Bikes and cars are two important (重要的) things. Many Chinese people have cars now, but most Chinese people still like to ride bikes. Do you know why?

    We all know that the bike can't go quickly, but it's easy for people to buy and ride it. As for the car, it needs too much money.

    Most Americans live far from the center of cities or their working places. So they need cars to go shopping or go to work every day. Most Chinese people live near their working places, so they don't need cars to go to work. And it's good for the environment (环境) if people stop driving. That's why it is “No­Car Day” on September 22nd every year.

    For me, I like to go to school by bike. It is easy and healthy.

    Recently, a very simple question became widely spread online: What China should be proud of? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Lanlan, whose real name is Negar Kordi, is from Canada. She came to China five years ago and is a student at Ningbo University. Now she has 120,000 fans on the Internet and the number is still growing.

    Lanlan loves China and Chinese. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And that's why she is so well received among Chinese net friends. The following is China in her eyes.

    "It is the easiest country in which to find a job. If you are not too lazy, it is really very simple to find a job in China. I believe there're more job chances here than in any other country in the world. "

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}About 400 million Chinese are studying English. If they can speak good English in the future, China will have the greatest number of English speakers of any non-English speaking country. "

    "The speed of Chinese trains is fast. From Ningbo to Beijing, the train runs 1,365 kilometers for seven hours and the ticket fare is only 595 yuan. "

    "Its public security is great. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I have travelled in many countries, and I think China really is very safe. "

    "There are much more things China should be proud of. Many Chinese people often criticize(批评)China. At first, I believed that they didn't like China or that they loved western countries. But later, I realized that they just set a very high standard for China. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} China must be much better than other countries. "

    Paper cutting is one of the traditional folk arts in China. It is a kind of popular folk arts and has been popular for about 1, 500 years. Let's learn about paper cutting.

    Wonderful meanings

    Paper cutting has some wonderful meanings, In our mind, paper cuttings can always bring us happiness and good luck. At the Spring Festival, people put up "Fu "on doors or windows. At a wedding, people also put up "Xi".

    The largest paper cutting in the world

    The largest paper cutting was made by Guo Xiaodong. It has an area of about 456 square meters. It is as large as a basketball court.

    Why are most paper cuttings red?

    In old times, people respected the sun. Red is the color of the sun. We always regard red as the symbol of hope and good luck. Now, we can still see red everywhere in China. The walls of old palaces are red. Lanterns are red. Weddings are always full of red things, too.

    Black paper cutting in Shanzhou

    It's true that most paper cuttings are red. But paper cuttings in Shanzhou, Henan Province are black. Black is the best color there. Shanzhou is a dry place. The local people make black paper cuttings to wish for rain.

    When you are on vacation without your parents, it's easy to feel homesick(想家的). How can you have a great vacation without your parents? Here is some advice for you.

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    Try not to think about it too much. Find something interesting to do. If you are busy enough, you will not think of your parents too much.

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    Hearing your parents' voices(声音) will make you happy and forget all your worries. You can call them at night and talk about some interesting things with them.

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    Talking to your friends will make you feel better. You can meet many new friends when you're on vacation. Join them and enjoy yourself.

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    When you miss your parents at night, listen to some relaxing music or read a good book. I think these ways can help you feel better.

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    Take some photos of your vacation and show them to your parents when you get home, It will be fun to show them what a great time you have had.

    Have fun! Just enjoy your vacation, and know your parents will be waiting for you at home.

    On 19th September 1783, Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, sent the first hot air balloon. The passengers were three animals and the balloon stayed in the air for about 15 minutes before hitting back to the ground.

    The first manned(载人的) flight was about 2 months later, with a balloon made by 2 French brothers. The balloon flew for a period of 20 minutes.

    Sailing through the sky in the balloon, high above buildings and trees, you can't feel or hear the wind because you're traveling in the same direction and at the same speed as it is.

    A hot air balloon has three main parts: the balloon, called an envelope; a basket, where passengers ride; and a burner system, which supplies the hot air.

    Most balloon envelopes are made of strong, lightweight nylon(尼龙). They are different in size and shape, but they have to be really, really big to lift even one person. Most weigh more than an adult man.

    The basket is usually made of wicker(柳条), which is strong but not too hard. It needs to bend a bit for a soft landing, just like a good jumper bends her legs instead of keeping them straight when she lands.

    The hot air balloon works on the theory that hot air rises faster than cooler air. When the burner system is turned on, it makes a noisy sound, but once the balloon is flying, the burner can be turned off. The air in the envelope will then cool, and the balloon will slowly go down unless the pilot starts the burner system again.

    To control a hot air balloon, a pilot adds hot air to it to go up or lets the air out to go down until he finds a wind blowing in the direction he wants to fly. But no matter which way the wind blows, the passengers have an amazing bird's-eye view of the world.

Environmental protection is one of the hottest topics nowadays. It was also something that ancient Chinese paid great attention to. In fact, the world's earliest environmental protection idea, ministry （部门） and law were all born in China. How did the ancient Chinese protect the environment?

The world's earliest idea of "managing state affairs（政事）through environmental protection"

Xunzi, a famous thinker in the Warring States Period, came up with the idea of "managing state affairs through environmental protection". He wrote in his book that vegetation（植被）should be protected well by humans.

Guan Zhong, a government officer 400 years ahead of Xunzi, was also an environmental protection expert. He said "a king who cannot protect his vegetation is not doing a good job".

The world's earliest environmental protection ministry"

Nine ministries set up by Shim, an ancient Chinese emperor, included "Yu"（虞） , an environmental protection ministry. Hie first " Yu'' leader was Boyi, an environmental protection expert. He invented wells so people could drink clean water. He knew a lot about animals and also called for animal protection.

The world's earliest "environmental protection law"

Over 4, 000 years ago, Dayu, an ancient Chinese water-control expert and also an emperor, made a rule, not allowing people to cut down trees in March or catch fish in June, because it was the time when they grew quickly.

Almost 3,000 years ago, Tianlv, the first environmental protection law, appeared in Qin. It recorded many ancient environmental protection rules. Two of them were interesting: firstly, rivers should not be blocked（堵塞）; secondly, grass and trees should not be burned to be fertilizer （肥料）except for summer. The second one is inspiring even for today. It can help to keep air clean and fresh.

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