The 90-minute documentary, Amazing China, which is co-produced by China Central Television and China Film Corp, opened in theaters nationwide on Friday.

    The film focuses on the major achievements the country has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012 under Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era（时代）.

    The documentary focuses on key Chinese infrastructure（基础设施）projects in aerospace, high-speed rail, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the world's largest single-dish telescope FAST.

    The documentary also informs viewers that seven of the world's 10 biggest sea ports are now in China. And that the country now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world.

    Speaking of the significance of the new documentary for the Chinese, La Peikang, the head of China Film Corp, says: “It's not only about showing the achievements, but presenting the status quo of China.

    “The film will help people to know our country better. The moving stories behind the Chinese miracles reflect the people's endeavors and spirit.”

A good documentary is usually a vivid portrayal（描绘）of individual stories rather than slogans, and Amazing China is no exception.

    One of the most touching moments in the film is probably footage from an interview of Nan Rendong, often called the “father of FAST”.

    Amazing China also focuses on common people.

    In the film, you see a young Tibetan woman volunteering in rural areas to help people poverty.

    The movie shows that their work is not easy, but their spirit and unwavering belief make it possible to achieve their targets. And, they are just representative of the many Chinese who work as hard.

    China is the world's second-largest economy. But the country still faces “the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life”, as stated in the CPC's 19th National Congress in November. However, as this cinematic production proves, the documentary is a good way for country to boost self-confidence and to aspire for a brighter future.

    Blue Planet II's latest episode focuses on how plastic is having a disastrous effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, the oceans are drowning in plastic.

    Though it seems now that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics, consumer plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s; the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.

    We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.

    And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers (否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system.

This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to dispose (处理) of it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things that may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag—when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.

    One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O. Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.

    William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.

    Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter's love of language—his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.

    Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.

    William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O. Henry.

    Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.

    We all love bank holidays. In the UK, we only get eight bank holidays in one year, and at least five of those occur around Christmas time and Easter time! A bank holiday is a British English term. This is an official day that is decided by the government, when banks, shops and offices close for the day even though it's a weekday—usually a Monday, and a lot of people have a day off work.

    Bank holidays are different in Colombia -firstly, they are called "festivos". There are twenty festivos for the whole country in one year! In Britain, people get more holiday allowances(津贴)than Colombians but fewer bank holidays. There can be even more festivos in Colombia, depending on which region of Colombia you live in. This is because different regions have their own holidays. For example, some regions have a patron saint(守护神), so they have an extra festivo to celebrate that saint.

    However, there are some days that are national holidays for historical reasons. There is an Independence Day celebration on July 20 every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on July 14, or Independence Day in the United States on July4. Other important festivos in Colombia are: Labour Day, on May 1, and Columbus Day on October 12. Columbus Day is a historical bank holiday that almost every county on the continent of America celebrates. This includes Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. It is memorialization of the day when the Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus, first reached land on the continent in the year 1492. Many people criticize this day and say it is not something to celebrate because of the way Columbus and his team treated the people that were already living there.

    Picture this: You're searching the Internet and come across a website with interesting articles. Some are news stories. Their goal is to share information. Others only look like news stories. They're actually advertisements, or ads. The goal of an ad is to get you to buy something. How do you, the reader, tell the difference between a news story and an ad?

    Back when I was growing up, it was easier. We got most of our information from newspapers. Big news stories appeared on the front page, and ads were boxed off and clearly labeled. But on the Internet, the two are often presented together. It can be hard to tell which is which.

    That's why the research group I direct conducted a study. My research team showed kids like you the home page of a popular digital magazine. We asked them to tell us what was a news story and what was an ad.

    Most were great at identifying certain types of ads. "It has a coupon (优惠券) code, a big company logo, and the words 'limited time offer'," one student wrote about an ad on the site. So where did kids get stumped (难倒)？

    Some ads seem identical to real news stories. They have headlines and contain information. But they may also include the words "sponsored content". Sponsored means "paid for," and content refers to the information in the story. "Sponsored content" is a way of saying that something is an ad. Most kids in our study, even if they used the Internet often, didn't know this.

    Something sponsored doesn't necessarily mean it's false. It means someone paid money for it to appear. Companies pay so that readers will see their stories, buy their products, and like what the company stands for.

    As a reader, you have a right to know who's behind the information you're consuming. So, look for the phrase sponsored content. (And look carefully. Sometimes, it will be written in tiny letters.) The Internet is a vast sea of information. To use it well, we not only have to know how to swim but also how to avoid the sharks.

The best science books inspire a sense of wonder and make you amazed at the incredible world we live in.Here are four of them to feed your imagination.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

How did it all begin?And how did we get here?Combining history and science,the book offers a comprehensive yet entertaining answer to these questions.Bill Bryson takes the reader on an impressive journey through the greatest scientific discoveries in history.It explains scientific topics in a vivid way,but it's quite a long read.

Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe

How do helicopters work?Or cells?Randall Munroe explains how things work using illustrations and only the most common 1,000 words in English.It will shift your approach to explanation.So,next time explain how something works rather than merely call it by its name.However,additionally providing more technical terms might have enhanced the understanding and learning experience.

Ask an Astronaut by Tim Peake

What does it feel like to fly into space?How do you prepare for it?Astronaut Tim Peake answers all the questions you never knew about going into space.The book gives insights into the cutting-edge science,as well as the day-to- day life on board of the International Space Station.Its question and answer format makes it easy to quickly find answers,but it can become less appealing due to the lack of descriptive language.

Deep Time by Riley Black

Want to know the story of our planet?Riley Black takes us on a journey,in the order of time,through the geological(地质的)events that have shaped our planet.The fascinating high-quality images are supported by easily digestible explanations of key historical moments.It also expands on key concepts in geology,astronomy and biology. Yet,measuring the size of some objects on the photos is difficult due to the lack of a scale bar(比例尺).