Passage 1

What makes you cry? Being moved by a soppy or sad movie, waving a loved one off, or getting emotional after splitting up with your partner can all cause tears to roll down our faces. We all have the power to cry, but is that a good thing?

When you think about it, shedding tears from your eyes is an odd thing to do. But it seems to be an automatic reaction when we get sad, upset or even when we’re very happy. What triggers this reaction differs from person to person. However, the feeling is the same-your cheeks puff up, your eyes tighten and before you know it, tears are streaming down your face. Some of us may sniffle a little while others might cry like a baby – and some people suggest that it’s women who cry more than men.

A study in the UK in 2017 found that women admitted that they cry 72 times a year. This was, on average, more than men. Writing for the BBC, Adam Rutherford says “According to pretty much every study done, women do cry more than men, and this result has been consistent since we’ve been looking.” But does this mean men don’t get as upset or emotional as women, or are they just more embarrassed about showing their true feelings? The debate continues.

One place where we experience emotional and tearful outbursts is in the workplace. This can be somewhere where emotions run high – someone might be stressed, their workload might be too much, and, as therapist, Joanna Cross told the BBC, “Crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt-with situations and it’s a bit of a final straw moment.” She describes how someone might start weeping when they’re just asked to make a cup of tea because, “actually that’s often a backlog of situations.”

But crying in the office or elsewhere can be cathartic: it can actually make you feel better. Maybe it dissolves or clears the negative or sad feelings you’ve had.

Bawling your eyes out shows others how you feel, so perhaps it’s a crying shame that more of us, particularly men, don’t cry more often.

Passage 2

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Heat, is the 11th solar term of the year, signifies the hottest period is coming but the extreme hot point has yet to arrive.

In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production. But solar term culture is still useful today to guide people's lives through cultural activities and special foods that go with each term.

Storms, thunder and hail often happen during Minor Heat, though in some years there might be droughts. One of the prevailing farming activities during Minor Heat is staying on top of flood control and drought relief.

In Minor Heat, high temperatures are good for the growth of the lotus flower. From Minor Heat to the Double Ninth Festival, the lotus flower is in full bloom, and always simple but elegant.

Minor Heat comes when all kinds of melons are being harvested. One custom in Nanjing, Jiangsu province has to do with enjoying small melons on the day of Minor Heat and having big melons on the day of Major Heat. Small and big melons normally refer to cantaloupes and watermelons.

Dumplings are the traditional and household food among Chinese. When the "dog day" comes, people tend to lose their appetites, and dumplings can refresh people’s feelings toward food. During the Minor Heat period, with the longest amount of sunlight and the strongest sunlight radiation, many families hang their clothes out in the sun to prevent mildew.