What is DIY? Why do many people like it? Yang Chen works for a computer business in Beijing. He enjoys his work, but it is not easy for him to relax(放松) after work. One day when he saw many toy dogs in a toy shop, he had an idea. "Why not make them myself?" Then he began to make model planes, model ships and something else. He was interested in it because it brings him lots of fun and makes life colourful. So what is DIY? Yes, it is making or creating (创造) things by yourselves, with your own hands.

    It may take much time, but some people, now known as DIYers—do-it-yourselfers, enjoy doing it very much. They enjoy it because it is fun. And they also say it helps them save money, too. What's more, they think it is a good way to protect the environment (环境). It is a kind of green life. In fact, DIY is not a modern thing in China. Many people remember when it was once a way of life in the past. During the 1960s and 1970s, when there were not enough living things for people to live on, they had to use their own hands to do many things. If you wanted something, you had to do it yourself, and if you needed something, you made it yourself.

    Times have changed and DIY also has different meanings.

    Zhou Yan, a Junior 3 students in Taiyuan, wishes he never got a mobile phone. Last week he went to see a doctor because his arms and fingers were in great pain, and he could not see very well. The doctor told him that he had "mobile phone disease". A growing number of teenagers(青少年) are getting "mobile phone disease" because more and more people are using mobile phones.

    Zhou got his mobile phone only five months ago. His mum bought it for him to use when he was out. But Zhou used it to send messages to his friends. He sent messages to them all the time, even after going to bed, Zhou started to do badly in the exams because he spent so much time playing with his mobile phone. His mum got very angry with him but Zhou Yan didn't stop playing with the mobile phone until his arms started to hurt, Yang Ling, a doctor, says that if someone uses his mobile phone too much, like Zhou Yan, he might get "mobile phone disease".

    If teenagers find their arms or fingers hurt, they should go to see a doctor as soon as possible. Yang Ling suggests teenagers should try to use their mobile phones less, especially at school. They should try to have fun in other ways, such as reading and doing sports.

Information Card

Repair or Replace?(你会如何处理家用电器)

A much-used home appliance suddenly stops working. You look at it 1 :Should I repair it or replace(替换) it?

It's a hard question that almost every family has faced. There are so many things to consider, from the cost to the effects. But you may not have much time to make a decision—just imagine living without a(n) 2 on a hot summer's day.

In a recent {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 3 , more than 95 percent of the 11,350 participants( 参 与者) chose to repair a broken appliance. Only three percent chose to replace the appliance. Which decision was the smarter?

From my point of view, one great way of looking at the problem is to work out the current(当 前的) value of your appliance. When you 4 a new home appliance, write down its cost and the number of years you expect it to last. Divide the cost by the number of years. This will tell you how much value the appliance 5 each year. When the appliance breaks down, you can quickly work out its current value. If a repair costs more than the appliance's current value, you should replace the appliance. Otherwise, you may consider having it repaired.

According to the theory, if a washing machine breaks down when it is eight years old, you should replace it. For fridges and ovens, that number is nine.

What do you think of my {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 6 ? How do you decide whether to repair or replace a broken appliance?

With the two sessions （两会） opening in Beijing, it is time for Chinese to discuss big things happening in the country. What are the most important things when it comes to running a country? We interviewed some students at home and abroad to share their ideas. 

For more information about the two sessions, visit the website http://www. people, com. cn/.