What is DIY? Why do many people like it? Yang Chen works for a computer business in Beijing. He enjoys his work, but it is not easy for him to relax(放松) after work. One day when he saw many toy dogs in a toy shop, he had an idea. "Why not make them myself?" Then he began to make model planes, model ships and something else. He was interested in it because it brings him lots of fun and makes life colourful. So what is DIY? Yes, it is making or creating (创造) things by yourselves, with your own hands.

    It may take much time, but some people, now known as DIYers—do-it-yourselfers, enjoy doing it very much. They enjoy it because it is fun. And they also say it helps them save money, too. What's more, they think it is a good way to protect the environment (环境). It is a kind of green life. In fact, DIY is not a modern thing in China. Many people remember when it was once a way of life in the past. During the 1960s and 1970s, when there were not enough living things for people to live on, they had to use their own hands to do many things. If you wanted something, you had to do it yourself, and if you needed something, you made it yourself.

    Times have changed and DIY also has different meanings.

    People usually eat {#blank#}1{#/blank#} at Mid-Autumn Festival.  The special food for Lantern Festival is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} is on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year. The fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year is {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Mid-Autumn Festival is on {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of the eighth month of the lunar year.

    There has been a lot of talk about Chinese bicycle sharing recently. Shared bikes are nowadays becoming the centre of attention in our We Chat friend circle. Many of our friends post photos of themselves riding bikes, especially during the weekend in natural parks, and we can see people logging in and out of shared bike apps. But are people really drawn to(被....所吸引) the idea of exercise and green transportation all of a sudden?

    Some people have tried Mobikes lately, and they don't particularly like Mobikes. They think the first generation Mobikes, the ones without baskets, are designed for athletes. They are very hard to ride, and the seat is not adjustable(可调节的). Then, they tried the yellow ofo bikes. They are easier to ride than Mobikes, but they don't usually have baskets, and you need to enter the password by hand, instead of scanning a QR code and having the lock open automatically like with Mobikes.

    We appreciate that there are shared bikes on the roads. They have saved us a lot of time during emergency situations. And on beautiful, clear days, we do enjoy riding them outside the city. But from what we've seen in our friend circles, people have been giving them endless praises, while we still saw some obvious flaws (缺陷).

    In our experience, there has never been a unanimous(一致的) decision on anything in public opinion. It makes us wonder whether these people really like riding shared bikes or are just saying this to agree with others. When we asked them individually, a friend of us, Lisa, secretly told us she tried the bikes to fit in(融入朋友圈). She doesn't like bikes and finds city's roads too harsh for bike riding. But the only way to hang out with her friends was riding out of town together. To join in social activities, she had to pick up bike riding again. Another young man, Simon admitted that he started talking about and forwarding information(转发信息) on shared bikes to appear cool and fashionable to friends. He started paying attention when Mobikes firs launched(推出). These views will give us something new to think about when we ride these bikes again.

    Four ways to have a good school life

    Your schooldays should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you get the most from them and be sure you do not waste(浪费) this great chance to learn?

    Be active (积极的) at school

    Don't say things are difficult or boring. Take interest in school life and your school subjects. Join lots of activities. Put up your hands quickly in class. Go around the school with a big smile. If you are not working, you are wasting your time at school. Teachers cannot make everything enjoyable (令人愉快的).

    Keep fit

    If you do not eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class. If you go to bed late and do not have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play enough sports every day in order to keep your body strong.

    Face the problem

    Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get behind the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish the race if you rest all the time. Everyone fails some exams, loses some matches and has bad days. Don't make small problems seem very big and important. Don't forget to ask for help. You are young and no one thinks you must do everything quite well!

    Spend the weekends

    Don't waste time lying in bed on Saturday or Sunday morning. Go and play a sport, get together with friends in the park to relax, or learn to play the piano. If you don't want to go out, there are also a lot of things to do. You may read a book, practice English or help parents with housework. Follow our advice, and have a happy school life!