In a small Chinese town lived a poor young man named Liang. He loved painting. One night, an old man with a long beard visited Liang in a1. He gave Liang a paintbrush.
"Use this magic paintbrush to help the2, he said, " but don't use it to help people who are rich and greedy(贪婪的), or you will lose your skill and you will3 paint again."
When Liang woke up, he found the paintbrush 4 on the table by his bed. He painted a butterfly and was surprised to see it5 the page and out of the window.
Liang ran out of his little house and started painting things for people. He painted a buffalo(水牛) to help a farmer,6 for hungry people and clothes for people who were cold.
However, a rich man 7 the paintbrush and asked Liang to paint some gold for him but Liang 8.
"If you don't paint for me, I'll cut your fingers off," the rich man said. "Then you will never paint again."9 Liang painted an island of gold in the middle of a blue sea and a boat for the man.
The man got in the boat and went on his way toward the island, laughing. When the rich man was halfway there, Liang painted a 10 in the side of the boat. The boat sank into the water and nobody ever saw the man again.
64-year-old Zhang Guimei is a teacher. She has spent about 40 years helping young girls from poor families in Yunnan to receive a higher education. Her school, Huaping Girls High School in Lijiang City, is the first full-tuition free(学费全免的) high school for girls from poor families in China.
Zhang moved to Lijiang at the age of 17 to teach in the middle school in Huaping County. Once, she got badly ill but had no money for the treatment(治疗). With the help of the people there, she was able to get the necessary treatment. "From then on, I told myself that I must do something for those people who helped me," Zhang said.
Slowly, a dream of setting up a free high school for girls in Huaping County emerged in Zhang's heart. From the year of 2002, she began a six-year journey to look for funds(资金). In 2008, Zhang finally set up Huaping Girls High School at the foot of the Shizi Mountain in Huaping.
Until now, Zhang's school has sent more than1,600 girls to universities. "I'm very thankful to her. She made us girls from poor areas able to go and see the world outside, "said Yang Qian, a graduate(毕业生) from Zhang's school.
Zhang's story moves many people. To help her, the Yunnan Normal University planned to send 46 future graduates as teachers each year to her school.
It is often said that dogs are "man's best friends". But for some children in China, this idea has taken on an even deeper meaning.
Wu Qi, a dog trainer (驯养师) in Shanghai, started the Paw for Heal (PFH) program in China about eight years ago. The program trains dogs for animal-assisted therapy (动物辅助治疗). These animals help elderly people feel calm and less stressed. They also help people with mental illnesses (精神疾病).
In Shanghai, the dogs have been trained to help kids with autism（孤独症）. Autistic children are easily confused (困惑的) or scared by their environments. But when the PFH dogs are around, they feel much more calm.
Pet owners can train their pets to become therapy dogs through PFH. Although this training is difficult (only 20 percent of dogs end up passing the program), it also helps a lot of people.
"She (my dog) makes me happy every day, and I think she can bring happiness to other people in need as well," pet owner Wang Rui said in a report by Sixth Tone.
Animal-assisted therapy is new to China. But Wu has high hopes for the future, as he is now working together with a Scottish (苏格兰的) university to improve his program.
"Through learning from the European team, China may shorten the time to catch up with Western countries in this field (领域) by several decades." Wu said in the Sixth Tone report.
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "space meat"? It sounds quite weird. But in fact, it could very well be the future of the human diet.
A Russian astronaut recently "grew" meat aboard the International Space Station. Yes, you read that right --he grew it using cells (细胞) provided by an Israeli company called Aleph Farms. But in fact, he was not the first person to create lab-grown (实验室培育的) meat. Dutch scientist Mark Post grew the first lab meat in 2013.
But why bother growing meat in a lab when we can get the real thing from cows? For one thing, lab-grown meat is healthier. "We gain greater control over what the meat consists of (由……组成), for example its fat content," Post said in an interview with The Atlantic. Lab-grown meat is also free of the chemicals that are used on farms, such as pesticides (农药) and growth hormones (激素).
Are there other ways to replace (代替) regular meat? McDonalds is trying to do so with the P.L.T., which stands for plant, lettuce and tomato. The first P.L.T. burgers are already being sold in Canada, according to the fast food company.
The "meat" in the P.L.T. is made out of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat substitute (替代品) created by a company from Los Angeles, US. The company uses pea, rice and bean proteins to produce patties (肉饼) that look and taste like real meat.
Experts doubt whether these products are healthier than real meat. But they have already proven to be a success, with several fast food companies already offering such products on their menus, according to Fox Business.
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A. In the book, you can enjoy a wonderful story about friendship. B. Ivan has trouble getting along with other animals. C. So far it has won a lot of people's hearts. D. Ivan lives in a shopping mall with a group of other animals. E. Like Julia, Ariana Greenblatt is smart and she's an animal lover. F. However, when a young elephant named Ruby arrives at the mall, Ivan's memories of life in the forestreturn. |
The film The One and Only Ivan is about Ivan, an old gorilla(大猩猩). They are Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, Frankie the seal, Murphy the rabbit, and Henrietta the chicken. They perform(表演) for people together every day.
After living in the mall for quite a long time, Ivan doesn't remember much about his earlier life. Ivan starts to question his own life, thinking about where he comes from and what he wants to be. He wants to live a better life. Then he and his friends start to fight for their freedom.
The film is based on the children's book of the same name by Katherine Alice Applegate .
The American actress Ariana Greenblatt plays the role of Julia, Ivan's best human friend. She hopes the film can make people care more about animals.
It's difficult for a film to make all people pleased, but The One and Only Ivan is one of the most popular Disney films now. .
A. Adelaide
The city in South Australia is famous for its farm and wine. It's also a great place for people to relax.
B. Australian Alps
You can visit beautiful snowy mountains here. Many people also like going for a walk here in summer. You will have great fun.
C. Sydney
Sydney is Australia's largest city. You can visit the Sydney Opera House. It is a big art center in Sydney. You can enjoy some plays and shows here.
D. Brisbane
It is a big city in the northeast of Australia. You can enjoy the sun and many beautiful beaches here. There is also lots of delicious food and wine.
E. Kakadu National Park
This park is in the north of Australia. There are more than 1, 700 kinds of plants in the park. There you can also watch the Jim Jim Falls. It is a fantastic waterfall (瀑布).
F. Phillip Island
It is popular with visitors. You can visit the Penguin Parade(企鹅列队) at Phillip Island Nature Park. Little penguins here are very lovely.
Sally is from Japan. She is going to visit Australia with her nine-year-old daughter Adele and Adele is a big fan of cute animals.
Jane is 22 years old. She wants to visit a big city in Australia. She likes plays and other art shows.
Frank comes from South Africa. In his hometown, there are few lakes and rivers. So Frank really wants to see waterfalls.
Mr. Smith is from Canada. He wants to travel with his wife. He likes drinking wine and his wife just wants to stay on a farm and enjoy the fresh air.
Bill is 24 years old. He is from India. He plans to go to some beautiful beaches. He also wants to try some great food in Australia.
It is good news that more and more people choose the bicycle as the means of transportation in China because there is too much traffic in the busy streets.
Xu Shima was 16 in 1980 and had to learn a trade (买卖). He (choose) bicycle repair. Over the next twenty years, it proved to be a wise (decide). At that time, China was known The "Kingdom of Bicycles" and was home to the world's largest number of people who ride bicycles. In the 1990s, Xu's business was (success).
, in 2000, Xu had to give up his trade because more and more people began to use electric bicycles and cars. He even made a living by (sell) fruits and working as a factory security guard (保安). He showed no interest in returning to bicycle repair.
Yet the tide has again turned, and in 2009 Xu returned to his trade and now (repair) a lot of bicycles day. Xu is one of 155 bike mechanics at the Hangzhou Public Bicycle Transportation Development Co. and fixes the company's (near) 70, 000 public bicycles in the city.
"I'm glad cycling is popular again, " says Xu.
Inspired by the public bicycle system in Paris, Hangzhou government set up (it) own project in May 2008, hoping to ease the city's increasing traffic jams in this way.
