Question: As young Chinese increasingly forget how to write characters because they don't have to, using keyboards and touch screen technology on mobile phones is changing the trend.

For Yin Liang, a 26-year-old purchasing agent at a company, his embarrassment over forgetting how to write characters has gradually disappeared since he started to use the handwriting input method on his iPhone 4 a month ago.

"When you write on the touch screen, you use your finger, instead of a mouse or keyboard," Yin says.

"Actually, your finger is like a pen, writing the complicated characters that have long been spelled by pinyin, an alphabet-based input system. Whether typing on computers or texting on phones, most users in China type by phonetically spelling out the sounds of the characters and the software then gives a menu of characters that fit the pronunciation, so users only need to recognize the character.

Handwriting technology on a mobile phone touch screen has been around for years and became popular with the iPhone, which recognizes the input and offers a wide selection of characters.

"It's efficient and accurate," Yin says.

Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world, but as pinyin-based typing has become more widespread, youths have started forgetting how to write out characters. This was one of the main topics for debate at the first Cross-Straits Chinese Character Art Festival, held recently in Beijing, which attracted experts from Taiwan and the mainland.

According to Zhang Zikang, president of the Culture and Art Publishing House, writing with a pen on the touch screen brings handwriting into the digital age. It is even better when you write with your finger, feeling the flow of the cursive script and the grace and art of Chinese characters, he says.

"Smart gadgets don't take life from the square-shaped characters, instead they offer a new and advanced platform to show the charm of Chinese characters, which are always evolving," Zhang says. 1. What is like a pen?
2. Who are fogetting how to draw letters?
3. Why?
4. What is helping to change that?
5. What is the name of a purchasing agent?
6. How old is he?
7. How long has handwriting ability been available on phones?
8. Which phone made it popular? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. your finge
2. young Chinese
3. they don't have to, using keyboards and touch screen technology on mobile phones
4. the handwriting input method on his iPhone 4
5. Yin Liang
6. 26
7. Handwriting technology on a mobile phone touch screen has been around for years
8. popular with the iPhone

Question: Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign.

The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry's awards season, which culminates each year in the Academy Awards.

The 74th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television in 2016, was broadcast live on January 8, 2017. Jimmy Fallon hosted the show.

In 1943, a group of writers banded together to form the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and by creating a generously distributed award called the Golden Globe Award, they now play a significant role in film marketing. The 1st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, was held in January 1944, at the 20th Century-Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies were held at various venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

In 1950, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the decision to establish a special honorary award to recognize outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Recognizing its subject as an international figure within the entertainment industry, the first award was presented to director and producer, Cecil B. DeMille. The official name of the award thus became the Cecil B. DeMille Award. 1. When was the Hollywood Foreign Press Association started?
2. What award are they responsible for?
3. When did that start?
4. When was the first award given?
5. Where?
6. Was that the permanent site of the ceremonies?
7. What are a couple others?
8. How often do the give the awards?
9. What industry is it for?
10. Is this only for Americans?
11. Who was the host of the 17th Awards?
12. What about the 74th?
13. Where was it?
14. When was it?
15. Who had an award named after them?
16. What role do they play in film making?
17. What year was the first one given?
18. What kind of figure gets this award?
19. How many members are in the association?
20. How much does an award cost? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. 1943
2. Golden Globe Award
3. 1943
4. January 1944
5. 20th Century-Fox studios
6. no
7. Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
8. annually
9. film
10. no
11. unknown
12. Jimmy Fallon
13. unknown
14. January 8, 2017
15. Cecil B. DeMille
16. director
17. 1950
18. international figures within the entertainment industry
19. 93
20. unknown

Question: "Ceci, wake up. It's an earthquake!" That's what Cecilia Wallace heard her mother shouting on the early morning of February 27th.

Cecilia is a 7th-grader. She, her parents and her brother, Sam, were in Chile's capital city, Santiago, the day a big earthquake hit Chile. And like just about everyone else, they were shaken out of their sleep.

"It was so frightening," Sam wrote. "The shaking was so huge that I will never go on a ride again." Cecilia and Sam wrote about their earthquake experiences. Their reports were later posted on the website.

Cecilia, Sam and their parents were staying in an apartment on the 15th floor of a building. They were lucky. Their building stayed standing, because it was built to withstand earthquakes.

Not everyone was as lucky as the Wallace family. More than 800 people died. Many older buildings fell down during the earthquake.

The damage in Santiago wasn't as bad as in other parts of Chile. So the supermarkets were open for business on the morning of the quake. But it wasn't business as usual. "The supermarkets have been crazy with people rushing to buy their food for the next while," Sam wrote.

Not everyone was able to get money to buy food that morning. So Cecilia and Sam made food bags to _ to people who were begging outside the supermarket. "We gave some to a kid of my age. I made sure he got cookies and bread." Sam and Cecilia's mother wrote that the kids also collected money for the Red Cross.

It's certainly an experience Cecilia, Sam and their parents will never forget. Thankfully, they lived to tell their stories. 1. What happened on Feb 27?
2. Where?
3. Who experienced this?
4. Did everyone survive?
5. How many perished?
6. Was the family able to help others?
7. How?
8. Where did the family live in Chile?
9. Did they have a house?
10. What dwelling did they live in?
11. Was there anything special about the building? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. an earthquake
2. in Chile
3. Cecilia, her parents and her brother, Sam
4. No
5. More than 800 people
6. Yes
7. They made food bags to _ to people who were begging outside the supermarket
8. in Chile's capital city, Santiago
9. No
10. an apartment
11. it was built to withstand earthquakes