China is the country that eats the most watermelons in the world. It’s not because foreigners don’t like watermelons but “they can’t afford them.”

Do you know why? 【小题1】

It’s reported that a kilo of US watermelon is about $6.91 in New York, which is about ￥46 in China. 【小题2】 But things are different in China. According to the FAO (联合国粮农组织), China now is the world’s largest watermelon producer and customer.

【小题3】 And the weather is just right for planting watermelons. With the large output (产量), the price is naturally much lower.

Secondly, countries like the USA and Australia have a wide land, but watermelons were not introduced there as early as in China. The local people prefer other fruits that were known earlier to watermelons. 【小题4】

Thirdly, according to some reports, watermelons from foreign countries may not taste good.

【小题5】 Why is that?

Wu Mingzhu is an 80-year-old Chinese scientist who spends her whole life on the improvement of growing better watermelons. Thanks to her hard work, we can enjoy more delicious and much cheaper watermelons.

Face masks became a must-have in 2020. It is likely that people around the world will keep wearing them for some time. Many companies are making new, high-tech masks. Their masks can not only protect us from getting sick, but also help us in other ways.

Scientists are working on a mask that can test COVID-19 in the air. If there are viruses（病毒）, the mask will change color.

This is a smart mask that can translate（翻译）speech into nine languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese and French. The mask has a chip that connects（连接）to the wearer’s smartphone. It translates what you say into text on the phone.

Hazel is a special mask from US company. It is a transparent（透明的）mask that allows（使能够）you to see the wearer’s face. It also has a built-in speaker. When you speak with the mask on, your voice will not sound muffled（沉闷的）. There is also a hard case for you to put the mask in. The case has a UV light that kills germs（细菌）and makes the mask safer to wear.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Would you rather be a scientist or an artist? If you have sisters and brothers, the order in which you were born may answer the question for you.

A group of British scientists studied 500 people from 11 different job groups. They found that older children are more likely to become astronauts(宇航员)and scientists. NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong and British scientist Stephen Hawking are both the oldest children in their families.

The scientists also found that middle children are 30 percent more likely to become CEOs than their brothers and sisters. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and Bill Gates are both middle children.

Younger children are likely to be the “softest”. They get attention by learning to pay attention to other people’s thoughts. This makes them understand others’ feelings easily. So, younger children are more likely to become musicians. German musicians Bach and Mozart were both the youngest children in their families.

The study results also suggested that the only child in a family is more likely to become an artist. They get full attention from their parents and are free to develop themselves. This makes them more creative and confident.