Everyone faces challenges in their life, but some are more important than others. Daniel Kish had serious problems with his eyes when he was born. And doctors took away both of his eyes before he was fourteen months old.

    Soon after, however, he started to do an amazing thing. He started to make clicking(咔嗒) sounds with his tongue(舌头) to help him move around. Much like a bat(蝙蝠), he now moves about using sonar(声呐). He is so good at it that he can ride a bicycle in traffic. He and his group, World Access for the Blind, teach others how to use sonar. In this interview with National Geographic, Kish explains how the process works.

    How does sonar work?

    "When I make a clicking sound, it makes sound waves. These waves reflect(反射) off surfaces all around and return to my ears. My brain then processes the sounds into images(图像). It's like having a conversation with the environment

    When you click, what do you see in your mind?

    "Each click is like a camera flash. I make a 3D image of the things around me for hundreds of feet in every direction

    What is it like riding a bike using sonar?

    "It's exciting and enjoyable but requires a lot of focus. I click up to two times per second, much more than I usually do."

    Is it dangerous to move around the world in this way?

"Much of the world lives in fear of things that we mostly imagine. I have a habit of climbing anything and everything, but I never broke a bone (骨头) as a kid."

    How challenging is it to teach people to use sonar?

    "Many students are surprised how quickly results come. Seeing isn't in the eyes, it's in the mind."

    A little boy almost thought of himself as the unluckiest child in the world because he was born with a lame (瘸的) leg. He seldom played with his classmates and always lowered his head without a word.

    One spring, the boy's father gave each child a small tree to plant." Whoever grows the best tree will get a favorite gift," he said to them. Seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees happily in the garden, he had a terrible idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So he never cared about it.

    A few days later, he was surprised to find it not only didn't die, but also grew some fresh leaves, and it looked greener and healthier than the others. He got a favorite gift and was told by his father: from the tree he planted, he would become a great botanist (植物学家). One night, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, he suddenly remembered what his teacher once said: most plants grew at night. Why not go to see the lovely tree? When he came to the garden, he found his father was watering his tree carefully. At that time, he understood: his father had secretly taken good care of his shall tree! He returned to his room with tears (泪水) running out.

    Many years passed. The little boy didn't become a botanist, but he was known as a great president of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

    Mr. and Mrs. Brown are from America. They are now teaching English in Zhengzhou. Their son Jack is with them. Jack speaks English. They want him to learn some Chinese. Jack is in Grade Three in a Chinese school. He plays with Chinese children every day. He listens to Chinese, speaks(讲) Chinese, reads books in Chinese and writes in Chinese. He is doing well in his Chinese.

Liu Lingli was born in Hengyang, Hunan Province in 1973. She has been a teacher for hearing-impaired (听力受损的) children for 33 years. 

When she was fourteen, she went to study in Nanjing Normal University of Special Education. After graduation, she became a teacher at Hengyang Normal School of Special Education and taught Chinese language to first graders. She practiced sign language in front of the mirror for about two hours every day till she mastered it. 

In 2005, at the age of 32, Liu gave birth to her own child. Unluckily, the boy was found to be hearing-impaired when he was seven months old. Instead of taking him to hospital, she provided therapy (治疗) for the child herself after work. Because of Liu's tireless efforts, her son could make some sound after several months of training. 

In order to help her students speak, she puts her lips against their hands to let them feel the movement of the lips and the flow of the air. After class, she also has one-on-one training with each student for 20 minutes every day. As a result, she usually has a sore throat at the end of the day and her voice becomes hoarse. 

Liu believes anyone can succeed if he never gives up. Thanks to her help, many students showed great improvement. More than 20 of the over 80 students she has taught have received higher education. Deng Liang, one of her first students, graduated from Tianjin University of Technology in 2007. 

For her contributions (贡献) to society, especially her work with the hearing-impaired, Liu Lingli was elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress (全国人大代表) last year, and received the Person Touching China award for 2023 in April, 2024.