你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Are there wild animals in your country? Yeah, sure, there’re a lot, I mean, there is quite a variety, for instance, tigers, elephants, foxes, snakes, antelopes, bears, giant pandas, and all types of monkeys, though unfortunately some have been driven almost to extinction, especially the tigers that predominately live in the forests of northeast China. Sichuan is home to giant pandas, and though their habitat has been shrinking, there are nature reserves dedicated to their protection. Bears are also found in the deep forests of Sichuan but also quite rare. There are elephants in Yunnan province as well, in fact, recently a wild herd of elephants made the news, as they were migrating from one point to another, and ended up walking through towns and over roads. So, though, as with everywhere, there has been a great reduction in the number of wild animals, China still has quite a diverse range of fauna. * quite a variety 多种多样 * driven almost to extinction 在灭绝的边缘 * predominately 主要 * habitat has been shrinking 栖息地在缩减 * nature reserves 自然保护区 * a wild herd of 一群野生的 * made the news 上新闻了 * migrating 迁徙 * quite a diverse range of 繁多的 * fauna 动物 [图片] Are there TV programs about wild animals in your country? Yes, absolutely. There’s a TV program called The Animal World and it’s been on since my childhood. Every episode of this show gives detailed introductions of a type of wild animal from not just in China but across the world. As a child, I found this show fascinating and the videos and explanations were extremely well done. It’s one of those shows that introduced the wild animal kingdom to me when I was a little kid. There are also dubbed foreign wildlife programs on TV as well, such as National Geographic. * episode （电视剧的）一集 * fascinating 很迷人 * explanations 解说 * wild animal kingdom 野生动物王国 * dubbed 配音 [图片] What is the animal you would like to see in the wild? Well, let me see, I think I would like to see monkeys and I know the perfect place to do that – Mount Emei in Sichuan. They look so cute and they are very intelligent. I’ve watched tons of videos where monkeys zip open the backpacks of tourists and rummage through them until they find food and they are so skillful in taking the food out of bags and peeling bananas! I think I’d bring a bagful of bananas when I go to Mount Emei and watch the monkeys eat. * rummage through 翻找 * skillful in 很有一套 * peeling 剥开 [图片] Have you ever been to a zoo or a safari park? I’ve been to a zoo in Guangzhou, which was about a decade ago. My parents took my entire family there and we spent hours strolling about and watching the animals. I saw beautiful birds, big black bears, elephants, tigers, giant pandas, and sea animals. But most of the animals were sleepy, probably because they were tired of being watched all day and didn’t have enough room to walk or swim about. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of seeing animals in captivity as I think they should be free to roam. * strolling about 到处逛 * sleepy 困的 * in captivity 困住；关押 * free to roam 漫步；游荡

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Does the development of technology affect the way we study? Sure, absolutely. In the past, both learning and teaching were conducted physically face-to-face; whereas these days, the Internet, communication and cloud technology make it possible for more people to study anytime and anywhere. It also offers access to more learning resources, and thus helping people to be more productive in their learning. In fact, there’re so many applications that can help people to study, such as language apps, and also different platforms where you can find any particular knowledge you’d like to learn, such as Knowledge Planet, a popular app in China, so all of this technology allows learners to study more independently, I think that’s one of the most significant changes that have occurred. * conduct 实施；执行 * cloud technology 云技术 * anytime and anywhere 随时随地 * productive 有收获的 * independently 独立地 [Image] What changes has the development of technology brought about in our lives? Well, as said, it can help those who want to learn to be more independent in their learning journey, and another major change is that technology can help reduce the amount of time and cost of ‘getting things done’. For instance, to put money in the bank or to transfer money, we used to plan at least 2 hours for doing such banking because we needed to physically be in the bank and fill out all types of forms. These days, we can have it done on our smartphone in just a few seconds using online banking, saving lots of time and trouble. The same goes for shopping, so overall, the biggest change is that it has made daily living more convenient. * getting things done 把事办完 * forms 表格 * online banking 网上银行 [Image] Why do technology companies keep upgrading their products? One of the prime reasons I think is that technology firms always want to be seen on the cutting edge, and that to promote or upgrade their product portfolio helps to gain more market share especially with those who are gadget or technology enthusiasts, but ultimately, it boils down to wanting to generate more revenue. Another reason is that they are trying to enhance the user experience of their products while reducing costs, and this can also impact the bottom line as it can help capture new markets. Apple, I think, is a very good example of product enhancement, especially in their early years. Each time they gave a product launch event, they presented smarter and more interconnected tech products. * cutting edge 前沿 * gadget 小工具 * boils down to 归根到底 * enhance 增强 * user experience 用户体验 * the bottom line 底线 * capture new markets 占有新市场 * product enhancement 产品改进 * product launch 产品发布 * interconnected 互联的 [Image] What technology do people currently use? These days, people use communication, entertainment, and banking-related technology the most…basically the type of technology that helps them stay in contact with others, entertain themselves, and do online banking. Oh, another one is e-commerce technology because almost every one of the younger generation uses it, I’d say, at least 50% of their grocery shopping, for example, is done using e-commerce technology. Oh, and of course, it’s been big in the news lately, is that app called ChatGPT. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I think it will become really popular, in fact, will revolutionize what it means to learn. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but anyway, all of these apps are the kind of tech most people use now. * e-commerce 电子商务 * the younger generation 年轻一代

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 What sports can help keep people healthy? I think all types of sports can help people maintain their health, but some of the best sports arethose that focus on cardio, such as jogging, playing squash, basketball, tennis,swimming, and the like. All sports in some way help us tomove our body so that’swhy a lot of people,after sitting in an office or a classroom for hours, go jogging or playa sport as it helps shake off the sedentary position many of us find ourselves in every dayworking in an office or sitting at a desk. Arethere health classes in your school? Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘health classes’, but certainly all schools incorporatePE classes into their curriculum. For example, back in my school days, every week wehad one or two physical education classes where we were taught sports and knowledge abouthealth, for instance,what makes a healthy diet and how to protect our eyesight. They were fun, and for most of us, itwas the class we looked forward to every week. Whatis your favorite sport? I don’t really have a favorite sport because I’m the type of person who, unfortunately, have pooreye-hand coordination, not to mention two left feet, and as a result, I’mnot good at any type of sport. Hence, I’ve developed a dislike for most sports. I do enjoy longwalks though, as well asbicycling, and sometimes,I go for long walks and can walk for hours without losing my breath. Howdo you keep healthy? As I just mentioned, I’m not a sports person, rather long walks tendto be my cup of tea and that’s what I do to keep healthy. I sit for hours every day because of the natureof my work and alsobecause I like reading,so kind of a static sedentary lifestyle. I like to go bicyclingin the morning though,and sometimes inthe evening I go for a walk.

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Is music important in traditional festivals? Yes, absolutely. In fact, traditional festivals are always accompanied by a certain type of music, for instance, whenever I think of the Chinese New Year, what springs to mind is the ubiquitous happy songs about new beginnings and making more money. Walking anywhere in China during the Spring Festival, one is bound to hear such music. Hence, music is a paramount factor in traditional festivals. I think the same is true in Western culture with Christmas for example…they really get people into the spirit of things. [图片] Are traditional festivals disappearing? I don’t think so, no, in fact, I don’t think they will ever disappear, but they are changing, that’s for sure. People don’t celebrate them in the so-called ‘traditional’ ways as before is true, as these days, most festivals have adopted a commercial air and turned into vacations and shopping days. Every year, one or two months before one of the festivals, big shopping sites and supermarkets are busy promoting all types of products. But come the actual day, or as may be the case, the week of the festival, I think there are still traditions that are kept up and fulfilled, even if people don’t like to do it. Well, its traditional, haha, so there is some tolerance towards certain elements of the festival, for example, at Chinese New Year, it’s traditional to go and visit all the relatives and family friends, and I know that many people don’t like to do it, but they do out of a sense of obligation and duty. * that's for sure 那是肯定的 * have adopted a commercial air 有种商业气息 * but come the actual day 那天真的到来的时候 * kept up 保持；坚持 * out of a sense of obligation and duty 义务感和责任感 [图片] Do children like to learn about traditional festivals? From what I know, um, not so much. Kids are more concerned about where to travel to and what to eat during those festivals, instead of learning about them. I think it has to do with the societal atmosphere. Why would kids care when they’ve witnessed loads and loads of promotions before and during the festival? The candy, money, gifts, sweet foods, and the like are what kids ruminate about, I think. * societal atmosphere 社会气氛 * loads and loads of 大量的 * ruminate about 认真思考 [图片] Is it important for children to learn about traditional festivals at school? Yeah, I think so. I mean, youngsters spend half of their time at school and it’s vital that they learn something about the origins of their culture by knowing more about traditional festivals. Schools can hold themed events to teach kids all the little things about all types of traditional festivals, and it kind of helps drag them away from the materialistic element of cultural festivals that is so prevalent in today’s society. * themed events 主题活动 * drag...away from 让……远离…… * materialistic element 物质元素 * prevalent 盛行的；普遍存在的

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Do you think it's good to use chocolate as gifts to others? Hmm, well, I think it probably depends on whom we're giving gifts to. In general, the older generation is less likely to appreciate gifts like chocolate. But for young people I think it’s totally fine because who doesn’t like the taste of chocolate, especially good chocolate? In fact, I guess you could say it’s a universally accepted gift between friends, lovers, colleagues, and even acquaintances, kind of a safe bet. * the older generation 老一辈 * appreciate 欣赏；感激 * universally accepted 普遍接受的 * acquaintance 熟人 * kind of 有点 * a safe bet 安全的做法；万无一失 [Image] Why do you think chocolate is popular around the world? Well, probably because everyone, or at least most people in the world, loves the taste of chocolate, and because chocolate can have such a wide variety of tastes and flavors, and even for those who aren’t too fond of sweet chocolate, there’s always dark chocolate. I can’t stand it myself, but different folks, different strokes. Other than that, chocolates are often perceived as something sweet and nice, and when used as a gift, normally are not cheap, so a good quality box of chocolates is like giving, or you could say that it actually is, an edible luxury. There’s that Italian chocolate, I forget the name, but it’s really famous in China, and it has a milk chocolate shell sprinkled with crushed walnuts and a rich deep gooey chocolate inside. Ah, to die for! * a wide variety of 各种各样的 * dark chocolate 黑巧克力 * different folks, different strokes 萝卜青菜、各有所爱 * perceived as 被看作；视为 * edible 可实用的 * sprinkled with 撒上了 * rich 浓郁的 * gooey 软软黏黏的 * to die for 渴望 [Image] Do you like eating chocolates? Yeah, sure, especially those chocolates I just mentioned. Unlike all other types of candies, chocolate has a unique flavor, and its rich taste stays in your mouth for a while, even dark chocolate, which I mentioned before, that bitter taste can stay in your mouth for quite some time. Sometimes I might snatch a chocolate bar when I do my grocery shopping trips, but only once in a while. * rich taste 浓郁的味道 * bitter taste 苦涩的味道 * for quite some time 一段时间 * snatch 抓 [Image] Did you often eat chocolate when you were a kid? No, in fact, never. I can’t recall ever tasting chocolate in my childhood. Back then, chocolate was perceived as something ‘high-end’ in my neck of the woods and so we never even thought about it. I hardly ever saw them in grocery stores in my town and if I did, they were like those cheap foil-wrapped round chocolates which actually I never tried. I did spot proper boxed chocolates in bigger supermarkets in a nearby town but they were expensive and so I never bought one and so never ate it as a kid. * perceived 被看作 * high-end 高端 * in my neck of the woods 在我（家乡）那个地方 * spot 看到

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Do you think it is good for parents to help their children choose friends? Um, in a way, I think it’s beneficial because underage boys and girls do not possess sound judgment as a result of lacking life experience and so might stumble onto the wrong path by connecting with the wrong crowd. In saying that, however, selecting their own friends and developing friendships is a natural process for kids. Forced friendships can be like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Therefore, instead of depriving youngsters of the right to select those they hang out with, it’s more helpful if parents offer advice and give suggestions about the qualities a good friend should have, such as do they care about you and their honesty. [图片] Do you think it’s necessary for parents to make decisions for their children? Sure, of course, I think it’s absolutely essential for parents to make decisions for youngsters but only those that have the potential to be life-changing ones, instead of just everything. It’s beneficial for kids to make their own decisions from a young age such as choosing their own clothes and selecting their own books as it can help them to be more assertive and independent. But when it comes to big decisions, the transformative ones, such as universities to attend and majors to take, parents can offer suggestions from their own perspective and social experience so that such decisions are more informative and less error-prone. * life-changing 改变生命的 * transformative 转折点；转型 * perspective 角度 * social experience 社会经验 * informative 提供有用信息的；信息丰富的 * error-prone 易出错的 [图片] Do you think children should follow all the rules? Half-half. It’s true that rules are vital for maintaining order and by following rules, underage kids are able to develop routines and become self-disciplined. Following all the rules in the world, however, is a fast track to kill the personalities and imagination of little kids, which is, in my opinion, almost like a crime. By always being told “You have to do such and such”, it won’t take long for children to lose interest in everything. * maintaining order 维持秩序 * underage kids 未成年儿童 * self-disciplined 自律 * fast track 快车道 * do such and such 做这做那 [图片] Do you think there are too many rules for children to follow, whether at school or at home? I think so, yes, at least in schools. I remember back in my school days, there were a million rules concerning the do’s and don’ts in and out of school, ‘boys should not have long hair and girls must tie their hair’, ‘no earrings or bracelets or necklaces are allowed on campus’, ‘no chatting is allowed in the classroom during self-study sessions’, ‘no chatting allowed after light’s out’, ‘no eating in the classroom’, just to name a few. I have to admit that those were painful days for me and I felt like I was living as a robot, pushing myself to do this and that, and for home, I also think many parents set too many rules. At the end of the day, I think children should be allowed to play and enjoy themselves more. * the do's and don'ts 能做的和不能做的 * bracelets 手镯 * after light's out 熄灯后

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Do you change your bags often? No, not really. In fact, for ages, I’ve only been using two bags. One is a light black backpack that I used to take to the office every day and the other is a deep blue handbag, like a beach bag I guess you could say, and is handy for when I go out for the day. I have to admit, however, that I’m not the type of female who walks around with a purse or handbag, not that I don’t like them, but I just find them extremely impractical, and I’ve never been to a formal occasion that requires a clutch bag. * backpack 背包 * beach bag 沙滩包 * impractical 不实用 * formal occasion 正式场合 * clutch bag (正式场合时用的) 女士小手提包 [图片] What kinds of bags do you like to carry? Like I mentioned just now, I prefer bags that are at least big enough for a book because I’m an avid reader and unless it’s a grocery shopping trip, I don’t go out without a book, especially when going into the city on the subway. So, in a way, I’m kinda immune to all those different types of fancy, or cute, or high-end bags. * avid reader 阅读爱好者；书迷 * fancy 花哨的；复杂的；精致的 * high-end 高端的 [图片] Do you usually carry a bag? It depends on the nature of the outing. Other than grocery trips, I usually take my rucksack with me when I go out and inside there’ll be a book, a pen, a bottle of water, tissue, wet-wipes and that’s about it. * the nature of ……的性质 * outing 出门 * rucksack 背包 * wet-wipes 湿巾

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 What makes people feel proud of themselves? Oh, let me see, well, I think it varies from person to person, but I’d say in most cases, what makes people proud of themselves stems from two aspects: fulfilling work and personal goals. One often has a sense of achievement when they’ve done their work properly, or they’ve nailed down a deal, or they’ve been promoted. As for personal goals, people usually feel very good about themselves when they achieve some type of personal goal, for instance, losing weight, being admitted to a university, having a family, or achieving something requiring dedication and practice. I think all these things can make a person feel proud of themselves. * fulfill 实现 * properly 得体地 * nail down 敲定 * feel very good about themselves 自我感觉良好 * dedication 奉献 * practice 练习 [图片] Do you think material rewards are more important than other rewards at work? Hmmm, I’m not quite sure what ‘material rewards’ refers to here, but I figure it means financial rewards mostly. I think money is important, but at a certain point, if one can accept that the salary they earn is fair to their position, then non-material rewards such as recognition can be just as important as money. Interestingly though, even recognition may come in the form of a material object, such as a trophy and the like, so in that case, I would say if one is satisfied with the salary they receive, then everything being equal, non-material rewards, including their physical representation, can be quite important. At the end of the day though, we work to earn. In saying that though, one is very lucky if they love their job, have a passion for it, so in that case, for the person that has such a job and a feeling, that is probably the most important thing. A love for the work, a sort of natural reward for the work that person does. * financial rewards 金钱奖励 * non-material rewards 非物质奖励 * recognition 认可 * come in the form of 以……的形式出现 * trophy 奖杯 * have a passion for 对……有激情 * love for the work 热爱工作 [图片] What kinds of rewards are important at work? Let me see, well, there are a number of important rewards in the workplace, rewards in monetary form such as cash and stock shares, and in other ways like paid vacations, trophies, teambuilding trips, promotions, and even public praise by leaders. These are all important types of rewards for employees as they can serve as motivators for people to work harder, stay loyal to the company, and achieve their personal goals. * monetary form 货币形式 * paid vacations 带薪假 * team-building trips 团建旅行 * motivators 激励 * stay loyal 保持忠诚 [图片] Does everyone set goals for themselves? I’m not sure actually. I suppose they do, even if the goal is simple, even something like basic survival, such as having a healthy dinner, jogging for one kilometer, or as ambitious as traveling around the world or being a digital nomad. For some people, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a goal, or just going to bed at a normal and regular time can be a goal. Whether people are successful with their goals, however, is a different story, but I’d have to say no to that. If one lacks goals, one loses the purpose of life. * digital nomad 数字游民 * is a different story 是另一回事

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Do you like singing? Yes, I do, especially when I’m relaxed or in a good mood, and usually, on most occasions, when I’m by myself. Back when I was a child, I was one of the most singing-loving creatures in the village. I learned catchy songs from the CDs at home and practiced them at the top of my lungs whenever I was outside in nature. Oh, I also taught my sisters and neighbors some of the songs I learned at school or from the CDs, and to this day, I still enjoy singing. * in a good mood 心情好 * singing-loving creatures 爱唱歌的人 * catchy songs 朗朗上口的歌 * outside in nature 在大自然里 [图片] Have you ever learned how to sing? Not properly, no. I’ve never taken any professional singing lessons but back in my elementary and junior high school days, we did have music lessons once a week where we were either taught a song, or as the case may be in most cases, told to do homework from other subjects. I learned to sing mostly by imitating those songs I heard on CDs or the old-style cassettes. * professional singing lessons 专业的歌唱课 * imitate 模仿 * old-style 老式的 * cassettes 磁带 [图片] Whom do you want to sing for? These days I only sing for myself when I’m by myself at home. Gone are the days of singing at the top of my lungs in the hills because living in a high-rise in the city doesn’t allow for that ‘noise’, lest I become the ‘crazy’ woman of the neighborhood. * gone are the days of ……的日子一去不复返 * high-rise 高楼 [图片] Do you think singing can bring happiness to people? Yes, definitely and that’s why music is such a giant industry! Singing allows people to release their emotions, whatever they might be, sadness, anger, or excitement. Happiness is a natural feeling that comes to us when we sing and that’s probably why people always sing during family or friend get-togethers, especially in China what with KTV and the like. * giant 巨大的 * release 释放 * and the like 等等

你好呀，欢迎收听：英语考试Cat 🐱🐱🐱🐱 Why do people rarely use cash now? I think this definitely stems from two prime causes. First, the advancement of banking technology has erased the necessity to withdraw money from an ATM and go to the bank, always a time-consuming process and second, I think simply because we have the smartphone, which I suppose is related to the first reason, but for the first I mean more about Internet banking, whereas with the second reason, I think for consumers, the smartphone has revolutionized the way we think about money. Connected with this new way of paying, convenience definitely plays a major factor, as we can buy things easily without having to even be physically present, so, cash has, in essence, become obsolete. * the advancement of 发展；进步 * erased 移除；抹掉 * withdraw money from an ATM 从自动取款机上取钱 * time-consuming process 耗时的过程 * revolutionized the way 革新了……的方式 * convenience 便利 * plays a major factor 是主要因素 * in essence 本质上 * obsolete 淘汰的；过时的 [图片] When do children begin to comprehend the value of money? I’m not sure. I guess it depends on the maturity level of individual kids and perhaps how the parents educate their kids, but generally, I think children start to form the idea of the value of money not long after they are capable of following their parents on their various grocery shopping trips. And in China, also after realizing the value of the much-vaunted and sought-after red envelope at Chinese New Year. When a kid realizes that the red notes in a red envelope can help the child buy candy or toys, then the value of money is definitely realized. So, how old is that? Perhaps at the age of 4 or 5? * maturity level 成熟度 * educate 教育 * capable of 能够 * grocery shopping trips 购物 * much-vaunted 大肆宣扬的；备受吹捧的 * sought-after 很吃香的 [图片] Should parents reward children with money? Yes and no. I mean, rewarding kids with money is a double-edged sword as it can help youngsters to establish their understanding of the value of money; however, if children are rewarded in monetary form whenever positive deeds are performed, they are likely to get the impression that everything can be exchanged for money, which I think is not a healthy worldview, I’m afraid. Thus, I believe parents should compensate children with money only for something they’ve worked really hard on and incentivize them with non-monetary items on other occasions, instead of solely relying on money to motivate their young. [图片] Is it necessary to teach children to save money? Yes, absolutely. In fact, it should be one of the first lessons taught to kids. Saving money is a life skill, for instance, it keeps ‘rainy days’ at bay, and savings help us to weather the ‘financially-down’ days in life; a proper and well-executed saving plan also enables us to purchase or pay for big-ticket items such as education, buying a house, or a car, something that’s extremely difficult to find money for in a short period time without saving ahead of time. As such, I think money-saving is one of the essential life lessons parents should teach their kids. * a life skill 生活技能 * keep...at bay 拜托……的烦恼 * to weather 经受住 * well-executed 实施得当 * big-ticket items 大的开销 * essential 必需的 * life lessons 人生功课

What do you usually do on your birthday? When my birthday comes around these days, one thing I’ll definitely do is reward myself with a new book – a type of self-appointed ceremony. Other than that, I’ll either celebrate it at one of my favorite restaurants and on most occasions, that would be a Sichuan restaurant, or cook a nice dinner at home. No fancy birthday cakes because they are not really my cup of tea, plus they contain too much sugar and calories. Oh, my family will also call me on video and we’ll chat for about half an hour or more, sometimes even an hour, and when it ends, I’ll find a virtual red envelope sent to my WeChat from all my family members. * reward myself with 奖励自己…… * self-appointed 自封的 * ceremony 仪式 * not really my cup of tea 不是我的菜 * virtual 虚拟的 [图片] What did you do on your birthday when you were young? Back when I was a kid, I anticipated my birthday one or even two months before it because it was one of the very few occasions that I’d actually have a very nice homemade dinner cooked by my parents. Usually, the main dish would be dumplings with pork filling. No birthday cakes of course because we couldn’t afford one and strangely, no gifts. My parents and my sisters and I would chat over the tasty food and stories of our childhood were shared. I guess it’s the best gift for birthdays – that family members get together and have a good time. * one of the very few occasions 极少数场合 * homemade 自制的；家里做的 * main dish 主菜 * tasty food 美食；可口的食物 [图片] Do you think it is important for you to celebrate your birthday? Well, these days I feel my birthday is like any other day of the year. If not for my family, sometimes I’d even forget all about it. I guess it’s because part of me just doesn’t want to grow old. * like any other day of the year 跟一年里其它时候一样 [图片] Whose birthday do you think is the most important to celebrate in China? I’m not sure but I guess it would probably be the oldest person in the family, for example, the grandfather, I mean, especially if they are getting up there in years, such as turning 80. I think turning such an age is a big deal, so I think most families will have a big celebration for one’s 80th, and perhaps also for kids when turning 18, as it’s sort of a watershed moment for becoming an adult, or at least a mature child. I know there are some parts of China, like in Canton, that also make a big fuss about a baby turning 1 month old: I think it’s called a red egg party. So, I guess those are some of the significant ages that are considered important birthdays in my country. * getting up there in years 上了年纪 * is a big deal 是大事 * celebration 庆祝 * watershed moment 分水岭 * make a big fuss about 大张旗鼓 * significant 重要的 * are considered 被认为是 [图片]

What transportation do you use the most? I take the metro the most because the subway system in Guangzhou is super-convenient. It stretches in all directions of the city and it even reaches Foshan, the adjacent city! I take the metro to work, to go shopping, and to the airport if I have a flight or to pick up a friend. The metro ticket is pretty inexpensive and so it’s affordable for everyone, and besides that, it’s clean and safe and that’s another reason why I use it. * subway system 地铁系统 * super-convenient 超级方便 * stretch 延申 * in all directions 四面八方 * adjacent 相邻的 * inexpensive 便宜的；实惠的 * affordable 负担的起的 [Image] How is the subway system developing in your country? Well, I actually think China’s subway system development is amazing. I have seen videos of other countries’ metro systems, and they kinda look like a nightmare. But China’s systems, in so many cities, are extensive, clean, safe and cheap. I think they’re a marvel of engineering. The general trend is that they are building more lines connecting city centers to outlying districts while simultaneously designing and constructing lines to shorten the distance between certain spots. For example, Guangzhou’s sprawling metro system now allows commuting between different districts that before was a time-consuming journey, as now they have more lines and stations that more directly connect districts and there’re even express trains. I really believe, again for example in Guangzhou, that it has released a great deal of economic potential that previously was locked away in remote satellite communities, but now, even a young, and one might say, relatively poor person, now has easy access to the city, which I think is great, so yeah, I have to say China’s subway development is incredible. * nightmare 噩梦 * extensive 广大的；广阔的 * a marvel of engineering 工程奇迹 * time-consuming 耗时的 * express trains 快车 * release 释放 * a great deal of 大量的 * economic potential 经济潜力 * locked away 锁着 * satellite communities 卫星城 [Image] What can be improved in public transportation? Honestly, I can’t think of anything I would change, except for perhaps the subway running later at night as many lines close around 11 pm, but I don't go out late at night anyway, so that doesn't affect me. Is public transportation popular in China? Hmmm, I’d have to say yes, simply because there are so many people. I mean, I think many people usually do a lot of things in China, like even one percent of the population is a very large number of people, but when it comes to public transportation, I’d have to say that generally speaking, millions upon millions of people take public transportation, and unlike, say, Japan, where people are literally squeezed into the subway cars like sardines, that the subway, even during rush hour, minus a few particular lines in some cities, are still fairly comfortable to ride in. It sure beats driving cost-wise, and as I’ve mentioned, it has several favorable aspects, such as safety, cleanliness, etcetera. If a city in China has a subway system, you can guarantee that if a person doesn't have a car but lives relatively close to a subway station, they’ll take the subway. It's a hassle-free way of commuting to work and into the city. * millions upon millions of 千千万万的 * literally 字面意义上 * squeezed into the subway cars like sardines 像沙丁鱼一样挤在地铁上 * beats 战胜 * cost-wise 在价格方面 * etcetera 等等 * hassle-free 省事儿的 [Image]