Stop Phubbing (别当低头族)

Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student was shot in subway in San Francisco, the U.S. The surveillance(监控) video showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out the gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their mobile phones.

We may see the same scene everywhere in the life: in subway, restaurants. Elevators, roads, people are watching their mobile phones. From family reunion to date with a friend, people can't stop checking their WeChat, Facebook on the mobile phone and snubbing(无视) the persons in front completely. Not only the young people, but also the olds and the kids.

“Phubbing” is a new word which comes from the words “phone” and “snub”. It means the habit of snubbing someone in favor of(只顾着) a mobile phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. So we can see phubbing is spreading globlly.

Phubbing seems innocuous(无害的); however, it disturbs our life. Stop posting photos. Let's put down the mobile phone and enjoy the real taste of food and the warmth of interpersonal(人与人之间) communication.

Information Card

    The Chinese are very generous with money when it comes to educating their children. Some parents send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the US or Australia, regardless(不管) of how much this costs.  Many also want their children to take after-school activities where they either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is, so parents often spend a great deal of money on education. Even poor parents buy a computer for their son or daughter.

    However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents should know their children's different skills.  They will usually be good in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children lack(缺乏) confidence.

    The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take tests and how to study well. They are not teaching them the most important skills that can be helpful to their growth. These skills can also build their confidence.

    Parents can help achieve this by teaching their children practical skills like cooking, sewing and other housework.

    Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking needs patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give a child a lot of satisfaction and confidence.

    An old machine, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child as a toy may make him curious. If he spends hours looking at it, and trying to mend it, your child might become an engineer when he grows up. It is better to do such than teach a child to read a book. These activities can teach them  to think, and to use their minds.

    How Chinese parents should {#blank#}1{#/blank#} their children

Summer holidays are coming soon. Are you going to travel? If you plan to take a plane, you will have a healthy trip by following these suggestions:

    Liu Wei is very famous in China because he can play the piano with his toes(脚趾).

    One day when Liu Wei was only 10 years old, he played a game with some friends. He lost both his arms because of electricity (电). Liu Wei was very sad when both his arms were cut off after the accident. But soon he had to make a choice. “For people like me, there were only two choices. One was to give up all the dreams which would cause a quick death. The other was to work hard without arms to live an excellent life.” says Liu Wei.

    Liu's dream was to be a pianist. His excellent life included a show on China's Got Talent(中国达人秀) and a wonderful performance playing the beautiful Marriage D'amour with his two feet on the piano. Liu Wei learned to play the piano with his feet. And teaching himself to play the piano with his feet was very hard. Many times he wanted to give it up, but his parents went on encouraging him and he wanted to make his parents proud.

    Maybe you can not believe that Liu Wei is able to play well only with his toes. The audience(观众) were deeply moved and very excited when they watched his performance.

    On April 26,2017,China's homemade aircraft carrier(航空母舰) hit the water in Dalian,Liaoning.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So the whole world has paid much attention to it.

    The new ship is China's second aircraft carrier and it has no name yet. China's first carrier is Liaoning, which was bought from Ukraine(乌克兰) and later rebuilt by China. The new carrier was designed(设计) in China and the building began in 2013.It is about 315 meters long and 75 meters wide.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The ship must be completed at sea, which will take several years.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It can carry planes and soldiers to war. Planes fly from and land back on it, and soldiers work and live on it. Thanks to carriers, planes can take off and land from anywhere in the ocean around the world.

    But an aircraft carrier is very hard and expensive to build{#blank#}4{#/blank#} it is said that a basic aircraft carrier is made of 60,000 tons of steel! It also uses different technologies. Finally, it takes years to build.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When the new carrier is completed, China will become the seventh country in the world that can build an aircraft by itself, after the US, Russia, UK, France, Italy and Spain.

    There is no doubt that China is becoming much stronger. All Chinese are proud of the progress.

阅读短文，将下列五个句子还原到文章横线处。

A. That is a little larger than three soccer fields.

B. An aircraft carrier is like an airport on the sea.

C. It is the largest and best ship China has ever built.

D. It costs a lot of money and needs a large amount of steel.

E. Today, not many countries own an aircraft carrier or have the ability to build one

    In the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon, there are more than 1 million refugees (难民). Youssef was 10 years old when a local Syrian musician discovered his talent: a deep, powerful voice-well-suited to traditional songs. However, Syria's civil war took place soon. He and his family lost their home.

    When the Action for Hope Music School announced that it was looking for talented children to train, his family encouraged him to attend the school. A year and a half later, Youssef, with another 11 children, was chosen to take part in a concert.

    Youssef, a shy boy, was a lead singer in the concert. He gave a confident performance of traditional Syrian songs. "We only heard the sound of a mortar(迫击炮）. It fell near us. A whole building came down. That is all I remember," said Youssef. "Music makes me forget everything. Music is the most important thing."

    Basma, director of Action for Hope, said," The music school offers children who suffer from the war strength (力量). They can find a good way to express themselves and stop thinking of themselves as refugees."

    "Art gives strength. It comes from the ability to create," Basma said, "People who are in difficult conditions need this strength much more than the rich."