How do you feel about your Chinese? Is it good or bad? If you think youare good at Chinese, you can take part in the competition named the “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition (中国汉字听写大会)”. The competition became popular among teenagers. Let's know something about it.

    More and more computers and smart phones are used by teenagers. They spend too much time onthe Internet in playing or chatting. They are used to sending messages by computers and smart phones. As a result, some teenagers forget how to writethe Chinese Characters by hand. The teachers and parents are very worried about it. What can they do?

    Not long ago, they found an interesting game called the Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. The program was similar to the American show “National Spelling Bee”. In this program, middle school students competed among themselves and wrote down the Chinese Characters by dictation. Over two hundred competitors were from forty-six middle schools. The audiences(观众) loved this new kind of competition, too. They tried to write down the Chinese Characters while the competitors were writing them. Butthey found it was also difficult for them to write down all the Chinese Characters.

    Is it an interesting competition? Can you be the winner?

    Maciek Czastka was born in Lodz, Poland. He came to China several years ago. So far, he has been working in Chengdu for three years.

    "TheBelt and Road Initiative(一带一路的倡议) is meaningful," he said. "Thanks to it, we are offered more chances." The most powerful support for Chengdu to thrive(兴盛) along the Belt and Road is the Chengdu-Europe express railway( 高速铁路). It provides direct train services between Chengdu and the city of Lodz.

    Because of the express railway, trains can bring things from China to Europe. At the same time, they can bring back European food, wine, meat and so on. In 2016, a total of 460 trains ran between Chengdu and Europe. The number is expected to grow to 1,000 this year.

    Since the Chengdu-Lodz express railway was opened, Chengdu, together with other cities in west China, has developed close trade ties with the European country. Poland is one of the largest apple producers in Europe. Czastka's company helps farmers in Poland sell their apples to China. More and more European products will be sent to China in the future.

The Belt and Road Initiative is meaning

    You may think that inventions are far away from your everyday life. But in fact, almost everyone can invent. It's just that they do not realize that their idea could be the start of an invention. Once inventors see their ideas have some practical value, they don't let them run away.

    For example, the inventors of the dishwasher, American Josephine Cochrane, loved to give dinner parties. But she found it took too long to wash her dishes by hand. She decided that a machine could do the job faster. So, in 1886, she began to make one for herself.

    Here are the steps to create inventions. The first and most important step is to find the problem. Start by looking at what is wrong with things you see now and ask people around if they remember ever saying, “I wish someone would invent something for...” Then you might notice situations(情况) or things in need of improvement. The next step is to think about possible solutions. An invention is a new way of solving a problem. So think of many and unusual ways. You can often come up with a solution to a problem by looking at it from a different side.

    The hardest part of inventing is coming up with a problem and finding a solution. Once you have an idea, you can always get help building your invention. This problem-solving technique can also work in your everyday lives. So, why not try it in your studies, in your relationship with others, or even in the way you look at the world?

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②What color is your bike? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}       B. I'm fine.

③Is this your book? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}             C. How do you do?

④IHow do you do? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}              D. It's yellow.

⑤Do you know Mike? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}           E. No, I don't.