On a rainy day, about 150 volunteers worked for eight hours to clean up Carson Creek that is near a river. About nine tons of trash was taken out from there.

    “We did a good job,” said Alan Specter, the organizer of the event. “We're planning to come back here one more time, three years from now. Of course, we hope that there won't be so much trash next time.”

    The trash came in all shapes, sizes, and colors: cans, bottles, bicycles, batteries, furniture, clothing, plastic bags, dolls, and even a golf bag with a full set of golf clubs (球棒).

    The dirty and tiring work was done by two volunteering groups — Save the Bay and Watch the Whales. Most of the volunteers came from a local police station and a fire station. And some of them were old people who had already retired (退休).

    That day, it rained a little. All of them wore boots, gloves and raincoats. They did the work along a two-mile river with over 500 big yellow trash bags everywhere.

    No one found anything that cost much. A five-year-old boy found an earring which he thought might be worth a million dollars. He said he'd sell it. Then he'd donate half of the money to Watch the Whales, and use the other half to buy his favorite ice cream every day.

    Many people laughed at the boy's story. However, it was easily found that the environment there did become better.

    Lao She wrote Teahouse in 1957. The play shows the audience life in China between 1898 and 1945. It takes place in a teahouse in old Beijing and it tells us the story of Wang Lifa and his customers(顾客). It describes the changes in Chinese society over fifty years.

    The story starts in 1898 during the Qing Dynasty(朝代). It continues in 1916, and finally, it brings the audience to the end of the Anti-Japanese War（抗日战争）in 1945. After the war, Wang loses the teahouse and he dies.

    Lao She was born in Beijing in 1899. He wrote many plays, novels and short stories. He was named a “People's Artist” and a “Great Master of Language”. He was one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century.

    In Lao She Teahouse today, waiters bring tea to the customers and sell them delicious Chinese food. If you like the Beijing Opera, folk music, acrobatic (杂技的) or magic shows, you can enjoy them at the teahouse. Lao She Teahouse gives a wonderful welcome to everyone around the world.

    Mak Som was an old lady in her seventies. She was often seen collecting unwanted boxes from rubbish bins. She would then put them on her old bicycle and sold them to the rubbish station. Many villagers had offered to take her in (收容) but she refused. She wanted to be independent. At night, she would sleep on a bench in the park.

    One day, the village headman called a meeting. They discussed Mak Som's condition and decided to build her a small house as a surprise gift. After buying the necessary materials, the villagers started working. Even the children went to help. They liked carrying tools or just passing things for the workers.

    Mak Som was curious and asked others what was happening. Someone told her that a villager's relative was moving in and people were only helping to build a house for him.

    After the house was completed, the villagers decided to hold a party in it. The headman invited Mak Som to go there together. He then said that the new house was a gift to Mak Som. She didn't want the house at first and said that she didn't have enough money to pay for it. After making her believing that it was a gift of love from the villagers, she finally accepted. With tears of joy, Mak Som thanked every one of the villagers. The villagers were glad that they had done something for this elderly member of their community.

    Jane Austen(1775-1817), an English novelist, started writing from an early age and completed six major novels in her life. Today Austen's books are more popular than ever. Some of her novels have been made into films while her books continue to be best-sellers

    Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English from the University of Oxford says that her novels are about marriage, friendships and the family, which are still with us today." The stories are timeless," Jenkyns says.

    Pride and Prejudice(《做慢与偏见》)(1813) is Austen' s most famous work. It is a love story about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. At first, they dislike each other. Elizabeth is pretty, smart and lively. She is proud because Mr. Darcy doesn't know about her and her family. Mr. Darcy is handsome, rich and has a better family background. So, he is proud as well. At the same time, Mr. Darcy holds a prejudice against the Bennet family. He has no understanding of why the family, especially the mother and daughters who try so hard to find wealthy and powerful husbands. He thinks they are vulgar. Anyway, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy finally fall in love and become a romantic couple but their families don't want them to do so.

    In Pride and Prejudice, some of the main things that Jane Austen wanted to teach people are as follows. Opposites can attract each other. Lovers should not only make each other feel relaxed or comfortable, but also educate and improve each other.

    Austen is often called the greatest romantic writer, so it is surprising she remained unmarried. "Maybe she was too romantic, waiting for the perfect man," Jenkyns says.

    For Schultz, a 77-year-old man, this is a chance of a lifetime.Schultz is part of a group of around 50 Germans who are on a bus journey along the ancient Silk Road.

    Speaking of his journey, he says, "I have been deeply interested in the Silk Road since I was a child ,but now I finally have a chance to experience it."

    The two-month bus journey will take the group through Germany ，Russia and other 4 European countries. They will then enter China from the country's western part. It will be an unforgettable memory for them.

    Nearly half of the 13,000-kilometer trip will be inside China. From Xinjiang in the west to Shanghai in the east, the German visitors will see more than 20 Chinese cities. "We have managed the trip of the Silk Road for around 10 years. An increasing number of people, not only from German-speaking countries ,have been joining us ,"says Liu Guoqiang from China Tours.

    Almost 26 million foreigners traveled to China in 2015, and about 5 million of them were from Europe. Beijing ,Xi'an , Shanghai and the Changjiang River are traditional Chinese travel destinations(目的地) for European tourists. Speaking of where he wants to go ,Schultz says ,"Compared with modern cities ,the culture in western China attracts(吸引)me more."

    As Shi Xiang head of the China Tours, says ,"Being a new brand to attract foreign visitors ,the Silk Road is good for people to know more about China ,especially the northwestern part of the country."

    (China Daily)