Cui Chenxi is a (seven) grade student in a middle school in Shenyang. When he was preparing lessons before class, he noticed a mistake on a page of the English textbook. In one of the pictures, there is a hoverfly(食蚜蝇), and there is a word under picture to describe it. The word is "bee".

Cui reported the mix - up over the two insects to the textbook's publisher and (quick) got a reply. The publisher confirmed(确认) the mistake after (ask) a biology teacher. They said they would correct the mistake by replacing the wrong picture in a reprinted version. Besides, the publisher thanked the 12- year - old boy for reporting the mistake, and praised (he) for being "really professional ".

When asked how he (discover) the mistake, Cui said," It's simple. Bees have two pairs of (wing) while hoverflies have only one pair. Bees are fat with their round belies and hoverflies are thin. What's more, bees' tentacles (触须) are clear to see while those of hoverflies are difficult to see."

According to Cui's mother, the boy shows a great interest in biology. He raised 10 types of ants in his primary school days in order to find the insects' habits and how their work (do).

The family keeps hundreds of books about natural science. And Cui has a bookshelf of his own. Thanks to his parents, Cui doesn't need (take) after - school training classes. He's happy to learn what he loves.

Do you know the two lovely mascots (吉祥物)? You may know the five "Fuwa" dolls from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. On September 17 of this year, the two lovely mascots first showed on TV. Now, let's see who they are.

Many people in different countries like the two mascots very much, and they show their love for them on the Internet.

Duan Jiayang, a 13-year- old student of a middle school in Shenzhen, learns the skills required to take care of vegetable fields.

"I learned how to place the mulch film(地膜)," he says," It's not easy."

In China, many parents place a heavy focus on their children's good results, but vocational(职业的)skills have little been cared.

"Some parents do everything for their children," says Yan Mei, an official with the middle school, adding that many students are short of the basic skills needed in their daily lives.

Since March last year, the governments have launched a lot of policies, requiring that colleges, middle schools and primary schools pay more attention to teaching students practical skills.

Following these policies, the middle school launched an "agricultural(农业的) class base "on one of its school yards. Students plant fruit and vegetables on an area of land about 4,000m² in size.

In the days coming up to the May Day holiday, students of different grades at the school worked together in the fields, says a head teacher of a middle school. They planted watermelons, carrots and corn. May Day, also known as Labor Day, is celebrated on May 1st in China.

The school hopes that students will understand the food is quite precious so that they will better realize the difficulties that their parents went through.

Once there lived a wise man. However, his son was very 1 and did nothing all day. The wise man was 2about his son's future. One day, he said to his son," I want you to find some3I have drawn a map to guide you." Then he 4 his son a bag. Inside the bag were clothes, some food, a little money and his map.

The son 5the next day. He had to travel across forests, rivers and mountains. Along the way, he was helped by some with food and by some with rooms to live in. He came across robbers (强益) who tried to rob him. He also saw changing scenery (风) and seasons. 6 after a long year. He got to the place his father said. He spent two days looking and digging for the treasure, but7 nothing.

So he bad to head back to his home. On the way, he experienced the same scenery. Sometimes, he would 8 to enjoy the beauty of nature. He also leant to make meals. He even had to fix his clothes himself. He was now able to tell time by the position of the Sun. He met the same people who had9him earlier. This time, he stayed and helped them in order to repay them.

When he got home, he said 10 to his father for not finding the treasure." There wasn't any treasure in the very first place, my son." the father answered with a smile." But I think you have found your life's true purpose."

Which part of the world has the most nearsighted students? Just look around you – it's East Asia. Nine in ten school leavers in major East Asian cities are nearsighted, according to the BBC. Experts say books and video games are not to blame. East Asian students, they say, aren't getting enough sunlight.

People become nearsighted because their eyeballs grow out of shape and light entering their eyes cannot focus correctly. The body can produce a chemical called dopamine(多巴胺) to stop eyeballs from changing shape. And guess what scientists have just discovered? Sunlight can help our bodies produce more dopamine, reported AFP.

According to the study, primary school students in Singapore spend only 30 minutes outdoors every day; in Australia, by contrast, kids spend about three hours a day outside. As a result, fewer children in Australia are nearsighted - only 10 percent, compared with 90 percent in Singapore." Children in East Asia just go to school, go home and stay inside. They study and they watch television," Ian Morgan of the Australian National University told AFP.

But being a bookworm or a couch potato does not directly harm the eyes, added Morgan. "As long as the get outside, it doesn't seem to matter how much study they do," he explained." There are some kids who study hard and get outside and play hard and they are generally fine. The ones who are at major risk are the ones who study hard and don't get outside. As a result of massive educational pressures and the construction of a child's day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimized."

Experts suggest children should stay outside for two to three hours every day. This can include time spent in the playground and walking to and from school.

Dear editor,

I have a big problem now. You see, I am a little shy. Sometimes I really don't know whom I should ask for help when I am in trouble. I am always afraid that I will disturb them. What can I do? Can you give me some advice?

Lucy

注意：1）信件回复的内容要包括以下要点：

①首先要学会与人交流，多交朋友；

②可以求助于同学和朋友，因为年龄相仿，容易相互理解；

③可以求助于老师和家长，因为他们充满爱心，有丰富的经验。

2）为了使文章连贯，可适当增加内容；

3）不少于80词，信的开头和结尾己写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Lucy.

What you said is common among some middle school students. Here is my advice.

……

Hope you can get out of your trouble soon.

Yours,

Peter

"The greatest joy on the earth is to introduce the beauty created by a people to the whole world," said Xu Yuanchong, the most well-known translating1in China. Xu devoted himself to translation for more than 60 years. And he2over 100 translated books in Chinese, English and French. Those were popular with millions of3around the world.

He was a hard-working person. Every day, he would4about 1, 000 words into another language. He usually worked until 3 a. m. to 4 a. m. and then got up at 6 a. m. to continue5. He often said "The best way to lengthen our days is to steal a few hours from the early6.

Xu thought a translated work should be just as7as the original（原始的） one. So he used his creativity to make it possible. Instead of8translating words from one language to another, he changed the words into more readable ones.

In 2014, Xu won the Aurora Borealis Prize for Outstanding Translation of Fiction Literature, one of the world's9prizes for a translator. He is the only Asian winner in the recent 20 years. It's a pity that he10at the age of 100 on June 17, 2021. But before Xu died, he still kept reading to make his works more perfect. That shows us it is never too old to learn.

I found it hard to communicate with my mother. Relations between us became difficult.

One day I ran away from home and stayed outside for a few hours. When I returned home at night, I saw all the pain, anger and disappointment on my mother's face. We knew that we were in great need of talk. We agreed to have breakfast together the next morning. In the end, we decided to go to a restaurant.

On our way to the restaurant, I noticed my mother had two notebooks in her hands. I asked her what they were used for. She explained to me that sometimes it was easier to write down our feelings than talking about them. We should write down our feelings.

Our first topic was "Why am I so angry？"I wrote a half page, and my mom filled up nearly three pages. I saw the tears run down her face while she was writing. I never realized anyone could hide so much anger. After we finished writing, we exchanged our notebooks. As soon as I started reading my mother's words. I began to cry and so did she. When we finished reading, we discussed our feelings. Finally, it felt like all the anger inside me went away from my body. Our talk helped me realize so many things I had never thought of before, not only about my mother but also about other people.

My mother and I continue using our notebooks as a way of communicating. We know that no matter how we feel about each other, our notebooks are a safe place to express our feelings. We have come to an agreement that we write I love you" at the end of each letter.

A Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering（机械工程）and his students have created the whitest paint on record. When Purdue University researchers set out to develop a new paint, the goal was to create one that would reflect（反射）sunlight away from a building. It turns out they also set a Guinness World Record（吉尼斯世界纪录）for the whitest paint on the planet. "When we started this project about seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting against climate change in mind." Professor Xiulin Ruan said.

The paint reflects 98. 1% of solar radiation（太阳辐射）while also giving out infrared（红外线的）heat. Because the paint takes in less heat form the sun than it gives out, a surface（表面） painted with this paint is cooled below the surrounding（周围的）temperature without using power.

Common white paints get warmer rather than cooler. Paints on the market that are designed to reject heat reflect only 80%-90% of sunlight and can't make surfaces cooler than their surroundings.

Searchers did an outdoor test with a surrounding temperature of 43 degrees fahrenheit （Hua's degree centigrade） . The paint made the sample temperature lower by an additional 18 degrees. "That's more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses, "Ruan said.

Sue said it has been already applied for the patent and researchers are working with a company to put the paint on the market.

Two hundred years after Darwin's birth, studies have found new details of his life at the University of Cambridge. Six learner-centered ledgers （账本） discovered in the university show this

He lived in the most expensive rooms provided for a rich student at his time. . He had someone to clean his room, make his bed and take care of the fire in his bright rooms. He hired a dishwasher, a clothes washer and a man who cleaned his shoes. A tailor, hatter and barber made sure he was well presented. A chimney cleaner and a coalman kept his fire going. Christ's College's basic food was meat and beer.

Darwin's bill topped 636 pounds during his three years of study at Cambridge. Later he described this time as the most joyful of his happy life. That large sum（金额）would have been fairly common for a student at Cambridge in the 19th century.

In those days, Cambridge was full of rich students living a pretty good life and Darwin was just one of them. And so he had plenty of time for socializing（交际）or private study. He would be out shooting, collecting beetles, doing his scientific hobbies or visiting friends. He played cards and drank wine at night, just like students always have.