学进去

You can’t have it all

There was a beautiful peacock out on a rainy day. He looked at himself in a puddle (水坑). He said, “How beautiful I am!” But when he heard his own voice, he became sad. It was rough (粗哑的). Then, he heard a nightingale sing in the trees.

Listening to the nightingale’s sweet voice, he began to cry. “Why don’t I have such a beautiful voice?” At that moment, the goddess Juno appeared. She went to the peacock.

“Why are you upset?” Juno asked.

The peacock told her about his rough voice. “Why does the nightingale get such a beautiful voice? My voice sounds like rocks rolling over the sand.”

Juno petted the peacock. Then she said, “Every living thing is special in its own way. The nightingale has a beautiful voice, but you have beautiful colors! The nightingale told me he wants to look like you. He is sad about his brown color.”

The peacock stood up a little straighter. “Hmm, maybe you’re right,” he said. “I have the prettiest feathers (羽毛) in the forest. The nightingale has the prettiest voice. We are both great in our own ways.”

The peacock didn’t worry about his voice anymore. Instead, he remembered what made him special.

Changing our clothes

Do you have to wear a school uniform every day? Do you enjoy wearing it? Some Australian students are trying to change their school’s dress code (着装规定).

Schoolgirls at Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Sydney can’t wear pants. They have to wear a knee-length (及膝的) tartan skirt (格子裙) or dress. It’s one of the school’s oldest traditions, dating back 100 years. But the girls want to change this strict rule.

They asked the school to add pants as another choice for their uniforms. “We should choose to wear whichever bottoms (下装) we want,” they wrote in a petition (请愿书) on change.org.

Some students think that girls have been held back from taking part in sports and outdoor activities because they have to wear dresses and skirts. “This kind of clothing is impractical (不实用的) in daily life and girls should feel comfortable when coming to school,” said one student who signed the petition.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she understood their situation. “Young girls should be able to show their views. Speaking up on what you feel strongly about is how you make changes,” she said. The school is now discussing this matter.   

Design your own uniform

Work with someone to design (设计) a school uniform. Make sure that you and your classmates will all enjoy wearing it. It should be practical, comfortable, and suitable for both sexes. It should also look nice and represent (代表) your school.   

随着人工智能（AI）的发展和ChatGPT的出现，人们都在讨论它可能对人类生活的影响。假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Jim发email跟你讨论人工智能可能会取代哪些职业。请你用英语给他回信，阐述一下你认为会被取代的三种职业，并简单谈谈作为中学生应该为此做哪些准备。

I have heard the news about ChatGPT, too. I believe it will influence our life in the near future._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Li Hua.

Singing songs like spring waters

Many Zhuang people like singing even more than talking. They sing songs while walking, farming and doing housework.

Among all the singers of the Zhuang, Liu Sanjie (刘三姐) might be the most famous. Liu Sanjie was a woman with a beautiful voice. She was good at singing love songs (情歌). She always sang for the poor. The Zhuang people respected (尊敬) her very much. They passed down her songs from generation to generation.

On the third day of the third lunar month (农历三月初三), the Zhuang people hold a big singing festival. Thousands of singers get together, competing (比赛) to be the “king” and “queen” of singing. Many singers are young men and women. They often sing Liu Sanjie’s love songs in pairs. It’s a good chance (机会) for the young to get to know each other, and maybe, to find a good husband or wife.   

Impression Liu Sanjie

It’s a big show. The stage (舞台) is set on the Lijiang River (漓江) in Guilin, Guangxi. The night show’s lighting is amazing!

Beautiful ball

Be careful of the embroidered balls (绣球). If a man is hit by the ball, he will have to marry the woman who throws (扔) it! The Zhuang women make the ball with 12 pieces of cloth. Each piece stands for a month of the year. It shows pure (纯洁的) love.

①Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to their young trees?

②Professor Simard, forest ecologist (森林生态学家) from the University of British Columbia, explains how trees are much more complex (复杂的) than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin (达尔文) thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard and her team have made a new discovery and showed just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their group work and support, passing around necessary nutrition (营养) like Nitrogen (氮) and carbon “depending on who needs it”.

③Nitrogen and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi (真菌) networks. This makes sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive nutrition to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons (神经元) in our brains, and when one tree is cut down, it influences all.

④Simard talks about “mother trees”. These are usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. These “Mother Trees” are connected to all the other trees in the forest by this network of fungi, and may manage the resources of the whole trees and plants in the forest. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the young trees, transporting important nutrition to them so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down “Mother Trees” without paying attention to these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances to save the whole forest.

⑤“We didn’t take any notice of it” Simard says sadly. “Mother trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chances.” If we could explain the message clearly to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.

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Be friends with big naughty guys

In February, animal keepers took a video of an Asian elephant family in Yunnan. In the video, two baby elephants fight for food. Later, they take a nap with their mothers. Many people saw the video online and said the elephants are so cute.

In fact, over the past 30 years, the number of wild (野生的) Asian elephants became bigger. By the end of 2021, there were 300 of them. They needed more space and food. So, they began to visit villages and found food in farmers’ fields. The elephants were happy to eat their favorite plants like corn and sugarcane (甘蔗). But this brought losses (损失) for the farmers. Sometimes, the elephants were frightened (受到惊吓的) and hurt people.

How can we get along with these cute but naughty animals?

The local government (当地政府) is thinking of some smart ways. For example, if elephants eat farmers’ plants, farmers can get some money from the government. Also, people built fences (栅栏) near villages and schools. So, the elephants cannot get very close to people.

Did you know?

There are 11 nature reserves (自然保护区) in Yunnan. Elephants often live there.

Tips to get along with elephants

√   If you see some elephants, stay at least 300 meters away from them. Also, you should leave the place quickly.

×   When you are in a place with elephants, don’t wear bright-colored clothes. Such clothes could make elephants angry.

Architects of the rainforest

People call Asian elephants “architects of the rainforest (雨林工程师)”. They play a big role in looking after the health of the environment (环境).

Help the plants grow

Asian elephants eat a lot of plants. This gives space (空间) to other plants. The plants get more water and sunshine.

Make space for animals

When a group of elephants passes by, some plants and little trees fall down. This makes a “road” for other animals.

Help to spread seeds

Elephants eat a lot of seeds (种子). These seeds go out with their poop and later grow into new plants.

Give a home for animals

Elephants leave footprints in the forest. When it rains, water fills the footprints. The prints become little ponds. Frogs and insects lay eggs (产卵) there.

My school life in Hong Kong

香港小学生的校园生活有什么不一样？

Hey everyone! I am Yang Qiao.

I live in the New Territories (新界) of Hong Kong. I am a fourth-grader at the Education University of Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School. At my school, there are many interesting classes and activities. Let me show you my day at school.

Morning reading (8:40-9:10)

We read our textbooks. If it is Monday, we usually have a flag-raising ceremony (升旗仪式). We sing the national anthem (国歌) and our school song.

First class (9:10-9:50)

Most of our classes are like yours. We have Chinese, math and English every day. We also have many other interesting classes. One of my favorites is computer studies. I learn programming (编程) skills to make simple online games or even music.

Second class (9:50-10:30)

Another class I enjoy is general studies (常识课). This class covers knowledge of different subjects. For example, we learn the history of the Qin Dynasty (秦朝). We also do some fun science experiments.

Interest classes (15:45-16:45)

My school offers 4 different interest classes (兴趣课) after school. I used to do swimming. Look, my face got tanned (晒黑) in the summer sun! Other interest classes include (包括) soccer, basketball and table tennis. Do you have these classes?

School is over (15:40)

Eighth class (15:10-15:40)

Seventh class (14:30-15:10)

We have physical education (体育) classes twice a week. Like you, we also need to practice (练习) rope skipping.

Our school holds a sports meet every year. Each student is an athlete (运动员). We try our best to compete. Do you know what the award (奖励) for the winners is? It is a “gold” medal (金牌)!

Third class (10:55-11:35)

Fourth class (11:35-12:15)

I think the most difficult class is visual arts (视觉艺术). We don’t just learn drawing. We also learn about architecture and design (建筑和设计). Once, my classmates and I built a city. We first made the design on a computer. Then, each student made a building with cardboards. Together, our buildings made up a colorful city.

Fifth class (12:15-12:55)

Lunch break (12:55-13:50)

A cooking company sends our lunch to school. We have our lunch in the classroom. I like char siu (叉烧) rice most. We can also bring homemade lunches to school.

Sixth class (13:50-14:30)

Fun school activities

1. Cosplay Day

We don’t need to wear school uniforms today. Instead, we can cosplay a favorite character (人物) from books. I once cosplayed Tintin. I like Tintin because he is funny, kind and adventurous.

2. Christmas party

The best part of the party is the feast (大食会). Students bring Christmas food to school. I once made gingerbread men with my mom’s help.

3. Cross-subject learning

We have a learning theme (主题) each year. Teachers of different subjects design fun activities for us. What impressed me most was an ocean exploration activity. We went to Ocean Park. The staff there showed us how to protect ocean animals and keep the oceans clean.

Studying during COVID-19

Now because of COVID-19, we only go to school in the morning. Our school classes are over at 12:40 pm. In the afternoon, we finish our homework and have some online classes.

Parent-teacher meetings

Our parent-teacher meetings are more like a talk between teachers and parents. They talk about how we are doing at school. It is usually one teacher and one parent at a time.

Flying faster

想来一场超音速的旅行吗？

There is no Overture yet. But Boom Technology has shown what it will be like. The company has planned 600 different routes (路线) across the world for the plane. They want it to be people’s first choice for travel in 10 to 15 years.

Air companies are always trying to make people’s trips faster. American Airlines now turns to supersonic airplanes (超音速飞机). In August, the company said they were going to buy 20 supersonic planes. They are called Overture. The US Company Boom Technology makes them.

Smoother flight

The Overture can carry 65 to 80 passengers (乘客). It flies 1.7 times as fast as sound (1,235 km/h) – twice that of today’s fastest traditional airplane. The idea of flying faster than sound might scare you; but in fact, it might even be smoother (更流畅)!

Most passenger planes (客机) fly between 11.5 and 12 kilometers high in the sky, but the Overture will fly at about 18.29 kilometers because of its powerful engine (强大的引擎). The higher a plane flies, the thinner the air is, and the less turbulence (颠簸) there is.

Better than before

The US Air Force (空军) did the first supersonic flight (飞行) in October 1947. Since then, air companies have tried to use supersonic airplanes as passenger planes. But there is one big problem: when the plane becomes faster than sound, there’s a huge “sonic boom (音爆)”. It sounds like thunder (打雷) and brings noise pollution (噪音污染). This problem made people stop using Concorde – the first supersonic passenger plane made by France and the UK in the 1960s.

The new Overture tries to deal with the noise problem. It has four engines instead of two. According to Boom Technology, this will help make less noise. Overture will also use the world’s first automated noise reduction system (自动降噪系统).

Future plan for Overture

2022: Show Overture design (设计)

2024: Start to make the plane

2026: First flight

2029: Passenger flights begin

How are sonic booms made?

When airplanes travel faster than sound, they can make sonic booms. How does that happen?

You can think of air as water. When something moves through water, you see ripples (波纹). If the thing moves very quickly, the ripples start to run into each other.

The same happens in the air, even if you can’t see it. When the thing moves faster than sound, the air is pushed hard, and it compresses (压缩) like the ripples in water. This will make a very loud sound. That’s a sonic boom.

In fact, lots of things can make sonic booms. When you go to the park and see people play with whips and tops (鞭子和陀螺), you might hear a small sonic boom, too!

“你养我长大，我陪你变老。”父母亲一直在为我们的成长默默付出，成长要学会感受爱、回报爱。今天是父亲节，是我们向爸爸表达感激的好机会。请根据以下所给要点，写一篇英语短文。

Today, if we talk about a color, we only need to use a simple name. For example, “blue” in Chinese is lan. But in ancient China, there were many beautiful names for blue, such as yuebai, qielan and shiqing.

Similar to the color wheel developed by Isaac Newton, ancient Chinese people created colors using the idea of pure (纯) colors and mixed colors. There were five pure colors, including qing (blue), chi (red), yellow, white and black. These basic colors can be put together to produce mixed colors. For example, mixing yellow and blue could make green. Lots of colors came into being (产生) thanks to this.

As for naming, ancient Chinese people paid much attention to the imagination that colors bring. For example, dongfang jibai is a light blue color. The blue color describes what the sky looks like early in the morning. Similarly, the pink color taoyao is used to describe blossoming (开花的) peach trees. The purple color mushanzi describes a sunset covering the mountain.

Do you know a color was not just a color, but a symbol of social status (地位) in ancient China? For example, yellow was long seen as the symbol of authority. Only the leader of the country and his family could use it. During the Tang Dynasty (朝代), officials needed to wear clothes with certain colors. Only officials of the top three grades were allowed to wear purple clothes, while those of the fourth and fifth wore red clothes, the sixth and seventh officials wore green clothes. Blue was for those in the lowest grades.

The colors that the ancients left us can be seen in society today. Nowadays, some TV programs present traditional Chinese colors in clothes and buildings, which excite people’s interest in ancient colors.