Ma Hua graduated from Fudan University. He had a good career in IT and a great life in Shanghai, but he felt there was something missing from his life. He wanted to help others to improve their lives, so in March 2013 he gave up his job. Then he moved to south-west China to do voluntary work in a village primary school.

    He soon became an important member of the local people. In his class, he painted pictures on the walls to help students remember English words. He also spent his money building a playground for the children.

Ma Hua quickly got used to his new life. He got great satisfaction(满意) from his work and felt very happy, even though life there was hard—he had to melt(融化) ice for water and grow vegetables for food. When he was free, he wrote poems describing the peace and beauty around him. Sometimes he would go walking in the mountains and enjoy the beautiful view. Sadly Ma Hua was killed in a car accident in July 2014 at the age of 31. His death was a great loss to all those who knew him, but it is a comfort to know that he lived happily, doing what he loved and enriching the lives of others.

    Weekends are short. They are only two days out of a seven-day week. To make your weekends look longer, you need to plan it better. Here are some ideas.

★Get up at your usual time. The biggest mistake(错误) is to think that the weekend is a good chance(机会) for getting up late. So getting up early can make you feel the weekends are longer.

★Finish homework as early as possible. Nobody wants to do homework, but we have to do it. The earlier you do it at the weekend, the better you will feel. You can do homework from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a. m. on Saturday morning. After doing your homework , you can plan your weekends well.

★Go out to enjoy weekends. Weekends feel longer if you get out and enjoy them. Think about what you like to do. Plan a sports activity, for example, playing football in the park. You can also plan to go to a museum, a zoo, or a park.

    Different countries have different ideas about how to be polite. In Britain, table manners are important. But how do you show good table manners in Britain? Here is some advice:

    How to sit: You should sit up straight in your chair. When you eat, don't pick up the bowl. This is called very bad manners.

    Noises at the table: It is never a good idea to make a noise at the table. 

Using your fingers: Usually we don't pick food up with our fingers when we are eating main dishes. But there are some foods such as pizza, sandwiches, chips and fruit we can eat with fingers.

Passing things: If someone asks you to pass something like the salt, only get it if you are the closest person to it. Never lean (倾斜, 倾倒) across someone else's food. It's more polite not to use it yourself first — pass it directly to the person who asked, and then use it later. It's best to taste your food before you put salt in it.

    Your mouth: It is not polite to talk with your mouth full of food, nor to eat with your mouth open.

    How much to eat: It is polite to eat up the food that you have been offered, so a clear plate is a good plate. It shows that you enjoy the food. If you can't finish everything and you can leave a little, that is okay. You could say something like “That was very nice, thank you.”

    Peter plays basketball for the kids basketball club. He usually gets up at 5:30 and runs in his school from 5:40 to 6:40.After running, he has breakfast at 7 o'clock. For breakfast, he eats some eggs and vegetables. At 8:00,he plays basketball with his friends. They play for a long time. At about 12:00,they have lunch. For lunch, Peter has lots of vegetables, chicken and fruit. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Peter goes to the kids basketball club. Peter has dinner at about 7:00 in the evening. After dinner, he watches basketball games on TV. Peter usually goes to bed at 9:30.

    Question: I'm 15 and I've been having trouble sleeping at night. It usually takes me 2 to 4 hours to get to sleep.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} I can't focus on my lessons at school. Please help me!

Answer: If you are a person who doesn't regularly get a good night's sleep, you are not alone{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Here are some tips for helping you get a good night's sleep.

    ⊙Keep regular hours

By keeping regular hours your body and mind know what is coming up and can start to prepare for you to sleep.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you can't go to bed at a regular time, then make sure you get up at a regular time. So after a late night you wake up tired, and it forces you to go to bed earlier.

    ⊙{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    I know, you hear this about everything from heart health to losing weight, but exercise really does do you a world of good. However, don't do it too close to going to sleep. It is better to do it about an hour after dinner.

    ⊙Relax before going to bed

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In fact, when you lie down to go to sleep, your mind is going to be thinking about the programs you have been watching. Instead, take just 20 or 30 minutes before bed to read or sit, anything that gets you to slow down and gives your mind a rest!

A.Take some exercise.

B.And I usually get about 4 or 5 hours' sleep in a day.

C.It also means you can get in regular number of hours each night.

D.Many people suffer from sleep problems.

E.You may think that watching TV before you go to bed is a good way to relax.

    I wish there would be a way to describe China in a simple word but that's impossible.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I teach in Xiangyang, a beautiful city which the Hanjiang River goes across it and I live here better. The foods are cheaper than those in the US, so are clothing and articles(物品) of everyday us. People pay less for the public transportation, too.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, it is reported that still there are a few children who can't afford the expenses(费用) of schooling. But the government organized Project Hope many years ago. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I seldom saw the things mentioned of the creative(有创造力的) changes China has made. But the economic miracles(经济奇迹) have the big problems.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To be honest, if I compare China with the US, my answer has always been the same: "We are not worse or better than each other; we are only different."