Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, has drawn extensive attention from people both at home and abroad for her charisma and grace. Accompanying her husband on his first overseas trip after becoming president, Peng Liyuan exhibited graceful demeanor, a pleasant personality and well-chosen dress, prompting people to coin the term “Liyuan style”.

Peng Liyuan, as one of China's best-known singers, was popular among Chinese people long before her husband became the president. Loved by her fans, she has been in touch with the people for years.

    “Liyuan style” is not only representative of a fashion idol, but also overpass cultural and diplomatic barriers. The beautiful handbags Peng has carried, and the plain but elegant and delicate dresses she has worn have become popular. Her choice of clothing, made-in-China instead of luxurious foreign brands, shows her belief in domestic dress designs.

But “Liyuan style” is not only about clothing and a woman's paraphernalia. It is also about diplomacy and promoting China's soft power. In Moscow, Peng visited a boarding school for orphans and children estranged (疏远) from their parents, encouraging them to strive for a better life, which brought out the maternal side of her character. In Tanzania, she donated sewing machines and school bags to women and children. And as a World Health Organization ambassador in the fight against AIDS, Peng is devoted to many public causes, including those relating to charity and healthcare.

    Some observers have already started saying that Peng's activities have become part of public diplomacy in China.

Also, “Liyuan style” has boosted the confidence of the Chinese people. Modem but not flashy, elegant but not arrogant, Peng has all the virtues of a Chinese woman and carries them to the international stage.

Since the 18th Party Congress and the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC, the country's new leadership has vowed to adopt a down-to-earth work style to connect with the people. Peng's plain but elegant style shows that thriftiness and an earthy style need not be drab and boring.

    So it can be said that Peng's first appearance on the international stage has kicked off well.

    Emily and her boyfriend had just had a fight. She felt alone and hopeless. Then she went into the kitchen and grabbed what she needed before going back up to her room quietly. She switched on the TV and started eating…and eating…for hours, until it was all gone.

     What Emily didn't know at the time was that she was suffering from an illness called binge-eating disorder(BED)(暴饮暴食).

    For years, Emily didn't tell anyone what she was doing. She felt ashamed, alone, and out of control. Why don't famous people confess (承认) to BED, as they do to anorexia? It's simple: There's a stigma（污名）involved. “Overeating is seen as very bad, but dieting to be skinny is seen as positive and even associated with determination," says Charles Sophy, a doctor in Beverly Hills , California.

    "Some parents or friends may look at a teen with BED and think, 'Oh, a good diet and some will-power will do the trick.' But that's not true," says Dr.Ovidio Bermudez , a baby doctor at the Eating Recovery Center in Denver. "Eating disorders are real physical and mental health issues; it's not about willpower." The focus in treating BED shouldn't be on weight, because as with all eating disorders, the behaviors with food are a symptom of something deeper.

    Like most other diseases, genetics may play a big part in who gets BED and who doesn't. If you have a close relative with an eating disorder, that means you're more likely to develop an eating disorder of your own.

    Besides, many people with BED have tried at some point or another to control it by going on a diet, but paying more attention to food doesn't help. And it might even make things worse, like it did for Carla, who's 15 now and is recovering from BED. "My parents would always tease me about my weight, so when I was 14, I went on a very restrictive diet," she says. When you can't have something, you only want it more, so every time Carla would have a bite of something that wasn't allowed on her strict diet. She would quickly lose control and binge (狂欢).

    Julian Beever is a well-known British artist. His drawings have appeared on the streets of London, Paris, Tokyo, New York and many other cities around the world. Beever creates what looks like a three-dimensional design (三维设计). From animals to heroes to buildings, the paintings are wonders for our eyes to see.

    In his book Pavement Chalk Artist, Beever shares some of his most attractive and humorous pieces. Here are the examples you will find in the book.

    Philadelphia Eagle, created in the USA, is a huge drawing with an eagle (鹰) landing on an American national flag. Meeting Mr. Frog was created in Spain and is about a realistic- looking (样子逼真的) frog sitting on a lily pad (睡莲叶子). Swimming Pool in the High Street is about a woman relaxing in a swimming pool sinking into the middle of the street.

    Along with an introduction about his background, Beever shares information about his time at home in the UK and abroad. With a fun story coming after each piece of art, this 112- page book is really worth another look.

Best Inventions

    Sun Power

    People who buy solar panels (嵌板）for their home hope to help the environment and save some money. But they end up with large metal boxes on their roof. Tesla, a car company, solved the problem. The solution is the Solar Roof. It is a series of tiles (瓦) made to look like traditional roofing material while using the power of the sun. Tesla developed it with SolarCity, a longtime provider of solar panels. It is now available to the public.

    Talking Tech

    Echo gives users the ability to talk to their tech. Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana do that too. But in many ways，Amazon's version，Alexa, which is built into Echo，is more powerful. Alexa has grown since it was put on the market in 2014, and today, you can use it to turn on the lights, order a pizza, and more. Echo costs $ 180. Amazon recently developed a junior version, the $ 50 Echo Dot.

    Spin and Roll

    Goodyear is reinventing the wheel. It introduced its Eagle 360 spherical tire (球形轮胎) in March, 2016. The tires allow cars to move in many directions, including sideways, and at angles to handle slippery surfaces. The key is magnetic levitation (磁悬浮). Tires are fixed to cars, but Eagle 360s float beneath them. They're meant for self-driving cars of tomorrow.

    Cycle Safety

    Jeff Woolf had a serious bike crash. If he hadn't been wearing his helmet, he would have been badly hurt. He wondered why so many riders didn't wear helmets. That turns out it was mostly because helmets were big and hard to carry around. Woolf, an engineer, came up with Morpher. The helmet is made from interwoven plastics (交错编织的塑料). It is strong, but it's also flexible enough to fold almost totally flat. That makes it easy to carry. Morpher is priced at $ 119.

    Every day millions of letters go from one country to another. Letters mailed in Italy are received in Japan. Letters mailed in Canada are received in Africa. On the letters there are many different kinds of stamps, bought in different countries.

    The Universal Postal Union helps each letter get to the right place as quickly as possible. It sets up rules about the size and weight of letters, postcards, and small packages. It has rules that all countries must follow about international postal rates.

    On hundred years ago international mail did not move so smoothly. One country did not always accept another country's letters. Letters from some countries were too large to fit into the mailboxes of other countries. Letters traveled by many different routes. Some were lost along the way.

    Sometimes the person who sent the letter could pay only part of the postage. The person receiving the letter had to pay the rest.

    Although not as much as in the past, grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo (纳瓦霍人) youth. They make young people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising the children or at least having a big part in raising them.

    Young children often stay with their grandparents for years at a time developing a close and trusting relationship. The grandparents teach the children Navajo legends and the principle of life, emphasizing both new culture trends and the preservation of traditions.

    The grandparents are also often the leading figures in teaching the youth the arts of weaving, caring for the livestock, using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts.

    The children are taught to respect their elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their elders and to keep as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social gatherings and traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn more about their culture and traditions.

    I live with my grandmother for thirteen years, and she raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to school, she taught me as much as she could about our traditions. She was a beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings, expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.

    We used to plant corn and pumpkin every summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I asked my grandmother why. She said, "Grandson, our plants will be far more beautiful than the flowers outside the fence." I did not understand until one day I saw their beauty as I was coming over the hill with her. She said, "Anything that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than the things which you pass by." We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of me and I am a part of her.

    Children used to be well disciplined, possessing more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than they do now. The world of the Navajo has been influenced by the western world, and the grandparents have less control and influence than they used to. But the young people who have been touched by their teachings have glimpsed a way of life beyond what most people know today.