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24 Solar Terms: 4 things you should know about Grain Buds

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Buds (小满), the 8th solar term of a year, begins on May 20 this year, and ends on June 4. In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production. 1.. Let's see what we can do during the "Grain Buds" period.

A good season for eating fish

During the Grain Buds period, the summer harvest is about to begin. A saying about rain during this time mentions, "A heavy rainfall makes the river full." Because of the great increase in rainfall, rivers are full of water, which gives rise to great tasting fish and shrimp. This is a good time to enjoy them. 2..

Eating herb of common sow thistle

Grain Buds is a season for eating the herb (草药) of the common sow thistle, which tastes a little bitter and sour, but also sweet. It has the function of cooling the blood and detoxifying the body. It can be made into different types of dishes. 3.. Some people boil the herb with water and then squeeze out the juice, which can be used to make soup.

Tips on health preserving in Grain Buds

4.. The increase in temperature over this season may also give rise to all sorts of skin diseases. It is also important to exercise to keep healthy during the hot summer days. Walking, jogging and practicing tai chi are popular.

5.

This time is a good period of the quick growth of flowers. It is also a season when plant diseases and pests are at an all-time high, which makes caring for your garden even more critical. Flower trimming and clipping is important. And a systematic fertilized water system should be carried out.

A.Key period for flower management

B.It is also harvest season for fishermen

C.A lot of water and extra care for wild flowers

D.But the solar term culture is still useful today to guide people's lives

E.It means that the seeds from the grain are becoming full but are not ripe

F.People in Ningxia like to eat it blended with salt, vinegar, peppers or garlic

G.High temperatures and humidity are common during the Grain Buds period

    Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and gray hair. But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong.

According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s — much later than previously thought.

Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we keep them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.

This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive (认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed — how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.

Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with aging. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.

1.Barbara Strauch probably agrees that ______.

A.the young are better at handling important things

B.wrinkles and gray hair are the only symbols of aging

C.aging leads to the decline of the function of the brain

D.people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s

2.The continuing research has found older people perform better on ______.

A.vocabulary tests B.number ability

C.perceptual speed D.body balance

3.People are happier with aging because ______.

A.they know how to share feelings B.they learn to value the time left

C.they cannot focus on negative aspects D.they do not realize the possible dangers

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.People get happier with age. B.People get more forgetful with age.

C.People get wiser with age. D.People get more self-aware with age.

    Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental issues, and Earth Day 2020 occurs on Wednesday, April 22—the holiday’s 50th anniversary. The holiday is now a global celebration that’s sometimes extended into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focused on green living.

By the early 1960s, Americans were becoming aware of the effects of pollution on the environment. Rachael Carson’s 1962 bestseller Silent Spring pointed out the dangerous effects of pesticides(杀虫剂) on the American countryside. Later in the decade, a 1969 fire on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River shed light on the problem of chemical waste disposal. Until that time, protecting the planet’s natural resources was not part of the national political plan. Only a small portion of the American population was familiar with environmental issues—let alone practiced-recycling.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962, Senator(参议员) Gaylord Nelson was determined to convince the federal government that the planet was at risk. In the fall of 1969, Nelson, considered one of the leaders of the modern environmental movement, announced the Earth Day concept at a conference in Seattle and invited the entire nation to get involved. He later recalled: “The response was electric. Telegrams, letters and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had an opportunity to express their concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes and air.”

The first Earth Day was effective at raising awareness about environmental issues and changing public attitudes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), “Public opinions polls(投票) indicate that in May 1971, 25 percent of the U.S. public declared protecting the environment to be an important goal, a 2,500 percent increase over 1969.”

Earth Day kicked off the “environmental decade with a bang,” as Senator Nelson later put it. During the 1970s, a number of important environmental laws were passed, among them the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act and the Endangered Species Act, etc. Another key development was the establishment of the EPA in December 1970, which was tasked with protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment—air, water and land.

1.What do we learn about the circumstances in America before Earth Day was founded?

A.The overuse of pesticides had little impact on the American countryside.

B.The fire on Cuyahoga River was caused by improper chemical waste disposal.

C.The government highly valued protecting the natural resources on this planet.

D.Only a few Americans were familiar with environmental issues and practiced-recycling.

2.It can be inferred from the third paragraph that ________.

A.Nelson convinced the federal government that the planet was at risk.

B.Nelson organized the modern environmental movement all by himself.

C.The Earth Day successfully aroused the public’s interest in environmental issues.

D.The electric power supply had been cut off due to numerous telephone inquiries poured in.

3.The EPA was set up to_______.

A.collect public opinions. B.kick off the environmental decade.

C.change public attitudes. D.protect human beings and nature.

4.What do you think the author will talk about later?

A.Earth Day celebrations have grown and spread around the globe.

B.EPA protect human health and our natural environment.

C.The environmental laws come into effect.

D.Senator Nelson’s remarkable achievements.

    Earl Forlales, a graduate in Materials Science and Engineering, took inspiration from the bamboo hut his grandparents lived in outside Manila and created a house made of bamboo that can be put together in four hours to solve the chronic(长期的) shortage of affordable accommodation in the Philippines. His design won a £50.000 top prize from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in its Cities for our Future competition.

His house, known as Cubo, could be produced in a week, constructed in four hours and costs £60 per square meter. Its use of bamboo—which releases 35％ more oxygen into the environment than trees—was praised by the judges. The ability of the houses to be constructed in any bamboo-producing area was one of the key attractions.

“The world’s cities are growing all the time and there is a real need to make sure they are safe, clean and comfortable places to live in,”John Hughes, the competition’s head judge and then president at RICS, said. “As we look at our competitors, who are our next generation of leaders， I believe that real progress will be made in tackling the world’s biggest issues.

Forlales has already identified a suitable area of land to start building his Cubo houses. He plans to begin the work next year with experts from the RICS in an attempt to help relieve the huge pressure on housing in Manila, where a third of the 12 million population live in poor districts. He said, “I would like to thank RICS for the opportunity, and look forward to working with them to put this money to good use in Manila and then hopefully elsewhere around the world.”

1.What contributes most to Forlales’ winning the prize？

A.The material of his house. B.The shape of his house.

C.The design of his house. D.The expense of his house.

2.Which word can best replace the underline word “tackling” in Paragraph 3?

A.Facing. B.Treating

C.Covering. D.Handling.

3.What can we infer about the Cubo house？

A.It is created by Forlales and his parents

B.It is environmentally friendly and economical.

C.It has already been built in Forlales’ hometown.

D.It can be constructed in a week.

4.Which of the following can be a suitable title？

A.A Competition in House Building B.A Man Devoted to City Development

C.The Bamboo House Winning a top Prize D.The Way to Solve Housing Shortage

Urban household assets reach average of 3.18 million yuan in 2019

Editors note: Urban residents' average household assets（资产）were about 3.18 million yuan in China in 2019 and that of Beijing residents was about 8.93 million yuan, the highest in the country.

Distribution of household assets of urban residents

Urban residents' household assets are mainly physical assets with housing as the main part, accounting for about 80% of the total.

The housing ownership rate was 96%, 1.5 sets for each household on average.

58.4% families have one set of housing     31.0% families have two sets of housing

10.5% families have three or more sets of housing

Household average assets in eastern regions are higher than other parts of China, with the amount in Northeast China the lowest, accounting for about one third of East China.

Top three regions with highest household assets in China in 2019 are Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu province.

Middle-aged and young people and well-educated people are more likely to have debts

Average household debt: 512,000 yuan

Families with householders aged 65 or above are more likely to invest in financial products including wealth management, asset management and trust.

The average value was about 239,000 yuan, about 1.4 times the average.

Household debt participation rate by householder's education level

Household debt participation rate by age

About 73. 1% of those aged between 26 and 35 have household debt.

1.How many families have more than two sets of housing, according to the passage?

A.58.4%. B.31.0%.

C.10.5%. D.96%.

2.Which region has the highest household assets in China in 2019?

A.Beijing. B.Shanghai.

C.Jiangsu. D.Northeast China.

3.Who does probably have the most household debt, according to the report?

A.Li Hua, graduating from high school, 37 years old, working as a self-employed.

B.Sun Yi, master’s degree, 35 years old, working in a IT company.

C.Zhang Yinyin, college degree, 18 years old, studying in a key university.

D.Chen Rui, Bachelor’s degree, 69 years old, retired from the work.