On Feb. 26th, 2020, when an Italian went to work with a mask to prevent COVID-19, his workmates thought he was "causing panic(恐慌)". You might wonder why the East and the West have different ideas about wearing masks.

In the West, people wear masks only when they get sick. People see masks as a tool(工具) to protect sick people and prevent the disease from spreading, so healthy people don't need to wear masks. Wearing masks in public easily makes them feel "worried" and "shy". They are "afraid of being looked at differently."

However, it's common in Asia. During the 2003 SARS epidemic, masks were widely used in China and East Asia. Many Chinese also like to wear masks to stay warm in winter or protect against air pollution.

In Japan, wearing masks shows your politeness when you get a cold or the flu. Some masks even have different colors and drawings. Young women may wear masks when they don't have their makeup on. Many pop stars in Asia also use masks to protect their privacy(隐私). This makes people in the East wear masks more often when epidemics break out(爆发).

But as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps on growing around the world, people in the West are changing. Many healthy people are starting to wear masks now to protect themselves.

Dancing is popular all over the world. People dance in theaters, in parks or in their own living room. But Yang Liu, a woman in Guizhou, dances in an unusual place. Her dancing place is a bamboo pole（竹竿）.

Yang is a performer of bamboo drifting（独竹漂）. It is a traditional skill（技术）in the girl's hometown. In the past, the local people were so poor that there were few bridges over the river for people to walk across. They crossed the rivers by riding on a bamboo pole. Now, bamboo drifting has become a folk sport.

Yang started to learn bamboo drifting at the age of seven. The bamboo pole is very slippery and it never stops moving. Yang fell into the water again and again. But the girl didn't want to give up. She always got back up on the pole and tried again. She practiced hard every day for three years. Finally, she was able to keep her balance on the pole.

But Yang didn't just stop there. She wanted to live out her dream of becoming a dancer on a bamboo pole. The girl practiced many difficult movements on the pole. She failed lots of times, but she never stopped trying.

Her hard work finally paid off. Now 26, Yang has made a name for herself as a dancer on a bamboo pole. People can't believe their eyes whenever they watch her performances. Through Yang's dances, many people now know about bamboo drifting. They have learned the beauty of this traditional skill.

One day, a father is doing some work when his son comes and asks,"Dad, can I ask you a question? How much do you make an hour?"

His father gets a bit bored and answers,"Why do you ask such a thing?" The boy says, "I just want to know. Please tell me." His father then says that he makes about $50 an hour.

"Oh, that's too much!"the little boy answers with his head down. Looking up, he says,"Dad, can I please borrow $30?" The father gets angry and says, "That's why you ask about my pay? If you want to borrow some money to buy a boring toy, then you'd better go back to your room. I work hard every day and I do not like such a thing."

 ▲After about an hour or so, the man calms

down. He goes to the boy's room and opens the door."Are you sleeping, son?"he asks. "No, Dad,"the boy answers. "I am thinking—maybe I am too hard on you earlier," his father says. "Here's the $30 you want."

The little boy sits up with a smile. Then, he takes out $20 from his schoolbag, and looks up at his father. He says,"Dad, I have $50 now. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

With no words, the father's eyes turn red.

Have you ever been to Thailand(泰国)? It is a country in Southeast Asia. I've been in Thailand for a few days with my parents. We are here for a holiday. 

Now we are staying in Bangkok. It is the capital of Thailand and it is a very interesting place to visit. Yesterday we visited some places of interest in the city. They were great!①今天早上，我们去购物。Bangkok was a wonderful place to shop for jewelry（珠宝）and clothes. My mother bought some beautiful dresses. My father and I bought some fashionable T-shirts. 

Thailand is called "Land of Smiles" because people here are very friendly. And it's true! When we eat in the restaurants in Bangkok, the waiters are really nice and they are always smiling.②Thai food is delicious, but it is a little spicy（辛辣的）for me. You can also get Chinese food here because a lot of Chinese people came to live in Bangkok many years ago. Chinese food is very good, and it isn't as spicy as Thai food. American food can also be found in Bangkok. 

Hello, friends! My name is Susan. I'm twelve years old and I live in Alton. I would like to talk about my future ideas. When I grow up, I want to be a vet(兽医). Because I like animals. I have two cats, one dog and some fish at home. They are very cute. My favorite TV show is about nature. I often go to the zoo with my parents. There's a museum of nature near my home. I go there every weekend. 

When I leave school, I think I'll go to university and I'll learn how to look after animals. Later I think I'll work at a zoo. I don't want to get married(结婚) too soon, so I think I'll wait until I'm thirty. I don't want to be rich or famous, but I want to be happy. I hope my husband will be a friendly and handsome man. I hope I'll have two lovely girls, too. 

I think that the world will be hardly the same. Most of us will probably drive electric(电动的) cars and there will be very smart robots in our life. I think I'll live in a big city. 

I think life will be easier and people will live longer. We'll care more about nature and animals. 

What about you? What are your plans and predictions for the future?