It’s not often sunny in Paris, but people still love to walk along the bank of the Seine. They love the view of the city’s old buildings, especially Notre Dame Cathedral, with its iconic spire(标志性塔尖).

Unfortunately, that view has been forever changed. On April 16 a fire destroyed the spire of the 850-year-old wooden Notre Dame Cathedral built in 1163, and two-thirds of the roof.

The fire shocked and saddened Parisians. Citizens gathered around the giant church, singing hymns(赞美诗) and praying for the hundreds of firefighters who fought the flames.

“The importance of Notre Dame, not only to Catholics (天主教) but to all Parisians, cannot be underestimated,” wrote French author Bernard-Henri Levy. “For many in France, it’s more than a house of worship. It’s a symbol of French culture, architecture and history.”

The church is also home to many religious artworks, paintings and sculptures. Luckily, its world-famous colored glass windows survived the fire. These windows are made of many small pieces of glass and feature various Christian images.

Despite its long history and many treasures, the cathedral needed the help of a writer to become truly famous. Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, presented the building to a wide audience of readers. The book’s ugly lead character, Quasimodo, serves as a symbol for Paris’ forgotten Gothic(哥特式的) architecture. Hugo wrote the book to remind people of it, with the hope that they would work to protect the beautiful old buildings of Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to reconstruct the historic building. “Notre Dame is our history, our literature and it’s our imagery,” he said in a public speech following the fire.

Riding a Mobike on the street, you might hear people speaking Chinese aloud.【小题1】Walking into a store, you may see Huawei smartphones for sale. This isn't referring to China, but Manchester, UK.【小题2】Indeed, Chinese products have gone global.

【小题3】But to meet local people’s tastes, Chinese restaurants have made some changes to the dishes. “One example is the meat,” said Yin Hang, who is studying at the University of Wollongong in Australia. "We like to eat meat with the bone in, but people here don't. So Chinese restaurants provide big pieces of meat without bones, even for fish.

【小题4】In many cities in Europe, stores sell TCL televisions, Haier fridges and Lenovo computers, reported Reuters. More than half of US-owned drones(无人机)are Chinese models, according to China Daily. They're not simply made in China, but designed and developed in the country.

In the past, most Western people thought Chinese products were cheap and unreliable. 【小题5】 “Made in China” has become cool and more people trust Chinese brands. For example, Huawei, one of China's major smartphone makers, overtook Apple in global smartphone sales for the first time in June and July last year, behind only Samsung, noted consulting(咨询)firm Counterpoint Research.

“They are beautiful and offer some unique features American phones don't have,” CNN once said about Chinese smartphones.

Although not as much as in the past, grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo (纳瓦霍人) youth. They make young people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising the children or at least having a big part in raising them.

Young children often stay with their grandparents for years at a time, developing a close and trusting relationship. The grandparents teach the children Navajo legends and the principle of life, emphasizing both new culture trends and the preservation of traditions.

The grandparents are also often the leading figures in teaching the youth the arts of weaving, caring for the livestock, using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts.

The children are taught to respect their elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their elders and to keep as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social gatherings and traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn more about their culture and traditions.

I live with my grandmother for thirteen years, and she raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to school, she taught me as much as she could about our traditions. She was a beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings, expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.

We used to plant com and pumpkin every summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I asked my grandmother why. She said, “Grandson, our plants will be far more beautiful than the flowers outside the fence.” I did not understand until one day I saw their beauty as I was coming over the hill with her. She said, “Anything that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than the things which you pass by.” We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of me and I am a part of her.

Children used to be well disciplined, possessing more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than they do now. The world of the Navajo has been influenced by the western world, and the grandparents have less control and influence than they used to. But the young people who have been touched by their teachings have glimpsed a way of life beyond what most people know today.