I grew up poor. We had little money, butplenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.

    By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction（信念）.

    One summer a friend recommended me for asummer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates withgirls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.

Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn't be playing. I was dreading（害怕）this, but my mother said: "If you make your bed, you have to lie in it."

When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as madas I expected him to be. "Your playing days are limited. You can't afford to waste them," he said.

   I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house.

"How much are you going to make at this job, son?" he demanded.

"Three twenty-five an hour," I replied.

"Well," he asked, "is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?"

    That question laidbare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having agoal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and boughtmy mother the house of my dream.

Top 5 Must See Places in Beijing

    Beijing is an old capital city with a lot of tourists attractions. What is the most representative place in Beijing? The answers are various. Here are the Top 5 Must See Places in Beijing.

1）. Forbidden City

    The Forbidden City is the ideal place for you to begin your exploration of Beijing. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as you have to walk a lot! A multilingual guide recorder is recommended, as it can tell you the stories behind the palace.

Opening Hour: 8:30-17:00

Entrance Fee: RMB 60

2）. Tian'anmen Square

    Lying in the heart of Beijing City, it is the place for massive parades and gathering. It boasts of the largest square of such kind in the world. At sunrise and sunset the raising and lowering ceremony of the Chinese National Flag is well worth seeing.

Ticket fees: Free

Opening Time: Whole Day

3）. Great Wall

    Most of the sections of the Great Wall in Beijing are well-preserved, and the most famous section is Badaling. For the Great Wall hiking, get ready for strong footwear. For hot weather, please also prepare sunblock, sunglasses and water.

Badaling Great Wall:

Ticket Fees: RMB40 (Nov. 01 to Mar. 31); RMB 45 (Apr. 01 to Oct. 31)

Open Hours: 6:40 to 18:30

4）. Summer Palace

    Regarded as the largest imperial garden in China, the Summer Palace is in fact a park-styled royal retreat. With masterly design and artistic architecture integrating the highlight of Chinese garden arts, it has earned a title of "Royal Garden Museum".

Open Time: 6:30-20:30

Ticket Fee: RMB 40 (low season) / RMB 50 (peak season during the holidays)

5）. Temple of Heaven

    The Temple of Heaven worked as sacrificial compound buildings for the Ming and Qing emperors. What's the intriguing by-production of the temple is that if you enter the Temple of Heaven in the early morning, you can find many people doing all types of Kungfu, Taiji, dancing and other morning exercises.

Open Time: 6:00-21:00

Ticket Fee: RMB 35

    Last night Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stayed home. It was cold and rainy and they didn't want to go out in the bad weather. Mrs. Rojas made some popcorn and ice tea. At 8:00, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas went into the living room, sat on the sofa and began the movie and ate and drank. At 8:15, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas realized they already watched the movie last year and they didn't want to watch it again.

    “Now what?” asked Mr. Rojas. “Let's play cards!” answered Mrs. Rojas. At 8:30 Mr. and Mrs. Rojas started to play cards. They were playing for about 10 minutes when Mr. Rojas looked out the window. The rain changed to snow and the trees were covered in beautiful white snow. “I'm happy we stayed home tonight. It looks beautiful outside but this weather is very dangerous to drive in.” said Mr. Rojas. “You're right,” said Mrs. Rojas, “but I'm bored. Let's play some music and dance.”

    Mr. Rojas was surprised. “Dance? But I really don't ….”

    “Oh come on!” Mrs. Rojas insisted. She put on a romantic CD and they both started to dance. They were dancing for about 1 minute when suddenly the music stopped and the lights went out.  Mrs. Rojas laughed. “We're just not very lucky tonight, are we?” she said. Mr. Rojas said, “Of course we're lucky! We are together!” He kissed her and continued to dance with her, in the dark and without music.

    It seems that electronic devices just keep getting smaller. Scientists in the United States have announced the creation of the first transistor with only two dimensions(二维).

    A transistor is a small electronic device that transfers or carries electronic current. Scientists hope these new 2D transistors will be used for building high-resolution(高分辨率)displays that need very little energy.

    Two groups of scientists created these 2D transistors. They report that the transistors are only a few atoms thick.

    Usually transistors are made with the element silicon(硅). Computer processors, memory chips, TV screens and other electronic devices contain billions of silicon-based transistors. But these very small electrical parts have certain limitations.

    Dimitris Ioannou is an electrical engineering professor at George Mason University. He says the traditional transistor has been improved as much as it can be. He adds that researchers have been looking for new materials with special features and they want transistors to be seen through and soft.

    "If the layers are very thin, the transistor can become flexible, so it doesn't have to be rigid(坚硬的), like it would be in a silicon chip. So people can think of applications like wearable electronics, television screens and other things," said Ioannou.

    These new transistors can also carry higher current. They also can move the current much faster than traditional transistors. This is important for high-definition screens.

    Dimitris Ioannou says the scientific success could prove very useful in the future. "Now, how good and how useful it will be, it's still in the stage of research, but it certainly is an advance," said Ioannou.

Shuttlecock (毽子) kicking is a traditional popular folk game, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (date) as far back as the Han Dynasty.The fun game gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty, when {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (store) specializing in the shuttlecock business appeared. In the Qing Dynasty, shuttlecock kicking reached its peak in terms of both making techniques and kicking skills.

To make a feather shuttlecock, a piece of cloth wrapped around a coin {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (need). Through the coin hole you can stick some feathers, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} function is to delay the rising and falling of the shuttlecock.

There {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (be) a great number of variations in styles and methods of kicking. With one leg fixed on the ground, the shuttlecock is kicked by the inner ankle of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} other. Some other styles include kicking the shuttlecock backwards and forwards between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some actions that are {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (fair) wonderful. The challenge of the increasingly difficult levels of shuttlecock kicking has made it a popular and timeless game among Chinese children.

Playing with shuttlecocks is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (benefit) to health. When people are kicking shuttlecocks, various parts of the body need to work together, which enhances balance capabilities and physical flexibility and helps them strengthen their legs. Besides, shuttlecock kicking is convenient {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (play). It can be practiced just about anywhere and anytime.

Since the establishment of the Chinese Shuttlecock Kicking Association in 1987, the national shuttlecock kicking tournament has been held annually, appealing {#blank#}10{#/blank#} people of all ages.

Paper cutting is one of the most popular decorative Chinese handicrafts. It is popular for its low cost and artistry. Rural women often make paper cuttings in their spare time when farming is not busy. As a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (reflect) of its philosophical origins, paper cutting is comprehensive and attractive. Moreover, folk paper cutting conveys (表达) the content and nature of traditional culture with {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it) own particular language.

The history of paper cutting {#blank#}3{#/blank#}_(date) back to around the 6th century. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (especial) during Chinese festivals. The art spread to the rest of the world in the 14th century.

These days, with a pair of scissors {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a piece of red paper, Fu Zhao'e from the Ningxia Hui autonomous region cut out an image of Argentina football star Lionel Messi within a couple of minutes.

Since the Qatar World Cup {#blank#}6{#/blank#}_(start), Fu, 63, has been creating works of football superstars, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} are favored by a lot of her friends. "I can cut out anything that I can picture in my mind, people, animals and scenery{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (include)," said Fu, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (add) that people say the cuttings were lifelike.

Fu is a national-level inheritor (继承人) of paper-cutting. Her works show the customs of northwestern China and have strong ethnic characteristics. She was recognized as {#blank#}10{#/blank#} Chinese folk craft artist by UNESCO.