(268 words)

    Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee (拼写大赛). In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.

    Perhaps the show's popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy (书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It's possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.

    But there's still hope for the paint brush. China's Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.

    In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher's examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin, “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don't forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.

    If you follow these insider tips, your photos will look like you had the place to yourself at the popular tourist attractions.

    Vatican Museums: Vatican City

    The Vatican draws more than five million people each year, and queues can reach four hours during peak season. Christie Hudson, senior communications manager at Expedia，recommends, choosing a skip-the-line tour.“ This not only lets you avoid the ticket counter，but also includes the use of a private partner entrance.” Extra time to visit the Sistine Chapel? Yes!

    Bamboo Forest: Kyoto, Japan

    Bamboo Forest is the most worthy sight in Kyoto. If you're longing to enjoy the pathways and take pictures in total quietness, Kyoto Arashiyama Travel Guide recommends hitting the famous Bamboo Grove Path as early in the morning as possible—think 7 a.m. if you're up for it. Don't miss these hidden treasures you can only witness in Japan.

    Chichen Itza: Yucatán，Mexico

    Home to E1 Castillo and the Temple of the Warriors, Chichen Itza is a must-see. Want to beat the rush? Schedule an early tour that takes place before a site opens to the public. Led by an archaeologist guide，it's full of fascinating insights and facts—without tons of pack-wearing tourists.

    Louvre Museum: Paris, France

    The Louvre is one of the most popular museums on the planet. If waiting around in line to get in isn't the way you prefer to spend your time in Paris，consider purchasing a reserved ticket. This will give you entry to the pyramid within a half-hour window. The Louvre is also open until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, if you're up for some late-night art visits.

    At the age of seven, while his friends were spending their allowances on things like candy and toys, Jose Adolfo Quisocola was busy saving money for basic purchases. To try to get his peers（同龄人） to do the same, the boy from Peru came up with the idea of an eco-bank, the Bartselana

    Student Bank, which allows kids of all ages to become financially independent while also helping the environment.

    Set up in 2012, the bank is the world's first bank for kids. To become a member, a kid has to bring in at least 5 kilograms of solid waste and set a savings goal. Once accepted, all bank “partners” are required to deposit at least one additional kilogram of recyclables on a monthly basis and observe other requirements, such as attending financial education and environmental management workshops.

    The waste accumulated is sold to local recycling companies, who, thanks to Jose's efforts, pay a higher-than-market rate for everything brought in by the bank members. The money received is placed in the personal account where they collect until the savings goal is reached. The account holder can then withdraw the money, or choose to leave it and continue to grow for a bigger target. “At the beginning, my teachers thought I was crazy or that a child could not undertake this type of project,” Jose recalls, “They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present. Luckily, I had the support of the school headmaster and an assistant in my class.”

    The boy's efforts paid off, and by 2013, the bank had over 200 members, who brought in one ton of recyclable waste. Today, the eco-bank, which now has the support of several local institutions, boasts ten educational centers. They are designed to teach the over 3,000 students, aged 10 to 18, to become financially independent, use their money wisely, and help the environment.

    Not surprisingly, Jose's efforts have earned him several national and international awards. On November 20, 2018, Jose won Children's Climate Prize, which comes with a medal and $5,500 in prize money and is given to a child or youth who has accomplished an extraordinary achievement for the climate or environment.

The brain-training app trains people to tap on images of healthy foods but to stop when they see unhealthy snacks, creating a link between these foods and stops. The new study, by the universities of Exeter and Helsinki, found that playing the game about once a day for a month led to an average one-point reduction of junk food consumption.

Generally, people who used the app more also reported great changes in their food intake. One app user wrote, "Really useful. I used to eat junk food two to four times a week and I have reduced this to once a week after using the app regularly for a month. My desire for junk food has been reduced greatly and I no longer eat in the evening mindlessly."

The study used the app's usage data, and the app regularly asked questions about how often users eat certain food, along with other information such as their age and weight. The findings suggested that using the app regularly was linked with big changes in eating habits.

The app is free and it only takes about four minutes per day, so it's something people can do not just at home but at work and elsewhere. "From our results it seems important that you do the training at regular times and don't just stop. Therefore, keep it interesting, so you won't get bored with it. Personalize the app as much as possible and pick the food that you find really hard to resist," said Natalia Lawrence, a professor of the University of Exeter.

The researchers stressed that their findings should be further proved, because there was no comparison group and other factors____(such as the possibility that people who did more training were also more motivated to lose weight) could play a part in the results.

No one can believe that the over 6, 300-kilometre Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty is still perfect, and about 80 percent is in danger. 

The Great Wall can be called "great" mostly because of its amazing length. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall, it will become wasteland rather than a historic site. The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2, 000 years. It began in the Qin Dynasty, and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu, because they have been open to tourists for many years. But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten. 

Few local people knew the 3-metre-high walls made of earth and stones beside them are part of the Great Wall. The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind humans. 

The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses. Rubbish is spread over the battlements. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Great Wall know its name, but don't know its cultural meaning. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Great Wall but dug out the entire base. 

It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation's great civilisation and learn to love it.