This reminded me that both in China and Britain, when something strange happens around you or when you are in an embarrassing situation, (C) people tend (倾向于) to use this common way to not catch other peopled attention.

 A lot of the time, Britons use self—depreciating humor (自嘲式的幽默). This is a well-known British characteristic. For example, imagine walking (D) ______ your friends and you fall over. Your friend may just say (E) “旅途愉快!” Or you may just laugh about how clumsy (笨拙的) you are. For many Britons, making fun of yourself is a way of showing your strength of character.

Also, British are considerate when it comes to embarrassing others. For example, students (F) usually have a birthday party every year. So during the school day, a student will give out invitations to the class. If one person doesn't get an invitation, but the rest of the class does, he or she will feel embarrassed. To avoid it, it's common for students to even invite people who aren't (G) their friends.

　　 Have you read any books by Washington Irving？Now I will tell you a story written by him. The name of the story is Rip Van Winkle, and it is also the name of the hero in this story. There are three characters in this story, Rip Van Winkle and his wife, Dame Van Winkle and their dog, Woof. Dame Van Winkle is a sharp-tongued (说话尖酸的、刻薄的) woman. Both Rip Van Winkle and the dog are terrified of her, even of her voice.

        There is a scene that can describe how Rip Van Winkle and his dog feel in front of Dame Van Winkle:

          Rip had just one way of replying to his wife's talk:  he only put his head back on his shoulders, looked up toward heaven, and said nothing. . . True, in the woods, Woof was as brave as an honorable dog should be， but as soon as Woof entered the house, his head bent low, his tail lay on the ground or curled between his legs. He went around the house with a guilty look, watching Dame Van Winkle out of the corner of his eyes, ready to run from the room at the slightest sign of her displeasure.

       This was the time when England ruled America. One day, Rip Van Winkle went into the mountain with his dog for an escape of his wife. He drank something given by some strangers and fell asleep. That was 20 years! His wife died and America got freedom from England, and I think that's what the story wants to tell us:  both the poor man's independence and nation's independence.

         Why does Irving's story attract people?  Because he wrote so vividly（生动地）. That sets me thinking:  How he observed things so carefully?  If you read through this story, you can't help smiling or laughing from time to time!

    Hello! My {#blank#}1{#/blank#} name is John. My last name is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. I am 12. I'm in China. My telephone number is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. I have a good friend. Her first name is {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Her last name is Read. She's 13. She is in America. Her telephone number is {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    This is Zhu Xiaogang's day. Every day he gets up at six in the morning from Monday to Friday．He has breakfast at home．Then he goes to school at 6:35．He reads English from 7:10 to 7:30．He has four classes in the morning．He has lunch at school at 12:00．In the afternoon, he has three classes .He starts his lesson at 2:30. In the evening he does his homework．There is too much homework. He goes to bed at 11:30 every day．He doesn' t get enough （足够的）sleep. He feels tired (累的).

信息归纳：

Zhu Xiaogang's Day.

    The People's Bank of China will come out the fifth edition(版本)of the renminbi (RMB) from August 30, 2019. These banknotes(纸币)will have brighter colors and new security features(防伪特征).

    We've been using banknotes for around 1,000 years. Back in the Northern Song Dynasty, Chinese people made the worlds earliest paper money to replace(代替) metal coins. These banknotes were called jiaozi.

    Paper money is cheaper to make and easier to carry. These advantages made it more popular than other forms of money. But now, in the digital (数码的)age, paper money seems to be disappearing for the same reason.

    China seems to be heading towards becoming a cashless(不用现金的) society. From supermarkets to street stores, people pay by using the We Chat Wallet and Alipay apps on their mobile phones. Sweden is even closer to a future without paper money. Many Swedish banks no longer even have cash on hand.

    But there are worries about creating cashless societies. Some say it is unfair to the poor and people without much education. It's not easy for them to open bank accounts( 账户)or deal with mobile phones. And if all of your money is" digital, it may not be safe enough.

    Is paper money going away? Although paper money is used less than electronic payment (电子支付) in some countries, it won' t disappear at once in most parts of the world.

Maker Moment

    Last year, Izzy Goldstein, 12, learned in science class that we can reduce air pollution by using natural energy sources, such as wind and solar power, instead of gasoline. This made her wonder what she and her schoolmates could do to help the environment. "Maybe if my school got  a bike rack（架子）, more kids would bike to school instead of depending on cars," Izzy told TIME for Kids. Rather than ask their school to buy a rack, Izzy and her friends decided to make a bike rack by themselves.

    They came up with a design. They calculated how much wood they might need. They measured how long the boards should be. They used power tools to cut them and put them together safely. And they did all this in their school's makerspace.

    Makerspaces are workspaces where kids can learn to create objects using technology, engineering, art and design. These spaces often feature a mix of high-tech machines, such as 3D printers and robotic Kits(工具箱), and simple materials like clay and cardboard.

    Izzy goes to the Harley School in New York. It is one of a growing number of schools across the United States with makerspaces. Makerspaces are largely inspired by Maker Faires(创客盛会), which are events that give people a chance to share their creative projects. Each year, about 250,000 people attend the Maker Faires in San Mateo, California, and Queens, New York. Maker Faires have also spread to countries around the world, including Egypt, France and Thailand.

    Schools are introducing makerspaces to the curriculum(课程)because makerspaces give kids a way to have ideas and build something from those ideas. Kima Enerson is a makerspace teacher at the Harley School. But she says kids can become extraordinary makers in an ordinary classroom, too.

    In Harley's Lower School (pre-kindergarten to Grade 4), students learn about the basics of computer software. By third grade, they study coding and how electricity works. In sixth grade, they learn to safely use tools such as drills and saws. When students get to high school, Enerson shows them how to apply their skills to solve global problems. "Throughout the process of designing, students are learning to create something to better the world," she says