My name's Nannan. I'm a student. I'm 11 years old. I'm in Class Five. This is my friend. His name is Tom. He's 12 years old. He's in Class Six. My favourite colour is red. His favourite colour is blue. We are not in the same(相同的)class, but we are good friends.

    More than 2,000 years ago, a favourite wife of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty died of illness. The emperor missed her so much that he didn't want to do anything. One day, a minister (大臣) saw children playing with dolls. The shadows on the floor were interesting. The smart minister had an idea.  He made a puppet of the favourite wife and painted it. As night fell, he asked the emperor to watch a puppet show behind a curtain. The emperor was very happy and became interested in it. In this way, puppet shows began.

    Shadow puppets were first made of paper, later from the hides of donkeys (驴皮). That's why their Chinese name is "pi ying". Shadow puppet plays were very popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties in many parts of China.

    Today, shadow puppet plays face extinction like other traditional art forms such as Nuo Drama. We should do something to protect them. Shadow puppet plays in Shaanxi are the most famous. The Academy Gate Cultural Street in Xi'an is a wonderful place for you to choose shadow puppets. Here you can choose from hundreds of figures (人物) in different sizes and poses(姿势).

    One day a woman wrote to a doctor to invite him to have a dinner with her family in the restaurant. The doctor wrote and answered, but he wrote too badly and the woman couldn't read it. "What can I do?" she asked her husband, "I don't know whether he is going to come or not. I don't want to call and say that I don't know what he writes. "

    Her husband thought for a few minutes and he had an idea. "Take it to the chemist, "he said." He will read it for us. "

    "Thank you, "the woman said, "That's a good idea." She went to the chemist's shop and gave the doctor's note to him. The chemist looked at it for a long time.

    "Wait a moment, please." he said, then he went to the back of the shop. After a few minutes he came back, carrying a large bottle to the woman. "Take one spoonful（一匙）every day." he told the woman.

    It was midday when I got the call that my grandfather was not well and he was quickly getting worse. My family didn't know how long he would stay in the world. I knew I had to get to the hospital to tell him how much I loved him. As I drove to the hospital, I pictured him before I got to tell him how much he meant to me. Trying to fight back the tears, I wanted to stay calm when I saw him.

    When I got to the hospital, I hurriedly looked for his hospital room. I found him in a semi-conscious state*. On my knees, I said softly, "Hello, Grandpa."

    Still feeling shy, I decided not to leave his bedside without letting him know. When I asked about how he was, he told me, "I'll be fine, Henry." But we both knew that wasn't true. Then he asked me with a smile how I was doing.

    Hearing what my grandpa said, I was much moved. I made the decision that I had to show my gratitude for him. As I found all the courage* I had, I hold his hand tightly. I cried out, "Grandpa, I just want to let you know how much I love you. I hope you already know that yet. I just want to make sure." By this time, the tears were rolling down my face. All those years of love that I had shut and not let him know became free.

    Smiling, he said," I know. Thank you for telling me that." "All I have on this planet is my family and my love for them. If there is anything I could ask of you, I want you to be good to your family: your mother, your father, and your brother. That's all I want of you."

    From then on, I began telling people how much I loved them, cared for them, and respected them. I got in touch with others to show my thanks. I went down into the city once a week and tried to help the homeless. I woke up every morning and listed everything I was thankful to in my life.

    On a farm lived a father and a son. The father always got up early and read by the window. One morning, the son came up to him and said, Dad, I read books at night but forget most of them the next morning. What's the good of reading?

    The father didn't reply to his question at once. He passed him a basket that was used to carry coal (煤). He said, "Get some water from the river with the basket and then I'll tell you the answer."

    The son felt surprised but he did as his father said. He tried many times but every time the water leaked(漏掉) from the basket.

    An hour later, the son came back with the empty basket and told his father it was impossible to hold water with the basket. The father said with a smile, "Yes, you are right, my son. The basket can't hold water. But did you notice the basket was different?" The son found the dirty basket had become clean. The father continued, "Reading is like holding water with the basket. Although we can't remember all we read, we have changed while reading."