Bringing Dinosaurs to Life 赵闯——一个“复活”恐龙的艺术家。
MANY young children admire powerful things. So did Zhao Chuang. One day when he was in primary school, he read a book about dinosaurs. A T. rex (霸王龙) picture caught his fancy.
Zhao lived in a small town. There weren’t many books to read. Almost all dinosaur books Zhao could find were in English. So the boy had a dream. “I wanted to draw more dinosaur books — in Chinese,” he said.
And he has done just that. Now, at the age of 34, Zhao is a famous “dinosaur artist.” His works combine science and art. Through these works, children can easily learn more about dinosaurs.
Every day, Zhao spends hours studying dinosaurs. Sometimes, the artist travels to places where fossils have been found. He wants to understand dinosaurs’ living environment better.
In 2006, one of Zhao’s works appeared on the cover of the famous Nature magazine. Since then, his works have been sought after around the globe. Zhao has also held lots of exhibitions at home and abroad.
admire v. 欣赏，羡慕
artist n. 艺术家
combine v. 使……结合起来
fossil n. 化石
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seek after寻求，追求
exhibition n. 展览，展出
→ exhibit v. 展览，展出 n. 展览品
at home and abroad 在国内外
confident adj. 有自信心的
catch/take one’s fancy，吸引某人
e.g. Did you see anything that caught your fancy?
put one’s heart into sth.，全身心地倾注于……中(花很多精力做某事)
e.g. She puts her heart into her work.
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A Beach That Looks Good to Eat 新年假期，西班牙“爆米花”海滩成“网红打卡地”。
FUERTEVENTURA (富埃特文图拉岛) IN SPAIN is most famous for its fine white beaches. However, few people know that it also has one of the world’s most wonderful attractions: Popcorn Beach.
As its name suggests, Popcorn Beach is covered with millions of white “popcorn” pieces. But don’t put them in your mouth! They are actually pieces of white coral (珊瑚). Although they look like popcorn, the pieces are as hard as stones.
Popcorn Beach has been around for centuries. It has become popular in recent years. Walking on stones is not as comfortable as walking on sand. That’s why Popcorn Beach is not always people’s first choice for holidays. But no one can deny that it is interesting to visit.
attraction n. 吸引游客的事物(或地方) as its name suggests 顾名思义 deny v. 否认
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Hiding From the Vet
Children may cry when they are taken to the hospital. What about cats? This kitten hides his head in a trash hole at the vet’s office! It seems he doesn’t like seeing a doctor, either. Delicious Art
Believe it or not, you can use food to create art! A Japanese food artist made pictures of famous people with melted (融化了的) chocolate. Hello, Sally!
You might remember Sally in the movie Cars (《赛车总动员》). Look at the picture below. A blue car “makes a face” like Sally after a heavy snow. How cute!
seem v. 似乎，仿佛
create v. 创作
make a face 做鬼脸
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The Nutcracker 冬日来临，一起去欣赏芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》吧。
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS for the coming winter holiday? Going to see a ballet might be a good choice. The Nutcracker is one of the most popular ballets during the winter holidays.
The Nutcracker tells the story of a young girl named Clara and her favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker. One Christmas Eve, the Nutcracker comes to life and beats the bad mice. Later, the Nutcracker turns into a prince. He takes Clara to the beautiful Land of Sweets (糖果王国). They have a wonderful time there.
The Nutcracker did not start out as a ballet. It was based on a story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The ballet was performed for the first time in 1892. Tchaikovsky’s (柴可夫斯基) music for the ballet made it even more famous.
However, the ballet was not popular outside of Russia for many years. After it was performed in New York City in the 1950s, it became a huge hit. Today, many people consider it one of the most popular ballets in the world.
I enjoy Tchaikovsky’s music very much. Which of his works do you love the most? I love The Nutcracker Suite (《胡桃夹子组曲》). It is made up of eight popular pieces from The Nutcracker. Every time I hear the music, I think of Christmas. It is a holiday classic and a favorite for many people.
be based on 基于……
hit n. 很受欢迎的人(或事物)
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consider v. 认为
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What Was an Elephant Like? 盲人摸象。
Once upon a time, there were four blind men. They wanted to know what an elephant was like. They could not see the elephant. They could only feel it with their hands.
The fat blind man touched the elephant’s tusk (长牙). He said, “The elephant is like a big radish (萝卜).”
The tall blind man touched an ear of the elephant. He said, “No, you are wrong. It is like a big fan.”
The short blind man touched a leg of the elephant with his hands. He said, “Both of you are wrong. The elephant is a tall pole.”
The elder blind man touched the tail of the elephant. He said, “Well, the elephant is not that big. It is just as big as a rope.”
In fact, the four blind men were all wrong. None of them knew what the elephant was really like.
If we want to understand something clearly and completely, we should look at the whole thing, not just a part of it.
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Bumblebee Opens in Theaters 《大黄蜂》既出，谁与争“蜂”。
ON THE PLANET of Cybertron (塞伯坦), the Autobots (汽车人) lose a battle (战役) against their enemies (敌人). They had to retreat (撤退). B-127 is one of the Autobots. He is sent to Earth.
B-127 stays alone in a junkyard (废品场) in a small California town. His voice box is broken. He can’t speak. He turns himself into a yellow car.
One day, Charlie, a high school girl, comes to the junkyard. Her favorite hobby is repairing cars. Charlie picks out the yellow car and brings it home. Then she finds out it is not just a car. It can turn into a robot! He has a round face and baby-blue eyes. Charlie names him “Bumblebee” because of the buzzing (嗡嗡响的) noise he makes.
The two become close friends. Charlie learns that Bumblebee has been driven out of his home planet. He has a task (任务): to build a base (基地) on Earth. The Autobots are going to regroup (重组) and beat their enemies.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee’s enemies are still hunting him down (追捕). What is going to happen? Find it out in the movie Bumblebee. It opens in theaters on January 4.
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复活恐龙
许多小孩子喜欢强大的事物。赵闯也是如此。他上小学时，有一天他读到了一本与恐龙有关的书。一幅霸王龙的图画把他吸引住了。
赵闯曾经住在一个小城镇里。那里没有很多书能读。赵闯能够找到的几乎所有恐龙的书籍都是英文的。所以这个男孩有了一个梦想。“我想要用中文绘制更多的恐龙书籍，”他说。
他就是这样做的。现在，赵闯34岁，是一名著名的“恐龙艺术家”。他的作品将科学和艺术结合了起来。通过这些作品，孩子们能够轻松地学到更多与恐龙有关的知识。
每天，赵闯花上几个小时研究恐龙。有时候，这位艺术家会前往发现化石的地方。他想要更好地了解恐龙的生活环境。
2006年，赵闯的其中一个作品出现在了著名杂志《Nature》的封面上。从那时起，世界各地都追求他的作品。赵闯还在国内外举办了许多展览。
“我对我的作品充满信心，”赵闯说。“我全身心地倾注在了它们（这些作品）当中。” 《大黄蜂》上映
在塞伯坦星球，汽车人在一场战役中输给了他们的敌人。他们不得不撤退。B-127是其中一个汽车人。他被送到了地球。
B-127独自待在一个加利福尼亚小镇的废品场中。他的喉咙坏了。他无法说话。他把自己变成了一辆黄色的汽车。
一天，高中女生查理来到了这个废品场。她最大的爱好是修理汽车。查理选中了黄色的汽车，并把它带回家。然后她发现它不仅仅是一辆汽车。它能变成一个机器人！他有一张圆脸和淡蓝色的眼睛。因为他制造出嗡嗡响的声音，所以查理叫他“大黄蜂”。
这两个人变成了亲密的朋友。查理了解到大黄蜂被驱逐出了他的家园。他有一个任务：在地球上建立一个基地。汽车人将重组并且击败他们的敌人。
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同时，大黄蜂的敌人仍在追捕他。将会发生什么？去电影《大黄蜂》中寻找答案吧。电影将于1月4日上映。
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