People all over the world eat rice. Millions of people in Asia, Africa and South America eat it every day. Some people eat almost 1 but rice. Rice is a kind of grass. There are more than 7, 000 kinds of rice. Farmers 2 rice in many countries, even in the southern part of the United States and in eastern Australia. No one really knows 3 rice came from. Some scientists think that it started to grow in two places. They think that one kind of rice grew in southern Asia thousands of years ago. Someone in China 4 about it almost 5, 000 years ago. Another kind 5 grew in west Africa. Other scientists think that rice 6 India, and Indian travelers took it to other parts of the world.
There are two main 7 to grow rice. Most rice grows in wet soil. People in many countries do all of the work of growing rice 8 hand. This is the same way farmers worked hundreds of years ago. In some countries, people now 9 machines on their rice farms. People use every part of the rice plant. They make rice oil from it. They 10 make baskets, brooms and roofs for their houses. They burn dry rice plants in fires for cooking.
Do you know the history of Ming Dynasty(明朝)? If you are not clear about it, the Ming Tombs(明十二陵) are the key way for you to learn about.
The Ming Tombs are at the foot of the Tianshou Mountain, about 50km northwest of Beijing. Of all the 16 Ming Dynasty kings, there were13 kings lying there. The Ming Tombs have over an area of 40 acers(公顷). The main road to the tombs was very wonderful. On both sides were24 stone animals and 12 stone officials.
In 1424, The Yongle King, Zhu Di, was the first one to lie there, and his tomb was called the Changling. His father, Zhu Yuanzhang opened up the Ming Dynasty and he was in a tomb in Nanjing, and the second Ming King, didn't have a record in history. The last one of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself in 1644 when Beijing fell to the hand of Li Zecheng. So three kings were not in the Ming Tombs there, that's why it was called Shisanling.
At midnight Mr. King coughed again. He got up and took some medicine. Before he lay down again, he smoked. And he couldn't go to sleep any longer. He found the medicine book and began to read it. He was afraid he had lung cancer. He seemed to see death was waiting for him. Tears ran down his face. He didn't see his wife was standing by him.
"What's wrong with you, dear?" asked the woman.
"Nothing," the old man answered and covered his face with his hands.
The old woman opened the book and understood at once. She said, "You must stop smoking right now."
"I began to smoke when I was nine, you know. How can't I do that?"
"But I think health is more important."
Mr. King coughed again and his wife said, "Go to see a doctor tomorrow. He will be able to help you, I think."
The doctor told Mr. King to have an X-ray examination of his lungs. And then he looked at the X-ray carefully for a long time.
"Tell me the truth, Doctor." said Mr. King, "Do you see any shadows (阴影)in my lungs?"
"No, I don't see anything."
"Yes?" the old man said happily. "Really?"
"Yes. Your lungs are turning black. How can I see any shadows?"
