Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, has drawn extensive attention from people both at home and abroad for her charisma and grace. Accompanying her husband on his first overseas trip after becoming president, Peng Liyuan exhibited graceful demeanor, a pleasant personality and well-chosen dress, prompting people to coin the term “Liyuan style”.

Peng Liyuan, as one of China's best-known singers, was popular among Chinese people long before her husband became the president. Loved by her fans, she has been in touch with the people for years.

    “Liyuan style” is not only representative of a fashion idol, but also overpass cultural and diplomatic barriers. The beautiful handbags Peng has carried, and the plain but elegant and delicate dresses she has worn have become popular. Her choice of clothing, made-in-China instead of luxurious foreign brands, shows her belief in domestic dress designs.

But “Liyuan style” is not only about clothing and a woman's paraphernalia. It is also about diplomacy and promoting China's soft power. In Moscow, Peng visited a boarding school for orphans and children estranged (疏远) from their parents, encouraging them to strive for a better life, which brought out the maternal side of her character. In Tanzania, she donated sewing machines and school bags to women and children. And as a World Health Organization ambassador in the fight against AIDS, Peng is devoted to many public causes, including those relating to charity and healthcare.

    Some observers have already started saying that Peng's activities have become part of public diplomacy in China.

Also, “Liyuan style” has boosted the confidence of the Chinese people. Modem but not flashy, elegant but not arrogant, Peng has all the virtues of a Chinese woman and carries them to the international stage.

Since the 18th Party Congress and the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC, the country's new leadership has vowed to adopt a down-to-earth work style to connect with the people. Peng's plain but elegant style shows that thriftiness and an earthy style need not be drab and boring.

    So it can be said that Peng's first appearance on the international stage has kicked off well.

    Seven years ago,back in 2010,some reports covered a story that the world's longest railway tunnel was under construction in Switzerland.At that point it had already been under construction for over a decade.It had been voted to be built nearly a quarter of a century ago!The idea to build it could date back to nearly 70 years ago—about as old as some of your grandparents!

Yesterday,it was finally ready!

    It's 35 miles long and runs 7,500 feet beneath the Swiss Alps,a famous mountain range in Switzerland.It even runs under an old tunnel that was there before.It took a total of 17 years to build at a cost of $12 billion.128 million tons of rock were dug.Two million truckloads of earth were removed!

    The tunnel connects northern and southern Europe.The opening of this runnel was such a big deal that the Germany's leader,Chancellor Angela Merkel,France's president,Francois Hollande,and Italy's prime minister,Matteo Renzi,were an there to celebrate,as was Austria's chancellor Christian Kern.

    It's called the Gotthard Base Tunnel.Eventually,325 freight and passenger trains will go through the tunnel,relieving a lot of traffic on the roadways there and making it a more environmentally friendly option.The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a wonder of engineering!Make us want to visit it!

    On February 6, Space X, a private US aerospace company owned by Elon Musk, has successfully launched its new Falcon Heavy spacecraft, making it the world's most powerful rocket.

    Falcon Heavy is the largest rocket since the retirement of NASA's Saturn V, which was used for the Moon missions in the 1970s. “Falcon Heavy can launch about 64 tonnes into low Earth orbit-that's almost three times more than the current running biggest launch vehicle, Delta IV Heavy, ”Imperial College astrophysicist David Clements told AI Jazeera. According to Space X, Falcon Heavy can lift into orbit a mass greater than a 737 jet loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.

    The rocket was designed with the idea of earning humans into space and opening the possibility of flying missions with people to the Moon and even Mars. For its first voyage, it carried Musk's $ 100,000 cherry-red Tesla sports car and a fake space-suited human model fixed in the driver's seat. Musk joked that “it may be discovered by some future alien race”.

    Falcon Heavy went into space on its last flight on February 6. The launch took place at NASA's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, the spot also used for the Apollo 11 Moon mission and several space shuttle launches. It was delayed by several hours because of high winds in the upper atmosphere. Minutes after take-off, the two outer boosters (助推器) landed at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

    Space X announced plans to eventually use Falcon Heavy to launch two paying space tourists on a trip around the Moon. However, Musk said he will probably reserve that mission for another launch system, the BFR. Recently, Space X scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA's TESS mission on March 20, 2018. It is reported that Space X is scheduled to complete 30 independent launch missions in 2018, at least half of which will use Falcon 9.

    Who could have imagined that a treadmill(跑步机)on wheels would one day become a thing? Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill.

    Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester says it all started when he asked himself the question. "How can I use a treadmill outdoors?" He eventually came up with a design, to which he added an electric engine, and Lopifit was born. The treadmill bicycle is similar to a typical electric bicycle in that the motor only works when the rider puts power in as well. The Lopifit senses it when you walk on the treadmill and uses the motor to turn a drive chain at the back part of the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.

    To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery and use your feet to slide the treadmill backwards and activate (激活) the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! If you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand brakes available.

    The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became an instant hit. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started get inquiries and calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle became available this year, and Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, despite the high price tag of $ 2,115.

    But despite having a very loyal fan-base of so-called Lopifitters, the creative means of transportation also has naysayers who simply consider the invention stupid and unnecessary. They basically believe that if you're going to walk, you might as well do it the old-fashioned way. But the Lopifit does have the unique advantage of helping you walk really fast without breaking a sweat, or walking at cycling speed, if you will.

    If you want to become a fluent English speaker you should take some advice. There are four skills in learning English. They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills, you should first master the skills of reading and listening.

    Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentence, the meaning of the unfamiliar（不熟悉） words, etc. There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammars or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact that you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example, in other passages or books, is enough. It would be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences in it.

    As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30 minutes. You can only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening.

    For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably taking some notes.

    If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve quickly, and you can be a fluent English speaker one day.

    I can proudly say that last year I broke the record for the oldest person in the world to ride a roller-coaster. I'm 105, but I feel younger. Even the doctor agrees I'm in good condition. I'm a bit deaf and my legs feel weak, but they are the only issue.

    I rode the Twistosaurus at Flamingo Land, which spins you round quite fast. I didn't choose to go on that. I'd have preferred a really fast one that went upside down. But I was told I couldn't ride something like that, because my blood pressure could drop and I might have some danger.

    I wasn't nervous — I don't get frightened of anything. I was securely fastened, so I knew I wouldn't fall out. The roller-coaster ride went on for three or four minutes, and it couldn't be a better experience. And I raised a lot of money for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance fund, which was fantastic.

    People were saying I'd got a place in the Guinness World Records. Later, someone came to present me with the certificate. I had it on the wall in my living room, with another one that got a year earlier.

    My record-breaking ways really began a couple of years ago, with the ice-bucket challenge. It turned out that I was probably the oldest person in the world to do it, and the video was very popular. After that, I started to think about what else I could do to raise money for different charities.

    I'm not sure if anyone admires all the fun I'm having. They just say I'm daft and that's about it. But I've had many good days and many exciting times. I've had a really good life. I don't think I've wasted any of it.