A young man with a large bag on his back came far away for a master (大师). He said "Master, I'm so lonely and so painful that the long trip makes me tired out, my shoes worn-out, my feet cut, and my hands also injured an bleeding .... Why can't I find the sun in the heart?"
The master asked, "What do you put in you large bag?"
The young man said, "It is very important to me, inside it including the pain each time I fall, the tears each time I'm hurt, the trouble each time I feel lonely ... Depending on it, I can come to you here."
So the master took the young man to the river which they crossed in a boat. On the other side of the river, the master said, "Hurry on your journey carrying the boat!"
"What, carrying the boat?" the young man was surprised, "it is so heavy. How can I carry it?"
"Yes, my son, you can't carry it," the master just smiled and said, "when you cross the river, the boat is useful. But after crossing it, you will put down the boat and hurry on, If not, it will become a burden (负担). Pain, loneliness and tears—all these are useful to life. They can improve life, but if you don't forget them all the time, they will become the burden in life. Put it down! My son, life can't bear(承受) a heavy burden," The young man put down his bag and hurried on. He walked easily and happily, and much faster than before.
Dear friend, do you know the boy in the picture? He is Wang Yuan, a member of the Chinese boy band, TFBOYS. Do you want to know more about him? Follow me, please.
Wang Yuan was born November 8th, 2000 in Chongqing. His English name is Roy. He is good at singing, dancing and playing the piano. He can also write songs alone. He and two other boys formed the boy band TFBOYS in 2013. They are very popular with the young girls and boys in China now.
In January, 2017,Wang Yuan made a speech on good quality education (优质教育) in English at the United Nations in front of 500 people from, around the world. It's great. As for middle school students, we should learn from Wang Yuan, and put our hearts into what we are doing to make a difference in our daily lives.
Here is a story: A man sees a butterfly(蝴蝶). The butterfly tries to get out of its chrysalis(蛹). Feeling sorry for it, the man decides to help. He cuts the chrysalis and the butterfly comes out easily. Surprisingly enough, the butterfly is unable to fly. If the butterfly doesn't struggle(挣扎;奋斗) to leave the chrysalis, it can't fly! The struggle develops the energy in the butterfly which makes it fly. Similarly, the challenges of life bring out the best in young people and make them fly.
When people are young, meeting and overcoming challenges will make them strong and ready to face life. When we look at successful people, we see that the most successful of them are people who have had to struggle. One famous businessman, who now owns many big supermarkets, used to carry clothes on his back and sell them from door to door when he was young. Another successful man is Dennis. His father died when he was only twenty. His father's death forced him to mature fast. He had to bring up a, family of nine people. He took up the challenges and overcame them. Today his brothers and sisters are leading successful lives.
Sometimes challenges do not appear to us because we keep away from them. So some parents and teachers actively encourage young people to face challenges. They might organize some activities for young people which provide them with challenges, like rock climbing, camping, volunteer work and so on. However, just passing exams will not prepare a person for life. We must meet and overcome challenges. The young people of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. For countries to continue to become successful, it is important that the young people learn to meet challenges and overcome them.
At my primary school, I was one of the smartest kids. I never studied, but always got perfect scores. I thought I was born clever. At least I believed so. I was also a prodigy in music according to myself. I could sing better than almost everyone else in my school. 1 was pretty sure that once I got to the sixth grade, everyone would be surprised by me.
But actually, they weren't.
When I arrived at my new class, I couldn't wait to show everyone what I could do. However, there was always someone else who could do them better. My grades began to suffer. More talented(有天资的) girls often sang solo(独唱). I believed I wasn't smart. I believed I wasn't talented. I believed I was a failure.
Over the next two years, I had to work very hard. Every prize for the singing competition was given to me for hard work and effort. Grades were still very low but improving little by little. I worked really hard. However, I was never the best at everything.
I haven't realised until recently that I really don't have to be the best at everything. I was too hard on myself. In fact, when I did badly in a test, my classmates never laughed at me.
No one is perfect. There will probably always be someone better than me at something. Anyway, there are over seven billion people in this world. I will never be the number one at everything, and that's really okay.
Want to enjoy some extreme sports(极限运动)? Here are a small number of the extreme sport clubs across universities in the UK.
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| Octopush(水中曲棍球) Oxford, York. Aberdeen and Warwick are only some of the universities that offer this rather unusual sport. Anyone who is able to swim can play. It is played by two teams of six players. Everyone wears a mask and carries a small wooden stick. |
| | Skiing and snowboarding Nearly every university in the UK has a skiing and snowboarding club. For example, Brumski 8. Board Club of Birmingham University has run for 30 years and has about 500 members. They hold Christmas and Easter ski trips every year and take part in competitions. |
| | Skateboarding Warwick University is home to the Longboarding Club. A longboard is two or three feet longer than a usual skateboard and has a wider wheel base. Instead of offering club T-shirts, the Longboarding Club lets members have their personal socks. |
| | BASE jumping The University of Lincoln offers BASE jumping. In BASE jumping, players jump from fixed objects and use a parachute(降落伞) to break their fall. They go on weekly trips to Skydive Hibaldstow. |
No one knows when the first kite was made. The first record of a kite dated back to more than 2,000 years ago in China. Han Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He decided to dig a tunnel (隧道) into the king's palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length(长度) of its string(线). In this way, he could determine how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them. When they reached the end of the string, they knew to dig up.
Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.
Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the Western world. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightning was a form of electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented box kites to test ideas about flight. From 1898 to 1933, the United States Weather Bureau(气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The Wright brothers also experimented (试验) with kites. What they learnt helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.
Mick Polly, an owner of a toy store, lives with his teenage daughter Carolina in Kentucky. He is known as the Bike Man. Over the past five years, Mick has built hundreds of bikes for needy kids.
One day in 2012, a 13-year-old boy with a broken bike walked by Mick's house. "I was working in my garage(车库); and he asked if I could fix it," says Mick, now 53.
The boy's bike had a broken wheel. Mick sent a post(帖子) on Facebook, asking his friends if they had the needed part. One friend saw the post and gave away two used bikes. Mick took parts from each to build a new set of wheels for the boy.
Soon after, Mick repaired a bike for the boy's brother and fixed one for his sister. Word spread, and during the year, he had fixed up lots of bikes for local kids whose parents were not able to afford new ones.
"People are throwing away bikes day and night," says Mick.
Mick puts the bikes and bike parts in his garage. "I take off the good tires or the handlebars or the seats and use them," he says.
Up to now, the bike man has repaired hundreds of bikes and given away nearly 700 newly repaired bikes. They're free, but the kids must agree on two things: They have to learn how to put waste things to good use and they have to try their best to study in school.
If a kid's grades are low, Mick requires a teacher's note "saying that you're doing your best". Mick also hopes the bikes will get kids off the sofa. "When I was growing up, we all rode our bikes," he says. "Hopefully these kids can get some exercise."
③ have a rest in the sofa ②study hard
③recycle waste things ④get high marks
⑤exercise more ⑥learn to repair bikes
Many of us don't pay much attention to the importance of eye care. It is said that if you take care of your body, then you can surely be healthy. That is why our eyes should be given a lot of care. Natural eye care should be put in the first place.
There are several causes leading to poor eyesight like not eating enough food, genes(基因) and. aging(老化). Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of having poor eyesight. If you happen to work in front of a computer, you'd better take a break every once in a while.
Something dirty can cause redness and it will make you feel uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes, too. If this happens, the best way is to clean your eyes by using cold water. You must also try your best to protect your eyes from harmful things. For example, sunglasses are not just for fashion but they can also serve as a great way to protect your eyesight from UV rays.
Eating healthy food will do good to your eyesight. Remember that vitamins A, C and E are good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And you should do eye exercises because they protect your eyesight, too. If a person exercises regularly(定期地) and eats the right kind of food, his eyes will stay in good condition for a long time.
All above are natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. Being happy all the time can be helpful to a person's eyesight, too. In a word, eye care is very important, no matter how old a person is.
Nowadays lots of kids are at home alone after school. Are you one of them? Kids who regularly take care of themselves are called "latchkey kids".
This nickname got its start in the 1940s. Many men fought in the Second World War and women had to take jobs in factories to keep the country going. With both parents away, lots of kids went back to empty houses after school. Latchkey kids wore house keys around their necks and they used the keys to open doors.
Today, it's common for both parents to work. As a result, a new generation of kids are spending some time alone after school. It becomes necessary for both parents and kids to make some rules. There are a lot of questions to talk about:
Should you call your mum, or dad as soon as you get home?
Should you do your homework first?
Can you watch TV or play computer games? If so, how long?
What can you eat if you want a snack?
Can friends come over? If so, how many?
……
As latchkey kids, knowing how to stay safe is just as important as following the family rules. Talk about the following questions with your parents:
What should you do when the phone rings?
What should you do if someone knocks at the door?
What should you do if someone breaks into the house?
What should you do if you cut yourself while cooking?
……
You may feel when you are at home alone. Don't worry. Keeping yourself busy is helpful. There are many things which can make you feel that time goes by quickly:
●Read a magazine. ●Write an email. ●Phone a friend.
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⒈An artist Tries to Solve the Smog Problem Beijing is a city often covered with smog. Many people are looking for ways to solve it. A Dutch artist has made a tower that takes in smog and gives off clean air. This tower is 7 metres tall and is the biggest air cleaner in the world, according to Chinanews.com. It can clean the air in an area the size of a soccer field in 36 hours. Beijing has been testing the tower since January. But some experts don't think this tower can truly work. "It's more of an art piece to raise people's awareness(意识) of air protection," they said. People will know if the tower works when the results come out. Teens |
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⒉The World's Worst Traffic If we travel in big cities, it's very likely that we will come across traffic jams, which often make us complain. But people in Bangkok, Thailand, have more to complain about. This is because Bangkok has the worst evening rush hour traffic in the world, according to a GPS company in Europe. Each year, the company will work out a list of the world's most congested(拥堵的) cities. The results are based on statistics(数据) of 390 cities across the world. This year, Chinese cities Chongqing and Zhuhai are also on the list. The list aims to help drivers and cities understand the traffic trends (趋势) and take action to improve the bad traffic. Teens |
