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.

How to Break Bad Habits

You have lots of things you'd like to do. But sometimes it's hard to get to the finishing line — just like your goal. How can you break your bad habits and develop good ones? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are a few opinions we often get from kids, followed by ideas that might help.

I can't get away from screens.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you usually spend time lying on the sofa and watching TV programs or a video when you're bored, go somewhere else instead. Take a book to your room or your violin to the backyard. Or ask if you can help cook in the kitchen.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Start with "showing up". Then take one small step or do one tiny task, followed by another and another. For example, how do I practice the piano? First sit at it. Then play one note at a time. Starting with a very simple step often helps. Why? It's easy, quick, and gets you in action. Then keep taking steps.

I have no time.

Take a look at the choices you make about how you spend time. Do those choices show what's important to you? Can you spare 10 minutes a day to work on a goal? Let's suppose you want to be a singer. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Talk with a parent about why your goal counts. Discuss whether you can let go of (放开) something less important to spare time to achieve it.

Li Lei is always late for school. Please write down an idea to help him break the bad habit. (回答不多于8个单词)

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Bees are truly fascinating insects that we often see flying around gardens or woods. They move from one flower to another and might even come inside our homes. They make the skies of gardens or forests more beautiful. 

What does a bee look like? A bee has six legs and two sets of wings on each side of its body. Its body is divided into three parts: the head, thorax （胸部）, and abdomen （腹部）. Bees have two feelers on their heads called antennaeand two large eyes on each side. They come in different colors and shapes. 

Then, are all bees the same? No, they come in different colors and shapes, and there are many different kinds of bees. In Ireland, there are 101 different kinds of bees. However, only honey bees make honey that we eat, while other bees don't make honey at all. There is only one kind of honey bee that lives in Ireland. The places that honey bees live in are also different, including hives （蜂箱）, holes and even nests made from leaves. 

What does a bee eat? Bees feed themselves with nectar and pollen （花粉）, which they collect from flowers. Nectar, a sweet liquid （液体）found in flowers, serves as the primary energy source for bees. Honey bees use it to make honey. Meanwhile, yellow pollen sticks to the bees' hairy legs as they gather food. 

Why are bees important? While we enjoy honey as a sweet treat and beeswax （蜂蜡）for candlemaking, bees play a far more important role in our life. Besides, bees are very important to nature because they bring pollen from one plant to another on their hairy legs. Without the hardworking bees, the growth of fruits and crops would be seriously influenced, highlighting their special role in protecting our environment and farming. 

Cheetahs, the world's fastest animals, died out in India over 70 years ago. Now a new project is trying to bring cheetahs back to India. Eight of the animals were set free in Kuno National Park in September2022.

By 1952, cheetahs died out in this country. One of the main reasons was that people took away much of their natural land. Some people also killed Cheetahs for their skins.

Since 1952, there have been efforts(努 力) to return cheetahs to India. Recently, that finally happened. In an event held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 72nd birthday, eight cheetahs were set free. The cheetahs were a gift from Namibia's government.

These cheetahs aren't Asian cheetahs, but African cheetahs. There may be as few as 12 Asian cheetahs still living in the wild, and they live in Iran. But even African cheetah numbers have been going down quickly. Now there are only about 8,000 left. Some scientists believe that getting cheetahs going in India again will help make sure that cheetahs don't die out completely.

" Project Cheetah" will cost India about $11 million during the next five years. The goal(目标) is to increase the number of cheetahs to 40. A second group of 12 cheetahs was prepared by South Africa, and has arrived recently.

Running is good for you.

 Every day in newspapers and magazines there are articles telling us we should exercise more. And scientists now say that running is one of the best ways to keep fit. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some say it can even make you live longer. 

Get started!

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You don't need to buy special clothes but you should get a good pair of trainers. And remember - you should always buy trainers for running one size larger than your usual shoes. 

Make each day different!

 Some people find running boring, so go cycling or swimming instead sometimes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's very important to rest two or three times a week. You should eat well and drink lots of water but you can still have nice things like chocolate sometimes. Do some leg and stomach exercises, because this helps you run better. 

Enter a race!

 If you're a beginner, there are lots of ways to make exercise fun. You can join a group or you can exercise with a friend. Another idea is to enter a race. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

What else can you do to make exercise fun? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

My life at school is always wonderful. In the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} grade, my school life becomes more exciting. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} all the subjects I study, science is my favourite. We learned about a great invention that changed the way people travelled. In history classes, we talked about how cities grew and how {#blank#}3{#/blank#} people moved to them for work. After class, the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} school takes part in different activities. Some students play sports, while others enjoy {#blank#}5{#/blank#} meetings in clubs. The school offers us lots of new chances to have great fun.