This is a tale of two friends — one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are "disabled". But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China's Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!
Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee. Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season.
When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi's direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.
Though hard-working, the men don't make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, "We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter."
Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need — a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!
The summer holidays are on their way! That means an end to your junior high school life. What do you have to say now it's all come to an end? Is there a special person you want to thank? Here's what some of our readers will be saying.
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Li Chaoze, 16, Taiyuan, Shanxi: I really want to say thank you to my grandmother. My parents work in another city. So I am living with my grandmother. She encouraged me and told me not to give up when I was sad and had no more hope for my life. I did what she told me to do. Now I am full of confidence again! |
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Wang Jia, 15, Nantong, Jiangsu: Lulu, my best friend, I have spent three years in junior high with you. I just heard that you will go abroad to study. I am sad I cannot study with you in the senior high school. But I know going abroad is your dream so I will also be happy for you. Wherever you go, just remember that we are best friends forever. |
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Zhang Jie, 14, Jinan, Shandong: I want to say sorry to my parents. My father and mother did a lot for me over my three years in middle school. Sometimes I saw my mother crying when I got low marks in my exams. Please trust me, Mom and Dad. I will keep trying until the end! |
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Zong Ze, 15, Xiamen, Fujian: I want to talk to Pan, the boy next door. Pan, you are my idol. You are so talented in English. I have worked hard for three years and I believe I will move up to your high school this year! We will be schoolmates. And I will join the School English Speech Competition next year. |
Thanks a lot for the above readers who share their feelings with us. And thanks a lot for the following two readers, Zhouling, 15, Shanghai and Jingmeng,14, Hangzhou. We can see their ideas in the next issue of our magazine.
①Teens are gaining weight. Today most teenagers are at least one size larger than teens were 20 years ago. Even clothing sizes have changed. Did you know that a small today used to be a medium, 20 years ago?
②A recent research shows 97％ of teens need more exercise. It's bad news because too little exercise means you are missing a lot of good things in life. Exercise helps in two ways.
③First, exercise helps your body. Physical activity can make your body strong. It can also keep you at a healthy weight. Doctors say that people who stay at a healthy weight have fewer health problems.
④Second, exercise can help your mind. People who get plenty of physical activity might worry less and sleep better at night. You may even learn better in school. Students who are healthy can listen and understand better in class.
⑤You can change your life and be more active at any point. It's never too late. An article called "How to Limit Screen Time and Get Moving" gives these ideas:
Step away from the screen. Doctors call watching TV or playing video games screen time. You should have no more than two hours of screen time a day. You will enjoy life more if you live it instead of watching it!
Start slowly. An hour a day can seem like a long time. Start with 10 minutes of new activities every day. Add more as you get stronger. Think about walking. Take the stairs instead of the lift. You will feel healthier.
Make fitness fun. Find a sport you like. It doesn't need to be the traditional sports of basketball, soccer, or baseball. Those are all great sports and if you like them, play them. However, you can also try hiking, skateboarding, or even rope jumping. If you enjoy the sport, you will do it.
Choose food carefully. Help your family shop for healthy food. Read the labels（标签）, ok for healthy foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Stop buying soft drinks and junk foods. You will feel better if you eat right.
Exercise with others. Find a friend or family member to exercise or play with you. You will have more fun and it helps keep you responsible for going.
B . 
C . 
D . 
Reporter:
Chris: Well, it all started two years ago when I was planning a trip to India, I visited a photographic(摄影的) exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only way to travel around India was on an elephant.
Reporter:
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant. I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I asked an expert for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter:
Chris: Not too long, I bought a female(母的) elephant called Tara for about USD 6, 000.
Reporter:
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were heading to Sonepur in northern India. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur was more than 1, 200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter:
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. But that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
请根据Chris Jones 的回答，从A、B、C、D、E、F六个选项中选择恰当的问题填入相应的五个空格中。
A. How long did it take to find a suitable elephant?
B. What gave you the idea to travel around India on an elephant?
C. Did you have any problems on your journey?
D. Can you tell me the journey?
E. What did you do next?
F. An unusual journey.
I was the tallest girl in my class when I started school. It made me feel 1and I believed that I looked very fat and ugly. The small girls were seen as smarter, so they were more popular and got more2 from teachers. I began to hate myself 3 not being small when I was seven years old, and by adulthood, I felt sad about my appearance.
I didn't dare to look into the mirror 4 one day my friend pulled me to the mirror to let me see that I had a good figure. It's true that I was in good shape. Then I did something kind for 5—I bought a beautiful dress for myself. I felt very happy! Happiness wasn't a part of my life as I was too busy6 others. I always thought following others could make me more popular. But it's hard to be happy when you don't see your own 7 .
Each small kindness to me made me 8 myself more. I'd do something loving and feel happier, which made me want to do 9 . That focus on myself 10 deep self-love.
Today my self-love is very 11 .It has helped me develop self-confidence and led me to 12 myself from an unhappy school teacher to a popular writer. Now I see myself 13 a very beautiful woman. I have a wonderful body without 14 .
Please join me in taking steps to develop self-love. Every little loving act you do for yourself helps you build 15.
My father (work) in an office. There two large windows in it. One day, a woman in a (pass) car looks up and sees my father. My father waves his hands, the woman waves back. This gives my father an idea.
Later, he changes his way of (greet) people. He writes signs, like "Hello" or "Be happy". Every afternoon when people go home from work, my father will greet them with the signs. Then they （give）my father big smiles.
The day when I came into the world, my father put a sign the window, "I'm a new father!" To his surprise, a sign (hold) by some people, saying, "Congratulations!"
My father learns the (true) in the saying, "You smile, and the whole world smiles with you." And he becomes first one who greets strangers with signs every day.
请根据所给信息，适当发挥，给你的好友林莉写一封不少于80词的信。要点：1、举办晚会的原因和晚会的时间、地点。2、邀请她参加晚会。3、你的地址以及如何到达。4、你的希望。
参考词汇：hold a birthday party, 70 Nanjing Road, the stop of Renmin Road
Dear Lin Li,
I have changed a lot these years.……
Yours,
Li Hua
