get to share this knowledge with people in a way which benefits society. If you don’t know an archaeologist or haven’t worked with one before, you might not know what they actually do or you might think we do things that we don’t.     1    

A lot of people think of archaeology as being buried in the ground, but any physical material can tell us about the past.     2     In fact, there’s a whole specialism of archaeology that involves recording historic buildings and creating drawings and reports about them.

You might think archaeologists are only interested in the most precious items, like coins, valuable jewellery or well-preserved objects. But often the most common items, like pottery, clay tobacco pipes, glass bottles or bricks, can tell them the most information. They help build a picture of people’s lives. Sometimes, not finding an object we thought would be there tells us something about the people.

Many people think archaeologists spend all day brushing dirt off the items they find. They do sometimes use brushes to clean surfaces for clear photographs. But they mainly use tools like trowels, shovels or mattocks. A normal day involves a lot of heavy digging.    4     But sometimes archaeologists work with very fragile items. For this they would normally use tools like a thin “leave” trowel, but usually a brush.

Archaeologists can use technology to learn what is underground instead of digging.

    5     Geophysical Survey uses electric and magnets to find tiny differences in the earth and creates a map of potential archaeology under the earth. Drones can also be used to take aerial photographs, where things like crop-marks can be clues to past human activity.

Archaeology is a science, an art and a form of physical work. It’s varied and can appeal to people with different interests and skills. It may take you on a journey you don’t expect!

In China, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, or “loong,” as is known in Chinese. This creature appears on many cultural artifacts     1     (pass) down through Chinese history.

Unlike Western dragons,     2     are often depicted as aggressive, fire-breathing, flying lizards, Chinese loongs     3     (traditional) symbolize strong and favourable powers. In Chinese mythology ( 神 话 ), the loong is credited with ensuring a good harvest. The unique appearance of the Chinese loong distinguishes it    4     its Western counterparts.

For thousands of years, the Chinese have respected the loong,     5     (believe) that they can bring harmony and prosperity. According to Chinese mythology, the Yan Emperor’s mother had seen a loong just before she was pregnant and soon the Yan Emperor       6       (bear). So the Chinese regard the Yan Emperor as their forefather, and they sometimes refer to     7       (they) as “descendants of the loong (龙的传人).”

At a historical site in Liaoning Province, a stone sculpture of a loong was discovered in 1994.       8       (measure) 19.70 meters in length, the sculpture       9       (date) back to more than 7,600 years ago. The idiom “龙年大吉” means “good luck in the year of the loong.” We wish all of us       10       happy and lucky Chinese New Year!

Paper-making is a reflection of ancient Chinese wisdom,     1     (regard) as one of the Four Great Inventions of China. Among various types of paper in China, Xuan paper, traditionally handmade in Xuancheng, Anhui province, is famous for its close association    2    Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings.

The     3    (early) mention of Xuan paper is in On Famous Paintings Through History, a book by a scholar from the Tang Dynasty. It listed many characteristics of Xuan paper, like its stability, its durability and its    4    (resist) to insects. Yet     5    positioned it as an ideal medium for calligraphy and painting is its capacity to display various ink shades. Such are the features of the Xuan paper    6    it has gained favor among artists and calligraphers across generations.

With the growing popularity of Xuan paper in recent years, the industry has expanded     7    (dramatic) in Anhui. Last year, large quantities of Xuan paper, to be precise, about 500 metric tons,     8    (produce) in Xuancheng,     9     engaged more than 30, 000 local people in the industry. Currently, the local government is building a Xuan paper cultural park and a Xuan paper town    10     (develop) cultural tourism.

9 . “Do you want fries with that?” For the average American, who eats 29 pounds of fries each year, the response to this irresistible question is a resounding yes. McDonald’s alone sells 9million pounds of fries globally every day. To keep up, its U. S. supplier uses an extremely large fry-cutting machine that shoots potatoes through at 60 to 70 miles per hour, 24 hours a day.

It’s hotly debated whether fries first came from France or Belgium, but it was American soldiers during World War I(1914-1918)who named them “French.” The soldiers became smitten with the potatoes in southern Belgium—where villagers fried sliced potatoes instead of fish when the River Meuse froze over—but called them French since that was the most spoken language. The name stuck.

Many chefs agree an ideal fry is achieved with a double-dunk (浸泡) in hot oil: The first bath forms the fries’ initial outer layer, and the second crisps that layer to a beautiful golden brown. Still, famous fry-makers differ in how they deep-fry: Five Guys uses peanut oil, while McD’s adds “natural beef flavor” to its vegetable oil. Shake Shack now turns to a nostalgic frozen crinkle-cut (波纹薯条) after switching to a freshly made straight-cut version and making their fans angry. As CEO Randy Garutti said, “When we sent out the Instagram of crinkle-cuts coming back, it’s to this day the most-liked thing we’ve ever done.”

How one dips a fry alters the experience. Since the rise of fast food in the 1940s, the dunk er of choice has been classic ketchup. But in their likely birthplace of Belgium, fries are served with mayonnaise. In Utah, the two dips are combined into a zippy pink “fry sauce.” Or perhaps you prefer to dunk them in a chocolate milkshake, making the better question: “What do you want with your fries?”