Giraffes are beautiful, smart and friendly. They have long legs and necks (脖子). They are so tall that they can grow up over 5 meters (米). So how do they sleep or drink?

    You may think it's difficult for them to sleep, but they have no such problems because giraffes don't often stop for a sleep. Giraffes just need to sleep about thirty minutes a day. When they sleep, they don't always lie down (躺下). They usually sleep for minutes at a time, because it's difficult for them to get up again. And it's a great danger to sleep in the wild (荒野). But the giraffes in the zoo sleep for about 4-6 hours every day. They usually lie down when they sleep.

    Drinking water is a big problem for giraffes because their long necks are too "short". To drink water, they must spread (伸展) their front legs in a difficult way. And in this way, other animals like Africa's big cats can easily hunt (猎食) them. So they usually get most of their water from the trees and flowers. Giraffes don't need to drink water very often. They can even drink no water for months!

    As is known to all of us, Beijing Opera is one of the most important opera styles in China. It is an art on the stage which has about 200 years' history. It is not only a treasure of the Chinese nation but also a cultural symbol of China. Similar to western operas, Beijing Opera is a combination of singing, dancing, martial arts, music and literature, so it is also called the "Oriental (东方的) Opera" by western people.

    Beijing Opera uses special imagery in creating the characters. All roles are divided according to sex, personality, age and profession and social status. Hangdang is the general term for role in Beijing Opera. There are four types of roles in Beijing Opera today. They are sheng, dan, jing and chou. The sheng is the male protagonist (主角), the dan the female protagonist, the jing (painted face) a male supporting role with a different characteristics, and chou (clown) a comic or negative figure. Each kind of role has their own face-painting and dressing to indicate their identities.

    The Opera's performance requires not only the gentle voice but also the proficiency (熟练) of martial actions. A successful opera actor must suffer from the tough practicing period. In the old time, the children of poor families were sent to the opera group in order to earn a living. While now, the real opera artists are well respected by opera lovers.

    Mei Lanfang, one of the most remarkable performing artists in Beijing Opera, was born in Beijing into a poor family. His life was bitter and he had no opportunity to go to school, so he went to the troupe (戏班子) when he was 8 years old to learn Beijing Opera. Mr. Mei was on the stage when he was 11 years old to perform the plays of Beijing Opera. He has been an opera actor for more than 50 years, performing hundreds of traditional plays and over 30 modern plays. He portrayed many bright and lifelike female figures on the stage and became the model in Chinese Beijing Opera and even within the entire artistic circle.

①Reading is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons. 

②First, reading is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if you like reading. You will never feel bored or tired. 

③Second, you can read a book almost anywhere: in a car, on a plane, or even in the bathroom. All you need is a book. 

④Third, reading is useful. It's also a good reason. If you take reading as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. And you will read faster and find it easier to understand what you read. As your reading skills improve, you will probably find your schoolwork becomes much better. 

⑤Some people say that reading is out of date. This is not true. You can read books online by using computers or mobile apps. Good readers may become writers. They always have more things to write about. 

⑥Reading is a wonderful hobby. Why not start reading right now? 

  What do children think about when Christmas comes? Many children around the world think about holidays, Christmas 1 under the Christmas tree and the special time with the family. They also think about a big Christmas dinner and 2 carols(圣诞颂歌). When Christmas comes, children decorate(装饰) their 3  with their parents and grandparents. They 4 a Christmas tree with lights, colored balls and many other beautiful things. Many children make their own decorations at school and are very 5 to put them up at home for the whole family to enjoy. 

  People usually 6 Christmas cards from their friends and family near and far. The fridge is always filled 7 pies, fruits and chocolates. A day or two before Christmas, the turkey appears in the fridge. People will cook turkey for Christmas dinner. 

When Christmas comes, we should also remember the 8 and homeless people. We can buy or make presents for the poor people. Why do parents 9 their children to do that? It's because they want to try to 10 their children that it is better to give than to receive. 

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to build a Silk Road Economic Belt (经济带) and a 21st Century Maritime (海上) Silk Road, which became known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, "一带一路"倡议). The BRI has brought cultures together for over ten years. As the BRI continues to bring the world together, young people from the Belt and Road countries can see how it continues to develop and have a deeper understanding of it. We did a survey of 125 Chinese students. The following survey is about BRI in the eyes of the students. The diagrams (图表) below show the results.

Diagram Ⅰ DiagramⅡ

Diagram Ⅲ Diagram Ⅳ

Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, nearly 50% of people are shy, and almost 80% feel shy at some point in their lives. Why are people 1 ?

It is found that family size might 2 people to be shy. Children with no brothers and sisters may be shy. Growing up 3 , they often play by themselves. They are not able to develop the same social skills as children from big 4 . 

Another cause of shyness could be 5 . As more and more people use the Internet, they 6 less time outside, talking to people. As a result, they lose practice at conversation. 7 to new people face to face can make them feel nervous.

For shy people, it can be 8 to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can 9 your shyness. They suggest trying 10 things and practicing conversation. 

Anyway, don't be afraid of shyness—you are valued for what you are!