For many foreigners who have visited or worked in China, one of their strong impressions is that the country is very safe. Here , you can go out alone late at night to eat at a food stand without feeling nervous. You can also let your younger children ride public transport all by themselves without worrying about their safety.

    This year, 2018 , marks 8 special anniversary of the launching of the reform and opening up policy, which took place two score years ago in China. Over the past few decades, the country has achieved fast economic growth, while social peace and stability have been maintained(维护) to the fullest extent at the lowest cost. Of course, there are still unsolved problems. However, from the overall aspect, Chinese society remains harmonious and safe. In my eyes , this should be attributed(归于) largely to the cultural ;economic and political environment of the country.

    A society can be stable and orderly only when its people can lead a prosperous(繁荣的) life. After the introduction of the reform and opening up policy, China achieved fast economic growth and significant scientific and technological progress. In the meantime, the Chinese government has taken various measures such 2s those to fight corruption, reduce poverty and promote the rule of law, in order to uphold social equity. Thanks to these efforts, the potential factors that might cause social problems have been greatly reduced.

    Apart from government departments including the police and judicial(司法的) departments , the general public also contributes much to social governance. The development of information technology has created new ways of linking the police and the public. By jointly fighting crimes in such ways, the public and the police have developed an ever-increasing level of mutual trust and positive interaction.

    The safety and stability in China did not come easily. Rather; it should be attributed to the efforts made by 1.3 'billion people. For both Chinese and foreigners living in the country, the sense of safety and security is very precious.

    Amy Pankratz spent a few nights in the hospital with her daughter, Isabella, who caught a bad flu. “Lying in bed beside Isabella, I could hear the cries of children in pain, ”says Amy. “It completely broke my heart. ”

    When Isabella was getting well and could leave her room, she wore her prized possession—a “superhero cape(短斗篷)”Amy had sewn to encourage her—and walked into the hallway. The pink cape was an instant hit with the other young patients, who were doing exercise around the nursing station. “Then, all the kids were taking turns wearing the cape, giggling, ”Amy says. “These were some of the same children I had heard crying the night before, and here they were playing and having fun—kids just being kids! ”

    From that moment on, Amy began making Comfort Capes for little ones battling with serious illnesses. “I felt God presenting an opportunity, ”she says. “I hoped Comfort Capes can help these kids feel brave, to lift some of the fear away. ”

    Since then, Amy has made and donated more than 5, 000 capes in the United States. Amy usually pays for materials herself, although she accepts donations.

    The capes she makes for kids in treatment are different from those her own children have. Before Amy starts to sew she learns what image or character the little boy or girl connects with. “ I choose the pattern, color and theme specially for each child,” explains Amy.

    When she is not sewing, Amy is raising awareness of childhood cancers and looking into ways to get Comfort Capes to more kids who need them, “ If a cape can help a child, even only for a moment, forget his illness, it's worth the time spent sewing,” she says.

    After retirement, Michael Kennedy could have chosen to take walks around his seaside home. Instead, the former mechanical engineer engaged himself in the toughest task of his life - keeping the thundering waves of the Norfolk coast.

    The 73-year-old has spent the past 14 years building his own sea wall at Hunstanton, piling up rocks picked from the sandy beach to slow the erosion （侵蚀）of the soft limestone （石灰岩）and chalk cliffs. It's estimated that Michael has shifted 200 tons of stone in the last 14 years.

    “It's a real labour of love because I come down here whatever the weather, in spring, summer, autumn and winter,” said the divorced father of two. “It keeps me fit and I love it.”

    Mr Kennedy moved to the area after retiring from the London Underground. Nicknamed Fred Flintstone by locals, he tries to move at least 40 pounds of rocks in two-hour sessions which he finishes by 2 pm.

    Everything he collects is placed into piles at the foot of the cliffs. Larger rocks go at the bottom to provide the main line of defence and smaller ones are placed at the top. He also picks up rubbish and prides himself on having created a spotless, stone-free sandy beach for holidaymakers to enjoy.

    The work goes on six days a week. Saturdays are his day off so that the Chelsea “fanatic” can watch football and other sports. However, there are signs that he is becoming a victim of his own success, as the number of stones has dwindled significantly in recent months.

    “It's confusing, Mr Kennedy said. “Usually every year the stones just come in with the sea but this year we haven't had any.” He added, “I hope to still be doing it when I'm 100 but perhaps just four days a week instead of six.”

    Town mayor Peter Mallam said Mr Kennedy had become “quite a local legend”. “It's fascinating. Everyone knows of the old guy who collects the stones. He's done a sterling effort.”

    Food sometimes gets poisoned with harmful things. A person who eats such food can get an illness called food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually not serious, but some types are deadly. The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin within hours of eating the poisoned food. Fever is one of the most common symptoms.

    Certain microorganisms(微生物)cause most types of food poisoning. Bacteria and other microorganisms can poison eggs, meat, vegetables, and many other foods. After entering the body, these tiny living things release(释放)poisons that make people sick.

    Some chemicals can also cause food poisoning. They are often added to food while it is being grown, processed, or prepared. For example, many farmers spray chemicals on crops to kill weeds and insects. Some people may have a bad reaction to those chemicals when they eat the crops.

    Some plants and animals contain natural poisons that are harmful to people. These include certain kinds of seafood, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and mushrooms.

    When people handle food properly, the risk of food poisoning is very small. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in dirty places and in warm temperatures. This means that people should never touch food with dirty hands or put food on unwashed surfaces. Food should be kept in a refrigerator to stop microorganisms from growing. Meat needs to be cooked thoroughly to kill any dangerous microorganisms. People should also wash food covered with chemicals before eating it. Finally, people should not eat wild mushrooms or other foods that grow in the wild. Some of these foods may contain natural materials that are poisonous to humans. In addition, some types of fish can be poisonous.

    Most people recover from food poisoning after a few days of resting and drinking extra water. If people eat natural poisons, they must go to the hospital right away to have their stomachs emptied.

    As a young adult, Noah Webster was a teacher. At that time, the colonies were fighting for independence from Britain. Yet the books that American children used in school all came from Britain. The books were all about British people and British places. Webster wanted books that would mean more to American children. So he wrote three books that used American examples—a grammar book, a spelling book, and a reader. These books were very popular, and millions of them were sold.

    Webster was interested in changing the spellings of words. He wanted words to be spelled the way they were pronounced. For example, he thought the word "head" should be spelled "hed", and the word "laugh" should be spelled "laf". People liked Webster's suggestions.

    However, few words were actually changed. One group of words that were changed were words in which an unpronounced "u" followed an "o". That is why Americans write "color" and "labor", and the British write "colour" and "labour".

    With the money he made from his books, Webster was able to write. It was the first American English dictionary, published in 1828.Webster's dictionary had over 70，000 words and gave the meaning and origin of each. To this day, Webster's work is the example that most dictionaries of American English follow.

    When I was nine years old, I loved to go fishing with my dad. But the only thing that wasn't very fun about it was that he could catch many fish while I couldn't catch anything. I usually got pretty upset and kept asking him why. He always answered, "Son, if you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish." I remember being even more upset then because, "I'm not a fish!" I didn't know how to think like a fish. Besides, I reasoned, how could what I think influence what a fish does?

    As I got a little older I began to understand what my dad really meant. So, I read some books on fish. And I even joined the local fishing club and started attending the monthly meetings. I learned that a fish is a cold-blooded animal and therefore is very sensitive to water temperature. That is why fish prefer shallow water to deep water because the former is warmer. Besides, water is usually warmer in direct sunlight than in the shade. Yet, fish don't have any eyelids (眼皮) and the sun hurts their eyes. The more I understood fish, the more I became effective at finding and catching them.

    When I grew up and entered the business world, I remember hearing my first boss say, "We all need to think like sales people." But it didn't completely make sense. My dad never once said, "If you want to catch a fish you need to think like a fisherman." What he said was, "You need to think like a fish." Years later, with great efforts to promote long-term services to people much older and richer than me, I gradually learned what we all need is to think more like customers. It is not an easy job. I will show you how in the following chapters.