“USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?” We often hear such discussion. As China opens its door, studying abroad has become a dream for many Chinese students. They want to learn about the world. It's true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Language skills will improve and it may be easier to find a job.
But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language and getting used to a different culture.
Students must also learn to live without parents' care and deal with all kinds of things they haven't had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad sinking in an ocean of difficulties and giving up easily. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for the students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden (负担) to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who succeed in great things through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at Athens Olympics. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, consider whether studying abroad is the right choice.

Chinese ancient poetry competition a success at UIBE

    The University of International Business and Economics﹙对外经贸大学﹚recently organized a competition on Chinese ancient poems to improve students' understanding of Chinese traditional culture and celebrated Word Reading Day, which falls on April 23.

    About 1,300 students took part in the primary poetry contest in late March and four teams, made up of 12 students, entered the final, which was on Thursday.

    The final included a four-part quiz that tested students' knowledge of Chinese ancient poems and other forms of Chinese literature.

    University Vice﹙副的﹚President Zhao Zhongxiu said he was glad that the competition attracted attention from so many students on university and raised their interest and sense in traditional Chinese culture.

    Qi Xiaoming, a professor of Chinese literature at the university said, "In that sense, to fully understand a Chinese ancient poem requires students to recite ﹙背诵﹚and understand the meaning in the very beginning of learning. Then, as the students grow older and connect what the poem talks about with their own lives, they will see more."

    The popularity of a TV program on China Central Television, Chinese Poetry Conference ﹙会议﹚, which has been broadcast﹙播放﹚for two seasons, has inspired an increasing number of education institutions like UIBE to hold a similar event of their own.

    The purpose of the TV program is to appreciate the beauty of Chinese ancient poetry and to learn from the wisdom of the great minds of ancient China.

Information Card

    Why here are thousands of people including lots of the old and the young, climbing the Fenghuang Mountain. Because there is a famous festival in Dazhou, which called Yuanjiu Mountain Climbing festival.(元九登高节) This festival is related with a poet as well as an official in Tang Dynasty. His name was Yuan Zhen and people called him Yuan Jiu later. In A. D. 815, Yuan Zhen did something wrong with his job, so he was sent to Tongzhou, which was a poor and remote place in ancient China. He didn't give   ❶  and made lots of projects to promote (促进) the economic development.   ❷   the leadership of him, Tongzhou changed a lot.①因此人们喜爱他. Because he did such an excellent job, he was transferred to Henan in A.D.818.The day when he left was the ninth day of the first lunar month. All the town people climbed onto the top of Cuiping Mountain in the South and the Fenghuang Mountain in the North to say goodbye to him. ② From then on, the custom and tradition of climbing hills on the day of "Yuanjiu" has been kept in Dazhou. To remember Yuan Zhen, all people in Dazhou go out in groups and climb hills on that day. People are looking forward to getting rid of the bad luck in the past year, hoping in the next year everything is going well. To show great respect for the public customs and opinions, every year our government plans a series of activities to promote the influence of Yuanjiu Mountain Climbing Festival. Nowadays, ③Dawhou, more, feeling, and, people, more, cultural charm (魅力), are, of, even the tourists and foreign friends are attracted to take part in such traditional activities. I take pride in Dazhou.

    On 19th September 1783, Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, sent the first hot air balloon. The passengers were three animals and the balloon stayed in the air for about 15 minutes before hitting back to the ground.

    The first manned(载人的) flight was about 2 months later, with a balloon made by 2 French brothers. The balloon flew for a period of 20 minutes.

    Sailing through the sky in the balloon, high above buildings and trees, you can't feel or hear the wind because you're traveling in the same direction and at the same speed as it is.

    A hot air balloon has three main parts: the balloon, called an envelope; a basket, where passengers ride; and a burner system, which supplies the hot air.

    Most balloon envelopes are made of strong, lightweight nylon(尼龙). They are different in size and shape, but they have to be really, really big to lift even one person. Most weigh more than an adult man.

    The basket is usually made of wicker(柳条), which is strong but not too hard. It needs to bend a bit for a soft landing, just like a good jumper bends her legs instead of keeping them straight when she lands.

    The hot air balloon works on the theory that hot air rises faster than cooler air. When the burner system is turned on, it makes a noisy sound, but once the balloon is flying, the burner can be turned off. The air in the envelope will then cool, and the balloon will slowly go down unless the pilot starts the burner system again.

    To control a hot air balloon, a pilot adds hot air to it to go up or lets the air out to go down until he finds a wind blowing in the direction he wants to fly. But no matter which way the wind blows, the passengers have an amazing bird's-eye view of the world.

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