On December 14，2017，we were sorry to hear that Yu Guangzhong, a famous poet died of illness in Taiwan. He was born in Nanjing in 1928. His mother's hometown is in Wujin，Changzhou. So he called himself a southern person.

    Later, he went to Taiwan. In 1952 he graduated from Taiwan University. Then he graduated from University of LOWA in 1959. He taught at Soochow University, Normal University, Taiwan University , and Chengchi University. He got a lot of prizes in literature(文学)，such as.Wu San lien Literature Prize, China Times Award, Golden Tripod，National Arts Award and all the major(主要的)Awards in Taiwan. He is famous both in Taiwan and in Mainland.

    He was in Taiwan, but he always missed his hometown in Mainland. In one of his poems Nostalgia(乡愁) ，he showed his feeling of homesickness. Let's enjoy his famous poem Nostalgia.

Nostalgia

When I was young，                   But later on,

Nostalgia was a tiny, tiny stamp.          Nostalgia was a low，low  grave.

Me on this side，                      Me on this side，

Mother on the other side.                And my mother ;inside.

When I grew up，                     And at present，

Nostalgia was a narrow boat ticket.        Nostalgia becomes a shallow strait.

Me on this side，                      Me on this side，

Bride on the other side.                  Mainland on the other side.

    What's going to happen in the future? Will robots control our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen in 10 to 30 years from now, according to the BBC.

Digital money

    We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we use a credit card(信用卡) to shop online, money is spent without us seeing it. That means we are already using digital money. Using a card is much easier than searching our pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.

    When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it's hard to live without them. It's reported that Sweden will first completely stopped using cash, and the US might be next.

Bionic(仿生的) eyes

    It's no longer something only in a science fiction movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.

    A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to "see" the environment and send data (数据) to the mind. Now the bionic eyes only allow patients to see lights and unclear shapes.

Self-driving cars

    Unlike a human driver, a self-driving car won't get distracted(分神) by phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors(传感器) and cameras on the car would allow it to reduce me number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself. In the future, driverless cars would be widely accepted.

    Do you know He Jiong? Lots of young people in our country know him and the programme Happy Camp.

    He Jiong was born in 1974. When He Jiong was in the high school, he was famous as a radio host(主持人). In 1990, he worked for Hunan Economy(经济) Radio. He began to study in Beijing Foreign Language University in 1992. After graduation in 1997, he worked in the university as a teacher. In 1998, he began to host a programme on Hunan TV. It's called Happy Camp. Stars from all over the country come to this programme. They tell their stories or play games with the viewers(观众). The programme is so popular that it wins many prizes.

    More than 2,000 years ago, a favourite wife of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty died of illness. The emperor missed her so much that he didn't want to do anything. One day, a minister (大臣) saw children playing with dolls. The shadows on the floor were interesting. The smart minister had an idea.  He made a puppet of the favourite wife and painted it. As night fell, he asked the emperor to watch a puppet show behind a curtain. The emperor was very happy and became interested in it. In this way, puppet shows began.

    Shadow puppets were first made of paper, later from the hides of donkeys (驴皮). That's why their Chinese name is "pi ying". Shadow puppet plays were very popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties in many parts of China.

    Today, shadow puppet plays face extinction like other traditional art forms such as Nuo Drama. We should do something to protect them. Shadow puppet plays in Shaanxi are the most famous. The Academy Gate Cultural Street in Xi'an is a wonderful place for you to choose shadow puppets. Here you can choose from hundreds of figures (人物) in different sizes and poses(姿势).

    Dad was walking around the house seriously. He walked here and there in a hurry. He needed his glasses so he could read the newspaper. He likes reading. But he could not remember where he had put his glasses.

    First, Dad looked in the bedroom. He looked on the bed and under the bed. Next, Dad opened the closet. He looked in the pockets of his brown coat. He even looked inside his winter boots. Then Dad went outside to the car. He looked on the seats of the car. He searched under the car seats, too. Dad came back inside. He walked into the living room and looked around. Then he sighed loudly.

    Mom and Wendy were sitting there, and they heard Dad sigh. "What's wrong?" asked Mom. "I've looked everywhere for my glasses, but I can't find them," he said. Wendy and Mom looked at Dad. Then they smiled at each other. Dad was always losing his glasses, but this time they were not lost. Mom and Wendy knew just where they were. "Maybe Mom and I can help you," said Wendy. "That would be great," said Dad. "I've looked in the bedroom, in the closet, and in the car. I don't know where else to look."

    Now Mom and Wendy started to laugh. Dad looked surprised. "What's so funny?" he asked. When Dad looked in the mirror, he laughed, too. His glasses were on top of his head.