Now apps play an important role in our lives. Here are some popular apps.

Several years ago, the United Nations（the UN）issued（发行） a set of stamps celebrating poetry（诗歌）from around the world. The purpose was to show the important role poetry plays in shaping a nation's culture. For the Chinese stamp, the organization chose Li Bai's Thoughts on a Tranquil Night. For me, it was the perfect choice. I was moved by the feelings that everyone in the world could share: loneliness, homesickness and admiration for beauty and the wonders of nature. 

That poem was written more than 1, 300 years ago during the Tang dynasty. There were so many poets at that time. Li Bai seemed to be friends with most of them, including Gao Shi, Du Fu, Wang Changling and Meng Haoran. Those of you who have watched the film Chang'an probably know that, although being separated, these men knew each other's work and always tried to keep in touch. And, in a sense, they felt connected by a common goal—to do something useful for their country. 

Culture does serve the nation. It is the foundation（基础）on which a nation is built. It provides a nation with its values and spirits. The Chinese appreciate beauty, truth and goodness in their own culture as well as in other cultures. If they had lived during the same era, I believe that Li Bai and Shakespeare would have liked each other's poems. I can imagine them drinking, reading and talking about their poems. Shakespeare would have said, "Ah, yours is a lovely culture. I hope it lasts forever." And Li Bai would've said, "My wish for your culture is the same."

I found it hard to communicate with my mother. Relations between us became difficult. 

One day I ran away from home and stayed outside for a few hours. When I returned home at night, I saw all the pain, anger and disappointment on my mother's face. We knew that we were in great need of talk. We agreed to havebreakfast together the next morning. In the end, we decided to go to a restaurant.

On our way to the restaurant, I noticed my mother had two notebooks in her hands. I asked her what they were used for. She explained to me that sometimes it was easier to write our own feelings than talking about them. We should write down our feelings.

Our first topic was"Why am I so angry?" I wrote a half page, and my mom filled up nearly three pages. I saw the tears run down her face while she was writing. I never realized anyone could hide so much anger. After we finished writing, we exchanged our notebooks. As soon as I started reading my mother's words. I began to cry and so did she. When we finished reading, we discussed our feelings. Finally, it felt like all the anger inside me went away from my body. Our talk helped me realize so many things I had never thought of before, not only about my mother but also about other people.

My mother and I continue using our notebooks as a way of communicating. We know that no matter how we feel about each other, our notebooks are a safe place to express our feelings. We have come to an agreement that we write"I love you" at the end of each other.

A: Hi, Emily. Nice to meet you.

B: Nice to meet you, too. Your city looks very nice in winter.

A: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And many people come to our city to play in the snow every year.

B: Winter is a good time to have fun. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}?

A: Yes, I do. I like winter very much. Winter is a time for festivals, too.

B: Oh, I love festivals.

A: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}?

B: New Year's Day. It's a time for me and my family to have fun. What about you?

A: My favorite festival is Jilin Snow Expo（雪博会）.

B: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}?

A: Because there are many interesting things about ice and snow.

B: That sounds great!

A: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}?

B: Sure. Let's go then. I´m expecting the interesting things.

 Welcome to life in the future! You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. You' ve recently had a new anti-aging(抗衰老) treatment, so you look like a 30-year-old. And many people your age could live to be 120 now, so--at 60--you' re not old at all.

 Science has also found amazing ways to keep people healthy. Nanotechnology(纳米技术) can help cure(治愈) many illnesses, including cancer(癌症). And if any part of your body is unhealthy, you can"grow" a new one in a laboratory(实验室).

As you get dressed, you say to your shirt, "Turn red." It becomes red. In 2045, "smart" clothes contain nanoparticles(纳米粒子) that carry electricity. So you can program clothes to change colors or patterns.

 On the way to the kitchen, you want to call a friend. Your cell phone is by the window because it gets its energy from the sun. But you don't need to pick up the phone. You can just touch your jacket sleeve(袖子) to make the call.

 It's breakfast time. You reach for the milk, but a voice says, "Don't drink that!" Your fridge knows the milk is old and tells the supermarket to replace it. Ten minutes later, it's delivered by a drone(无人机).

 As you leave for work, the lights turn off by themselves. Your home goes into"sleep" mode to save energv. In 2045, cars drive themsclves, so you just tell your driverless car where you want to go.

 Will all this come true? Perhaps the future is much closer than we think.

Most studies show that many animals can feel the weather changes. Here are some interesting things about animals. 

The world of animals is very amazing. Sometimes you can not explain why they can tell the weather before the weather report. If you want to know more about them, you can read more articles about science on School Science Magazine.