B

    It was one o'clock in the morning when I at last succeeded in creating life.

    As I looked at the lifeless human being, I saw one eye slowly open. Then he began to breathe and move his arms. At first, I thought he would be a fine-looking man. He had yellow skin, black hair and very white teeth. Unluckily, his eyes were watery, and his lips were thin and colorless. I soon realized that there was nothing beautiful about him. I ran out of the room, disgusted (恶心) by the creature I had created. I tried to sleep, but for hours I could not. Then, when I did get to sleep, I had bad dreams. When I awoke the next morning, I did not want to return to my laboratory and the monster I had created. I went for a long walk until I came to an inn. There, to my pleasure and surprise, I found my friend, Henry Clerval. "Tell me about my family," I asked him. "And Elizabeth, How is she?"

    "They are all well, Frankenstein," he said. "But you do not look well, my friend. Your eyes look as if you have not slept for many weeks."

    I knew this was true. "I have been so busy," I explained, "that I have been working without rest." Henry walked back with me to my department. I did not want him to, but I could not stop him. I was afraid that the creature i had left there might be alive and walking about. When we reached my apartment, I asked Henry to wait outside for a few minutes. I did not explain why. I slowly opened the door and entered the room. To my surprise, it was empty. The creature had gone. I was so overcome by the feeling that I fainted. I was ill for many months.

    During my illness, Henry was my only nurse. He heard me talking in my sleep about a monster. At first, he thought I was just having a bad dream, but then he realized that something very bad happened in my life. At last, I began to get better.

Human activity is bringing big trouble to Mount Qomolangma. Both microplastics ( 微塑料)and climate (气候) change have a bad effect (影响) on the mountain, scientists say.

The highest mountain in the world is facing the problem of microplastics. A recent study found that the mountain is full of these plastics, which are usually less than 5 millimeters in size. They canbe found in many things, including the clothing, tents and ropes that are left behind by climbers.

Microplastics take thousands of years to break down ( 分解) on their own. They are already known for posing a danger to  sea animals. Now people are worried about Qomolangma, as themountain already suffers (遭受) from serious pollution.

Global warming is also affecting the mountain, as well as its climbers. Another study points out that the glaciers (冰川) around Qomolangma have thinned by nearly 100 meters since the 1960s. As the ice melts (融化), cracks (裂缝) in the ice are becoming deeper and more dangerous, bringing danger to those who try to climb the mountain, according to Global News.

Landslides (滑坡) are also becoming more probable. There are many parts of the mountain that are held together by just frozen rocks or permafrost (永久冻土), according to Professor Joseph Shea at the University of Northern British Columbia, Canada. When this permafrost melts, the risk of dangerous landslides goes up.

You must have read or heard of the sad love story between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. But can you imagine the two singing opera in English instead of speaking poetic Chinese?

Jia and Lin are two characters from the classic Chinese novel A Dream of Red Mansions (《红楼梦》), written by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763). Now the book has been made into an English-language opera. After being performed in San Francisco, US, the performance came to Beijing, Changsha and Wuhan in 2017. 

Many of the opera's creators have backgrounds in both Chinese and American cultures, including the director and playwrights (剧作家). Their understanding of both cultures helped them change a Chinese classic into a foreign-language opera. 

The book, which covers the rise and fall of the Jia family, has 120 chapters and hundreds of characters. But opera writer David Henry Hwang cut down the number of characters to just seven. Hwang, a Chinese-American, focused on the love story between Jia and Lin and tried to write a heartbreaking tragedy that everyone would understand. 

The art director Timmy Yip, from Hong Kong, tried to help foreign people understand the characters using costumes and stage settings. He compared Lin to water and gave her a light green costume. When Lin showed up on stage, there was usually water around her on the stage. 

The creators considered it to be a meaningful job to introduce a Chinese classic to Westen audiences. Hwang told China Daily he was happy to "have made a contribution to the land where my parents were born."

"May we all blessed with longevity. Though miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together (但愿人长久, 千里共婵娟)", wrote Su Shi, a poet during the Song Dynasty, in his well- known poem to his younger brother Su Zhe. 

The moon is at its brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (阴历). On this day, people celebrate Mid- Autumn Festival. 

In ancient China, that day was a harvest festival because crops (庄稼) were harvested during that period (时期). It was a time for relaxation and celebration. 

The Mid- Autumn has its own special food just as other traditional Chinese holidays. People eat moon cakes with fillings such as sugar and eggs. The round shape of the cake makes it look like the full moon. The full moon and moon cakes stand for family reunion (团聚). 

With the beautiful moon up in the sky, people sit together, enjoy the full moon, eat moon cakes and fruits, share the stories, and express the best wishes for the family members and friends who live far away. 

People in Taiwan province show their special love for night markets. Full of stalls (货摊) and shops, Taiwan night markets are popular among tourists and locals. Taiwan's most famous night market, Shilin Night Market, along Keelung River, has welcomed visitors since 1909 in Taipei.

There are many activities to do at Shilin Night Market. Walking into it, it's easy to get lots of street food to taste. However, there's more than food that people can enjoy. Here people can find all kinds of goods (商品) like handicrafts and fashionable clothing. Besides, there are cultural shows such as dragon dance. At the same time, people can easily find stalls for fun games like the shooting game.

The culture of many Asian cities is enjoyed in night markets. There are exciting night markets not only in Taiwan, but also in other Asian areas. At Hoi An Night Market in Vietnam, hundreds of silk lanterns are on to keep streets bright. In Singapore's Bugis Street Night Market, over 800 stalls are for selling beautiful and cheap clothes. Angkor Night Market in Cambodia is famous for local crafts like china bowls.

Over the years, the offerings have been enlarged from food to goods of all kinds in night markets. The colorful displays and loud music make night markets livelier. They help create(创造) an enjoyable atmosphere (氛围). So look around, why sit at home on an evening when you can have a ball at a night market in your city? Let's enjoy the pleasure from night markets!