This is a tale of two friends — one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are “disabled”. But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China's Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!

      Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee.

      Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season.

      When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi's direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.

      Though hard-working, the men don't make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”

Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need — a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!

    Music is an important part in our life. We may feel boring without music. Today when you go to stores, stations, restaurants and other places, do you notice music playing at any of these places? The answer must be “Yes”. And you might even hear music in an office or on a farm.

    I like many kinds of music. Classical music is great. Rock music is fast. Light music is relaxing. But I like folk music best. It sounds very beautiful. It can bring me into the dream land. It can make me relax and forget all the problems. It makes me learn better and helps me to be more active. It is true that I learn better when I am relaxed.

Music can also influence(影响) people's behavior(行为). Classical music makes people feel rich(富裕). When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music, people spend less money. Without music, people spend even less. Restaurants can make more money in this way.

Lasting a Lifetime

      Sidney Wilson's watch was old and it did not work well. It was either too fast or too slow. It spent more time in the repair shop than on his wrist (手腕). So he decided to buy himself a new watch.

      He went into a jewelry shop and said to the saleswoman behind the counter.

      “I want to buy a new watch, please. Show me the best watch you have.”

      The saleswoman smiled happily. This was the kind of customer she liked.

     “Certainly, sir,” she said, and showed Sidney a gold watch.

      “This watch is made of gold and has twenty-four jewels,” she explained.

      “How much is it?” Sidney asked.

      “$5,000,” the saleswoman said.

      “Oh,” Sidney said. “I'm sorry. You did not understand me. I want to see the best watch you have for under $100.”

      The sales woman now lost interest in Sidney. She pushed some cheap watches at him. “Choose one from these,” she said rudely.       “They are all under $100.”

      Sidney picked up one of the watches, “Will it last me a lifetime?” he asked.

     “Of course,” the saleswoman said.

     “Then I'll buy it,” Sidney told her. He paid for the watch and left the shop.

      Two days later the watch stopped. Sidney could not make it work again. He took it back to the shop.

      “This watch is broken,” he said to the saleswoman. “You told me it would last me a lifetime.”

     “When you bought it, sir,” the saleswoman said, “you didn't look very well.”

Choose the best answer to each question about the story.

    Bob is a middle school student. He is 13years old. He lives in Shanghai with his parents and his twin brother, Jack. They are in the same( 相同的) school, but in different classes. Bob is good at Maths, but not good at English. He thinks it's a little difficult for him. But he plans to spend more time on it.

    Every morning, Bob gets up early. He usually reads English for half an hour. And then he has breakfast with his family. He usually has two eggs and a glass of milk. After breakfast, he walks to school with his brother. It takes them about twenty minutes to get to school. They get to school at about 7: 40.

    Bob begins his classes at 8: 00. After four lessons in the morning, he has a hamburger, some fish and vegetables for lunch at school. Then he has three classes in the afternoon. His last class is over at 4: 50 p.m. After school, he usually plays football or basketball from 5: 00 p. m. to 6: 00 p.m. He says it is good for his health to play sports every day.

    He gets home at 6: 20 p.m. He usually eats some rice and vegetables for dinner. Sometimes, he eats some noodles. After dinner, he does his homework from 7: 30 to 9: 30. Then he listens to music or reads books for a while( 一会儿). He doesn't watch TV or play computer games on weekdays. He goes to bed at 10: 30 p.m.

    His friends say his lifestyle is very healthy. Do you think so?

    In 2017, the Chinese action movie Wolf Warrior 2 won a big success. It has received much attention and positive reviews after it was shown in China and oversea markets including Australia and the US. The film had earned about 5.68 billion yuan in China.

    The major actor Wu Jing is also the director of the film, who played the role of Leng Feng, a soldier serving for China's Special Forces.

    At the age of six, Wu Jing was sent to the Beijing Sports Institute at Shichahai. Both his father and grandfather were also martial artists. Like Jet Li before him, he competed as a member of the Beijing Wushu Team. Two years later, in 1982 he won the National Wushu Championship. He won first place in several national level Wushu competitions at the junior level and continued to compete as an adult.

    Why has Wolf Warrior 2 gained so much popularity? Besides great scenes and wonderful performances, many Chinese were inspired by the patriotism of the Chinese soldier Leng Feng during the mission(任务). He couldn't finish the mission successfully without the love for our country.

    At the end of the film, Leng Feng led some people to go back to China and then a short message was showed: Citizens of the People's Republic of China. When you encounter danger in a foreign land, do not give up! Please remember, at your back stands a strong motherland.

    For one little boy, it was the coldest winter because his father had an accident and lost a leg. The whole family got into trouble.

    One night, while the boy was hanging out in a small shop, he saw some beautiful bags of coffee. Then he had an idea. He knew his father loved coffee and he also knew stealing wasn't good. But to make his father smile, the boy put a bag of coffee into his jacket and ran back home. His father smiled when he saw the coffee. But, unluckily, before his father could taste it, the shop assistant came and caught the boy. His father became so angry that he beat the boy.

    Years later, the boy became a successful businessman. One day, his mother called and said his father wanted to see him. The boy was busy, so he refused. Weeks later, he received the sad news that his father had died. When he checked his father's things, he found an old box. Inside it was the coffee that he had stolen from the shop. On the bag his father had written：

    "Dear son, I haven't been successful as a father. But I had a dream-to own a coffee shop. Then I could make cups of coffee for you. I'm sorry I didn't make my dream come true."

    The boy felt so sad. He felt guilty about not meeting his father for the last time, and decided to achieve his father's dream. After giving up his own business, he started a coffee business. The coffee business is now a huge success.