In Chinese culture, people believe some numbers are lucky or unlucky. This is to see what Chinese character the number sounds like. For example, the Chinese word for the number 8 sounds like the word for “making a fortune”. So, people think it is a very lucky number. Some people spend a lot of money to have 8s in their phone numbers. The opening time of the Beijing Olympics began at 8:08 p.m. on August 8, 2008.

    The number 9 is also a lucky number. It is something to do with the emperors of China. There were nine dragons on emperors' robes(龙袍). Today, 9 often stands for “long lasting”. That's why close friends always use 99 or 999 to describe their friendship.

    So what's a “bad luck” number in China? It might be 4. Many Chinese people see 4 as a “bad luck” number. Because it sounds like the Chinese character for “death”.

    Because of this, many buildings don't have the fourth floor, and just call it the fifth floor. In Hong Kong, some buildings even don't have all floors numbered with 4, such as, 4、14、24、34 and all 40-49 floors. Some buildings also don't have the 13^th floor as 13 is an unlucky number in the West. Now a question for you: How many floors are actually there if a building's highest floor is numbered 50?

    It has been forty years since China's Reform and Opening-up(改革开放). Let's see how China has changed through the years.

    1978—1988: New Look

    In a 1978 Japanese documentary(记录片) China's New Look, there was a scene showing Chinese people' life back then. In front of an old-fashioned TV set, some Shanghainese gathered around to watch a TV show. In 1981, only one out of every 170 city families in China had a color TV.

    1988—1998:         

    In October 1990, the first McDonald's on the Chinese mainland opened for business in Shenzhen. It quickly became the hottest tourist spot(旅游景点). "Many Chinese customers waited in line and shouted to the shop assistant, "I want 10 Big Macs," recalled a waiter at McDonald' s at that time.

    1998—2008: Here Comes WTO

    For many Chinese, the year 2001 was very unforgettable. It marked the start of a new millennium(一千年) and led to a whole new era(时代) as China joined the World Trade Organization(WTO). From 2001 to 2017, China's average(平均) growth of the import(进口) of goods and services was more than twice the world's average.

    2008—2018：New Beginning

    Shanghai, a city of long-time business culture, is always a step ahead in China's foreign trade. With the successful hosting of China's first import expo(展览会) in November 2018, the city went on to develop China's import business. The expo will be remembered as a new beginning for China's import history.

    All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer(更喜欢) their tea plain, with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving(招待) tea called a tea ceremony(仪式) .It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "teatime".

    Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink "iced tea". Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

①Have you ever experienced a quiet carriage(车厢) while traveling by high- speed train in China? According to China State Railway Group, some high- speed trainlines, including the Beijing- Shanghai, Beijing- Guangzhou, and Chengdu- Chongqing lines, have introduced quiet carriage services. The service is popular among travelers and has become a hot topic on Weibo.

②  Passengersareabletochoosequietcarriageswhenbookingtrainticketson12306.  cn—the official train ticket booking system website. On the 12306 App, trains with quiet carriages will have a Chinese character"静" to remind passengers. If you want to buy a second- class ticket with quiet carriages, you can choose" Please first allocate(分配) a quiet carriage seat for me."

③Upon booking, a friendly reminder will pop up. Passengers in the quiet carriage are expected to follow these agreements, including using headphones when listening to music, turning mobile phones to silent mode, stepping out of the quiet carriage when making or receiving calls, and making sure children remain well- behaved.

④There are clear signs on the doors and walls of the quiet carriages. These remind everyone to keep silent. To further create a quiet environment, the voice announcements(通知) in the quiet carriage are lowered to 30% to 40% of the normal volume(音量).

⑤What's more, the staff on the train remind each passenger of the arrival information one- on- one. They also provide gentle reminders to the passengers, reminding them to keep a quiet environment within the quiet carriage. The meal service staff will also refrain from introducing products and services within the carriages. If passengers want to order food, they can conveniently scan(扫描) the QR code on the armrest of their seat, then the staff will quickly pick up the order and bring the food to them. The train also provides passengers with eye masks and earphones.

A new study shows that the early bird indeed gets the worm. According to the scientists, getting up just a little earlier than you usually would, could actually improve how you feel and your health. 

Scientists say we all have a so—called chronotype(睡眠类型) -a habit of when we go to sleep. The habit is partly determined (决定) through genetics(遗传). And that chronotype plays apart when it comes to our mental health. Science Daily writes that"… night owls(夜猫子) are as much as twice as likely to suffer from depression(抑郁症) as early risers, no matter how long they sleep. " So, how early do we have to get up to get the benefits According to the study, you only need to get up one hour earlier in order to reduce the risk of depression. You can achieve this by setting your alarm fifteen minutes earlier every day. It's as easy as that!

Bad news early risers the research doesn't mention anything about people who already get up pretty early. But if you usually don't get up before 8 a. m. , you might want to try and set your alar m a little earlier tomorrow morning. 

My name is Lucy Smith. Look at this photo of my family. This is my mother. She is nice and looks very young. She is an English teacher in a middle school. She is a hero(英雄) in my eyes. That man in a black jacket is my father. He is a driver. Look at this boy. He is my brother David. He likes UFOs. He has some models(模型) of

UFOs on his desk. My grandmother likes him very much. She is a nurse. She is very tidy. My grandfather is that old man in a brown jacket. He works in a middle school, too. He likes to play with my brother and me. Can you see me? I'm in the middle of the photo. I have a happy family.