China has a very long history. It has many great traditional skills that have a wide influence (影响). Here we mainly talk about kites.

    The earliest mention of a kite in ancient China dates back to the 5th century BC. It was made of wood and used as a rescue signal (求救信号).

    At the time between 770 and 221 BC, Chinese kites were actually called "muyuan". They were first invented in Shandong Province for military purposes (军事目的). The kites were used to send important messages during the Chu-Han War. During the Tang Dynasty, kites were made of lighter materials, such as bamboo, silk and paper. At that time, people began to fly kites for other purposes. It was believed that letting go of the kite could remove bad luck and illness.

    Today, kite-flying is an interesting and healthy activity in China. There are large kite-flying festivals held throughout the country, and kite makers can show off their skills during the festivals.

    Is it good to be in a middle school? Most American children think so. In America, middle schools often have sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. It is different in different places.

    For children, going to a middle school is a big change. Most middle schools in America have a special day for new middle school students. On that day, they are showed around the school by their new teachers. And they could know a lot about the history of the school. They also would make friends with the old schoolmates (校友).

    They will grow up and learn some different and difficult things in a middle school. A new middle school student will learn foreign languages, computer, music and art, health, and other skills, such as cooking.

    A middle school will have sports teams, clubs and have activities for children. They can choose what they like and join them. If they are good at singing, playing basketball or something else, or if they want to learn, they can join them. Most American children think it's good to be in a middle school.

A Bite of China

Are you an eating-lover? Do you want to eat every delicious food in the world? Then do you watch the popular program A Bite of China? It's a TV program on Chinese delicious food which has been produced by CCTV. Is there any holiday that isn't celebrated with special festival food? Here are several traditional Chinese foods:

Noodles are a symbol of long life in Chinese culture. They are as much a part of Chinese birthday celebration as a birthday cake with its candles lit in many western countries. Since noodles mean long life, it is considered very unlucky to cut it off.

Although westerners sometimes may be very sorry to see fish lying on the plate, in China a whole fish is a symbol of richness. In fact, at a party it is a tradition to serve the whole fish last, pointed towards the most valued guest. Fish also has a special meaning because the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for richness or plenty, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is Zongzi. This tasty dish is made of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts or other delicious food in bamboo leaves. The tradition of Zongzi is meant to remind us of a great man, Qu Yuan in Chinese history.

Until the beginning of July, there has been no rain in northern Italy for over 100 days. Add to that the high temperatures, and the locals get very dry conditions. This is the most serious dry spell（干旱期）for that area in the past 70 years. Because of this situation, the country's longest river, the Po, is drying up!

This is bad news for several different reasons. The fresh water of the Po provides drinking water for northern Italy. Besides, farmers in this area need the water of the Po to keep their crops growing. What's more, the flowing river water is used to create about half of the hydroelectric power（水力发电）for Italy. Its drying up means that more natural gas（天然气） will be used, which is bad for the environment.

There have been some interesting discoveries from this lack of rain, however. Between Florence and Milan, a long ship sunk （沉没）in 1943 appeared because of the low water levels of the river. Now many tourists and locals come to see this ship. A German tank has also appeared out of water near Mantua. At other places along the river, people can even walk on the sandy river bed. Although this may be interesting, people in Italy and around the world are hoping for the return of rain to refill the Po!

As the weather gets warmer，there are few things that are better to do than travel．But traveling might not be that fun for everyone，especially for those who have motion sickness（晕动症）．

Motion sickness is also called travel sickness．It is a common experience for many people．Depending on how you travel，it can be called carsickness or seasickness．People with motion sickness feel very uncomfortable while they are in motion．They feel sick and dizzy，like the room around them won't stop spinning．

It is generally believed that motion sickness happens when your senses become confused （困惑的）with each other，Scientific American reported．

We use different parts of our body to sense movement．Our eyes tell us if we are moving．The inner ears （内耳） contain a special liquid that helps us sense our direction and balance．Our muscles react to movement．

When you move around，these body parts work well together．But when you are in a car or an airplane，they get confused．Your inner ear signals that you're moving．This mismatch gives us motion sickness．

But some people are less sensitive to motion sickness．This may be because they have certain genes （基因） that prevent mismatching senses，Bethann Hromatka，told the Atlantic．

Although there are many ways to deal with motion sickness，scientists believe that the key is to simply try to adapt to it．For example，some astronauts do special exercises that give them mild motion sickness．After a week or two，the astronauts become used to it and don't feel uncomfortable anymore，a NASA flight doctor，told the BBC．