2 . Family plays an important part in much fiction, of course, but sometimes the short story form has offered us an insight into family life that the longer novel does not. Here are some for you to taste.

Prelude is one of Katherine Mansfield's longest and finest short stories. Because Prelude is a modernist short story, the emphasis is on characters rather than plots. Mansfield is using the Burnells’ house-move, and the period when they are busy settling into their new home, as a situation to observe family, women and class.

Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) wrote just one novel and fewer than thirty short stories, yet she is regarded as an important twentieth-century American writer, with He among her most celebrated and critically praised works. An important theme of Porter’s work is the search for meaning in a modern and increasingly materialist world.

It is a short story by the Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), originally published in the New Yorker in 1948. The story centers on an elderly married Russian couple who move to the United States; their son is suffering from paranoid delusions (妄想症) and has been limited to a care center. Signs and Symbols focuses on the couple’s attempt to visit their son and its result.

This short story was originally published in 1949. It involves an adult speaking to a child. It is about a young boy who runs from home and goes down to the nearby lake, where he gets into a boat and refuses to speak to his mother. The story ends with the mother bonding with her son.

There are two important teachers in this world. One is the nature. It was considered to be the best teacher in the old days, because man learned a lot from nature like lighting the fire and growing rice. It also provides man with many necessary things for life, such as water, food and so on.

Hu, 31, is a pioneer in nature education. He set up an organization five years ago. It offers nature-based programs to children under 12 years old, including many outdoor activities, such as planting trees and watching birds.

“Nature is friendly to us if we protect her. And don’t forget that we all are part of nature,” He said. The purpose of nature education is to teach people how to understand, respect (尊重) and get on well with nature.

Here comes the other important teacher — a book. The experiences people learned from nature were written down in the form of a book. This was a step forward because man could record their experiences and thoughts.

Books play an important role in our lives. Su Mingjuan, a girl from a poor family in a small village, has finished college and become a good bank clerk. She volunteers to encourage people to read more. She said, “Without reading books, I can’t have such a wonderful life.” Besides Su, millions of people learn from books and have better lives. Some people ever said, “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket (口袋).”

6 . Once upon a time, the villagers in a small village lived their poor lives. Very few people could read _________ one girl named Hannah. She loved to explore and would spend hours in the woods away from the village, looking for new things.

One afternoon, when Hannah was on one of her adventurous _________, she came upon a (n) _________ cottage. The cottage looked very old in its condition. She _________ opened it and she was left amazed. In front of Hannah was a room full of _________! She realized that she found a hidden _________, which could satisfy her love of reading.

She _________ the books for many days. They were very _________, filled with different stories. The little girl was so _________ by one of the characters from books who strove for good that she determined to learn from him. She learned that the true __________ of good lies within one’s own heart and makes people change! With the __________ in heart, she decided to share the stories with the villagers.

Making this her mission, Hannah started telling stories every day at the __________. At the start, only very few villagers came for the stories. But she didn’t __________ and the word of her telling stories spread rapidly, causing more and more __________ to come. Soon, the word of Hannah’s __________ spread to far-off towns. People traveled from different places to just listen to her stories. The villagers helped her rebuild the cottage for __________ more people to enjoy the stories.

She later __________ workshops there in which she taught her fellows how to read. Hannah was their mentor (导师) and everyone __________ her.

Hannah continued her __________ throughout her life. She was __________ for the good she did even after she was long gone.

8 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?

    1    The world is full of problems and conflicts and we need to stay informed and alert (警觉的) to what’s going on around us. While reading traditional, more negative news is important, consuming good news is also part of staying informed.     2    And it also brings meaningful benefits, like reduced stress and anxiety, higher rates of engagement, community building skills, and inspiration for creating a better world. Plus, knowing what to look for in the good news landscape is a key part of improving our media literacy skills and being thoughtful news consumers.

In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.     3     A team of reporters and editors there work daily to deliver stories that make readers feel hopeful and equipped to do more good with possible solutions.

“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.       4     The thing is, however, there’s also good stuff out there—the delightful and kind parts of humanity. “Beautiful stories are happening worldwide.    5    When you do find them, the world can suddenly feel like a very different place. Good news is a vital part of how we learn about the world and solving the world’s problems.” Hervey, one of Good Good Good’s editors said.

9 . The best science books inspire a sense of wonder and make you amazed at the incredible world we live in. Here are four of them to feed your imagination.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

How did it all begin? And how did we get here? Combining history and science, the book offers a comprehensive yet entertaining answer to these questions. Bill Bryson takes the reader on an impressive journey through the greatest scientific discoveries in history. It explains scientific topics in a vivid way, but it’s quite a long read.

Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe

How do helicopters work? Or cells? Randall Munroe explains how things work using illustrations and only the most common 1,000 words in English. It will shift your approach to explanation. So, next time explain how something works rather than merely call it by its name. However, additionally providing more technical terms might have enhanced the understanding and learning experience.

Ask an Astronaut by Tim Peake

What does it feel like to fly into space? How do you prepare for it? Astronaut Tim Peake answers all the questions you never knew about going into space. The book gives insights into the cutting-edge science, as well as the day-to-day life on board of the International Space Station. Its question and answer format makes it easy to quickly find answers, but it can become less appealing due to the lack of descriptive language.

Deep Time by Riley Black

Want to know the story of our planet? Riley Black takes us on a journey, in the order of time, through the geological (地质的) events that have shaped our planet. The fascinating high-quality images are supported by easily digestible explanations of key historical moments. It also expands on key concepts in geology, astronomy and biology. Yet, measuring the size of some objects on the photos is difficult due to the lack of a scale bar (比例尺).