Are you a happy person most of the time? Or do you easily get angry sometimes? Everyone has a different temperament (脾气). It is usually believed that both genes (基因) and environment may affect people's temperaments in different ways. But now scientists have found that the season of birth also plays a role.

 Scientists from Budapest, Hungary, studied 400 university students. In the study, the students needed to finish a questionnaire (问卷). The purpose of it was to find out which of four kinds of temperaments they most had. From the questionnaire, scientists found that the students always answered something like "My mood often changes for no reason" and "I love to deal with new projects, even if it is risky". These answers were then matched with their birthdays.

  They discovered that people born in summer easily change between sad and happy moods compared to people born in winter. Those who always feel positive are mostly born in spring and summer.

The study also found that those born in autumn less probably had a mood of depression which may easily drive them to cry, while those born in winter were not easier to be angry.

 Scientists said that this was probably because the seasons had an influence on certain chemicals in the human body. And the chemicals are important to control people's moods even in adult life.

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"It seems that when you are born may increase or decrease your chance of developing certain mood disorders (紊乱)," lead scientist Xenia Gonda told The Telegraph.

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    There is a lake near a forest in Sweden. The water in the lake is very clear and everything is quiet and still. On the far side of the water is some farmland and further away, across the field, is an old church built on a hill. It has just stopped raining. The brook(小溪) flowing into the lake is full and there is still some half-melted(半融化的) snow from last winter on the ground.

    The reason the water is so clear, and everything is so quiet and still, is that most of the plant and animal life in and around the lake is dead. There are no birds because all the fish and insects, which the birds need for food, have disappeared. Many trees in the forest are losing their leaves and bark (树皮), and are sick and dying. Others were blown down by the high winds of last winter. A farmer is working in a field planting something, but unless he plants a stronger kind of seed this year, the crop will be between 25 to 40 percent lower than a few years ago. The stones of the old church tower are turning to powder and unless the tower is repaired soon, it will fall down.

    All the death and destruction(破坏) in this place is caused by the smoke coming out of factories and poisonous gases from cars and trucks. And yet this silent lake is hundreds of meters aways from the nearest factory and highway.

Welcome to Beijing, the capital city of China. I'm Ma Li. I'll be your1 . You'll have a two-day tour in Beijing. 

On the first day, you'll get up2 in the morning and then go to Tian'anmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony(升旗仪式). After that, you can take a walk in the square. At about half past eight, you'll3 the Palace Museum. There you'll see many4 things in ancient times. At eleven o'clock, you'll walk to Beihai Park and stay there for two and a half5 . You can go boating in the park. In the afternoon, you'll go to Wangfujing Dajie. There are many large shops6 the street. There you can go7 and buy your favourite things. 

On the second day, you'll go to the Great Wall after you have breakfast. You'll have two hours to8 on the wall. So don't9 your mobile phones and cameras in the hotel rooms. After you have lunch in a10 , you'll leave for the Olympic Sports Centre. After that, you'll go to the Summer Palace. At six o'clock, you'll11 your tour and go back to your hotel.

Living in a big city also12 a few bad things. People are everywhere, especially on the underground. There are a lot of cars. So the traffic is a little13 because of traffic jams. 

Come and visit Beijing. And I14 you will fall in love with this city. I'm sure that you will have a15 time during your two-day tour in Beijing. 

Dear Candy,

I am happy to hear from you. I know that you are 1 in Chinese paper cutting(剪纸). Let me tell you about it.

As we all know, paper cutting is a kind of art in China. It has a long 2 . It is very popular 3 easy to make. People often make paper-cuts when they are free, because they think that paper-cuts can bring good luck to 4 .

People usually use red paper 5 paper-cuts. We can 6 paper-cuts on walls, windows, doors, and so on. In China, people like to make paper-cuts in the shape(形状) of flowers and 7 .

It is easy 8 how to make paper-cuts. What you need is a piece of paper and a pair of scissors(剪刀). But it's difficult to be good 9 paper-cuts, because it needs 10 practice and imagination(想象).

I know you will come to China next month. Hope to see you soon.

Best wishes!

Li Hua

The first marathon(马拉松) of the modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. Now marathon is a popular sport across China. Teenagers also take part in marathons actively.

Xu Qian is a 15-year-old boy from Duqian, Jiangsu. He loves running very much. He took first place in the 5-kilometer Happy Run of the Jingdong Suqian Marathon on April 2, 2023. To get ready for the race, Xu had to train for months. He ran about 30 to 40 kilometres each week ahead of the run. "The 800- meter run at school is more about speed(速度),but marathon tests a runner's endurance and psychological quality(心理素质)," he said. When he felt tired during the race, he told himself to fight on.

Of course, kindness from the people is also important in helping runners get to the finish line. Li Zhouzi from Shanxi took part in a 3-kilometre Kid Run of the Berlin Marathon in Germany in 2019 when she was 10. The support from the people cheering along the course(跑道)really encouraged her. "When things were hard, they cheered me on. The simple words ‘keep it up' meant a lot to me and I was encouraged to keep going to the end," Li said.

Today let's talk about some customs. It's true that every country has {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (it) customs. 

We all know that in America if people are pleased {#blank#}2{#/blank#} you, they will give you a sign (手势)"OK". But maybe you don't know that this sign is thought to be rude in Brazil. 

In Poland, guests {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(usual) choose flowers as presents for hostesses (女主人). Remember {#blank#}4{#/blank#} number must be an odd (奇数的) one. And you'd better {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(not take) off the cover of the bunch (束) of flowers. You must be much {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(care) when you give red roses to a woman. Because the red rose {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(mean) love there. 

In China, we often hear people {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(say) that" nodding" means agreement (同意) and "shaking the head" means disagreement.{#blank#}9{#/blank#} in Bulgaria they mean the opposite. We really need to pay more attention to the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (different) in customs. What's more, we should learn more about them in order to avoid embarrassment (尴尬).