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    American Sign Language, often called ASL, is used by most people with hearing problems in the United States and Canada.

    Besides ASL, there are more than fifty sign languages used throughout the world today, including Mayan Sign, British Sign, Israeli Sign, and Chinese Sign. Like spoken languages, sign languages are different from each other. But all sign languages are based on sight instead of sounds.

    Sign languages have several main visual (视觉) parts that work together to express meaning. The first part is the shape made by the hands. Movement is also important. Moving the body or organs (器官) like hands affects the meaning of the shape. The place where the sign is made and the direction the hands face are crucial as well. Other visual clues (线索), such as the expression on a person's face, can sometimes change a sign's meaning. For example, a change in a smile can show whether a signer is happy, very happy, or overjoyed. Raising the eyebrows can mark a question.

    In sign languages, the visual parts are combined (结合) in different ways to create signs.

These signs stand for things, actions, feelings, and ideas. ASL has about 4,000 different signs. Like spoken  languages,  sign  languages  cannot  be  translated  word-for-word.  

    For English word may be represented by a series of signs in ASL. Or several English words may be

represented by a single ASL sign. Unlike spoken languages, the signs are organized according to sign-language grammar and the most important word or idea is signed first.

    In ASL, the letter signs are made with one hand. Signers would rarely, if ever, spell out all the words they are signing. That would be as awkward and slow as speakers spelling each spoken word. However, American Sign Language does not have signs for proper names, so signers may use the alphabet to spell these. Also, sign languages often borrow words from other languages. They may spell words using finger spelling which is done with a set of hand shapes that stand for letters of the alphabet.

    Sign languages  develop  naturally  when  people  with  shared  culture  and  needs  want  to communicate with each other. Signers are closely linked to each other, perhaps more than to speaking people in their own communities. Signers share points of view, values, needs, and problems,as well as languages.

    In recent years, a number of Chinese technological innovations (科技创新) have been making waves around the world. Among them, four stand out. They are known as "four new great inventions of modern China. They have made our daily lives more convenient.

    High-speed trains

    China created its first high-speed railway line in 2008. Since then, the number of passenger trips has grown by over 30 percent every year. By 2016, more than 5 billion trips had been taken on China's bullet trains(高铁), according to Xinhua News Agency.

    China is currently working on the next-generation bullet trains that will have a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour. By 2020, one-fifth of the country's 150, 000-km railway network will be used by high-speed trains. This network will link more than 80 percent of major cities across China, said Xinhua.

    Mobile payment

    Mobile payment is turning China into a "cashless society" led by the third-party payment companies like Alipay. For example, instead of paying by cash, customers now pay for goods simply by typing a short password into Alipay app on their mobile devices.

    Users can also pay their bills through Alipay, such as their water and electricity bills. Alipay also supports cross-border(跨境的)online and in-store payment, which allows users to buy things on international websites and apps.

    Shared bikes

    Shared bike services started in Western countries. But China has surprised the world with how

quickly it has adopted dockless(无柱的) shared bikes.

    Unlike traditional bike-sharing method, dockless bikes allow users to simply pick up or park a bike on the street through GPS and smartphone app.

    To unlock a bike, you just need to scan a QR code on a shared bike with a smartphone app. After you finish riding, you can park it at available parking areas, lock it and pay for ride through mobile payment services.

    Online shopping

    With around 751 million internet users, China has been the world's largest and fastest-growing line shopping market.

    Online shopping now accounts for 15. 5 percent of total retail sales in China, according to Xinhua. Thanks to lower costs and fewer licensing requirements(执照要求), it's easier for sellers

to open an online shop in China than a brick-and- mortar shop(实体店).

    It also helped to create jobs of rural areas. In 2016, online shopping created more than 20 million jobs in rural areas, with over 8. 1 million running their own online shops, said Xinhua.

    It's hard to make friends if you stay at home all the time, so get out of the house and do things that will put you in touch with(接触)other people. It's easier to make friends with them when you find you like the same things as other people.

Don't be afraid to show people what you're really good at. You can talk about the things you like and do best. People will be interested in you if they, hear something interesting about you.

    Look at people in your eyes when you talk to them. That way, they'll find it easier to talk to you, or people may think you're not interested in them and may stop being interested in you.

    Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about "me, me, me” You can ask people lots of questions and show that you are interested in their answers.

    Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like, respect(尊敬)and admire(羡慕). You shouldn't just make friends with those people you will meet them easily. Try to be friendly with all kinds of people. That way, you'll have a bigger group of people to choose from. Then you'll be easier to make friends with other people.

HERE comes good news for travelers who often find themselves travelling to and from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport during the late hours—the Airport Express now operates around the clock,according to the city's transportation authority

Starting from Saturday,Shenzhen Bus Group began to offer overnight service on eight Airport Express routes,providing seamless(无空隙的)connections to the latest arriving flights at the airport.These routes cover Futian,Luohu,Nanshan,Bao'an, Longgang,Longhua,Guangming,and  Pingshan  districts.The fares remain the same as daytime.

"Convenient and efficient ground transportation services are essential for a world-class international airport.The new service will enhance the travel experience of late-night arriving passengers and ensure reliable public transportation during nighttime travel,reflecting the warmth of Shenzhen,"the spokesman of Shenzhen Bus Group has said.

After arriving at the airport late at night,travelers can follow the sign to reach the Airport Express ticket counter at Gate 17 of the Ground Transportation Center to buy tickets.

Ms.Lan,who arrived in Shenzhen from Phnom Penh,Cambodia,early Saturday, noticed that there were still staff members from the Airport Express on duty although it was already 3:30 a.m.

"They told me they now offer overnight operations,making it convenient for late-night arrivals to reach their homes.This is great!"Lan,who lives in Guangming District,said.

The traditional Chinese Lunar Calenda r divides the year into 24 solar terms. Great Heat(大暑), the 12th solar term of the year, begins this year on July 22 and ends on August 7. During Great Heat, most parts of China enter the hottest season of the year. The following are some things you should know about Great Heat.

A season of harvesting and planting

During Great Heat, the sunshine, high temperatures, and heavy rainfall are good for agricultural crops. But like Slight Heat, many natural calamities such as floods, droughts(干旱) and typhoons also happen during Great Heat. Therefore, it's important to harvest and plant in time to avoid setbacks(挫折) caused by natural disasters.

Sending the Great Heat ship in Zhejiang

The ship is filled with various animals for sacrifice (祭祀) such as pigs, sheep, chickens, fish and shrimps. More than 50 fishermen take turns carrying the ship as they march through the streets. The drums are played and fireworks are lit. Both sides of the streets are filled with people praying for blessings. After a series of ceremonies, the ship is finally carried to the wharf(码头). Then, the ship is pulled out of the fishing port and burned at sea. People carry out this ritual(典礼) to pray for good harvests(收成) and health.

Eating litchi and Mizao in Fujian

On the day of Great Heat, there is a custom of eating litchi and Mizao in Putian, Fujian Province, as a celebration of Great Heat. Litchi is a nutritious fruit. People usually soak litchi in cold well water first and eat it. Mizao is made of fermented(已发酵的) rice. On the day of Great Heat, people cook it with brown sugar.