Wind is a powerful force(力量) in nature. Wind energy is one of the causes of great waves in the world’s oceans. Winds can help create powerful storms, but wind is a force you can’t see but can surely feel. Its power can be used to create electricity for cities and the countryside.

Wind can also power many expressions in American English. Let’s start with a simple one. If you run like the wind, you are a very fast runner. After running, sometimes you can feel full of energy. The runner gets what we call a second wind. We use this expression when we are tired, but then get more energy to finish something. For example, sometimes I feel tired after work. But after a short rest and a cup of tea, I get my second wind. I’m ready to do something fun with my friends and family.

If you are doing something difficult, it is good to have the wind at your back. In this way, it is easier to go forward. It’s always more difficult to do something in a strong wind–unless you are sailing.

Knowing the direction of the wind is the most important part of sailing. When wind fills a sail, it makes the boat go faster. If you take the wind out of someone’s sails, you prevent them from reaching their goals. You create a barrier(障碍) or stop them in some way. In life, it’s lucky to have friends who want to fill your sails with wind and not take it out.

Let’s turn from sailing to music. Many songwriters use the image(形象) of wind in their songs. If something such as an idea is blowing in the wind, it is being discussed but has yet to be decided. When a singer sings “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” he means that you don’t need someone in power to confirm something for you. Just trust yourself. You can find it out on your own. So, when you know which way the wind blows, you know what is going on.

Now you know which way the wind blows. Then how can you use these expressions properly? First, read them aloud and keep them in mind. Then, practice using them and test yourself. You know, practice makes perfect.

Because of COVID-19, many people now are interested in searching for the planets where life can be provided with what they need outside our solar system (太阳系). A program named Miyin (which means voice searching) is planned to be started around 2030. Its purpose is to find somewhere that is possibly suitable to live near the solar system and examine how suitable it is for humans to live on with the help of the most developed equipment.

In fact, humans have never stopped trying to find another planet like the earth. So, what does a planet suitable for people to live on look like? First of all, the planet should be located around its star in a right area, neither too far nor too close. The planet should be moving at the right distance from its star so that it’s not too hot and not too cold for water to stay on the surface. In some way, the star itself may influence how wide the area is. The hotter the star is, the further away its right area begins, but the wider it could be. Besides, the planet should have the right size. A small planet may have less gravity (引力), which makes it difficult to keep atmosphere around. According to scientists, the perfect one should be earth-sized, full of rocks and located inside its star’s right area.

Although we may still have a long way to go, we have achieved many exciting findings and developments in searching for living things from another planet. For example, earlier years, China’s Chang’e 4 lunar probe (月球探测器) achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the moon and recorded the picture of the lunar surface, discovering the mysterious side of the moon.

Looking back on China’s unusual achievements, we have every reason to believe that the Miyin Program will again start a new story in the space examination.

People wear uniforms for different reasons. We students wear bright school uniforms at school to show liveliness. Firefighters wear special orange coats and helmets to protect themselves from heat and falling ceilings. Soldiers wear green clothes to protect themselves in the forest.

When officials dress in their official uniforms, they look important. Generally, when we see airline pilots wearing dark blue uniforms at the airport, we believe that they know how to fly the plane. If we have a car accident on the street and we see a police officer in blue uniform, we know we can get help from him or her. When doctors wear white uniforms, it is easy for patients to find them. Also, their uniforms are clean so they can stop the spread of diseases.

Different uniforms show different jobs. So it is necessary for us to know different uniforms in our daily life.

Uniforms