【推荐1】I have a coffee machine in my room that wakes me up with a fresh cup at 8: 30. Then I go to the gym in my house for a two-hour workout. Once I’ve showered and eaten breakfast, I’ll do interviews or film videos for a few hours.

I used to live life tired. I was always on the road. Last year I only spent 60 days at home and caught at least 200 flights. Waking up in my own bed every day has been the highlight of my life.

I didn’t predict I’d get into social media, but now I have 34 million followers. I film challenges and dances. It has 130 million views, which is crazy. I also post videos about more serious things that are important to me, like Black Lives Matter. I have a lot of followers that are kids, so my content is normally light and fun, but I want people to be aware of what’s going on in the world. I’m hopeful about the future. I spend most of the day brainstorming ideas or thinking about music. I wrote my latest song, Take You Dancing. It’s about dancing at home rather than in the club.

I decided when I was four that I wanted to be a singer and realized that means you had to work harder than anyone else. For a long time I looked at successful people and tried to become like them. But it was exhausting and it was not authentic(真实的).

I can spend all night in my studio, which is in the basement, coming up with beats and songs. Songs are a universal language. No matter where you’re from, you can feel something. I love making music that does just that.

【推荐2】A businessman was at a pier (码头) in a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman stopped. Inside the small boat were several large fish. The businessman asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.” The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish. The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The businessman then asked the fisherman how he spent the rest of his time. The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a rest with my wife, Maria, walk into the village each evening where I drink wine and play the guitar with my friends. I have a full and busy life, sir.”

The businessman laughed, “You should spend more time fishing and earn more money. Then you can buy more boats, and finally you would have a group of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, finally opening your own cannery (罐头食品厂). You would control the product, process and distribution (配送). You’ll run your expanding business.”

The fisherman asked, “But sir, how long will this all take?”

The businessman replied, “15 to 20 years.”

“But what then, sir?” asked the fisherman.

The businessman laughed, and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public. You’ll become very rich！”

“Millions, sir?” replied the fisherman. “Then what?”

“Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a rest with your wife, walk to the village in the evenings where you could drink wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

【推荐1】In this new digital era, farmers are finding ways to evolve with the times while still holding fast to their traditions.

In the quiet and excluded parts of rural China, Xiang Qing, a man born in 1990, leads a life quite unlike the bustling (熙熙攘攘的) urban existence that defines modernity. His home is Guzhang county, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, which is located deep in western Hunan province. Xiang Qing and his 23-year-old nephew, Xiang Hong, jointly operate a video channel called “Shan Bai”. Through their videos, they showcase handicrafts and rural life in China, captivating (迷住) many young urban viewers.

“Life here unfolds at its own pace. We cultivate crops and vegetables and occasionally purchase meat at the market,” Xiang Qing said. “I’ve come across numerous comments from people who watch our videos while lying in bed at night after a busy day of work, finding them truly relaxing and comforting. I think it’s fantastic, and it’s in line with our initial intentions.”

Five years ago, Xiang Qing resigned from his job as a customer service representative in Shanghai and returned to his hometown in Guzhang county, embarking on (开始) a new journey as a video blogger. “Back in 2012, when I was a college student, film-making aroused my passion, and it has continued to be a profound and enduring interest,” he said.

Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Xiang Hong made the same life-altering decision. Having graduated from college last year, he also returned to his hometown in April from Changde, a city in Hunan, and ventured into the world of video production alongside his uncle.

Now their video channel Shan Bai has attracted more than 59.8 million followers. Xiang Qing conceptualizes, films, and edits the videos himself. Xiang Hong serves as the video presenter. Long Lingling, Xiang Qing’s wife, manages the day-to-day operations of the video account, and other family members also contribute to the video production process in different ways.

【推荐2】In August 2020, Kate Wilson, a 16-year-old from Shrewsbury, posted on the social media video platform TikTok a series of sentences from books she had read. Set to a piece of soft music, the short video plays out as Wilson holds up copies of the books. "You have been the last dream of my soul," from A Tale of Two Cities. "Whatever our souls are made his and mine are the same," from Wuthering Heights. It has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.

These posts, called BookTok, can attract millions of views, and light an appreciation of books in young readers again, "I started reading again after six years when I came across BookTok for the first time last October," says Mireille Lee, 15.

Adam Silvera’s 2017 novel They Both Die at the End is one of the books to have benefited from the BookTok effect. In March, it shot to the top of the teen fiction charts, selling more than 4,000 copies a week. The book has sold more than 200,000 copies in the UK after thousands of posts about it.

Publishers are watching with interest. Publisher Horrox says: "There’s something about the fact that it is under a minute. People who are consuming this content watch a 32-second video and someone’s like: ‘This book has romance, and it’s really heartbreaking. Thankfully, it’s only a fiction.’ And then the viewers think: ⁴Oh, OK. Those are all things that I’m interested in. I’ll go and buy By December 2020, Wilson was being contacted regularly by publishers, who had realized that TikTok "really does sell books".

Jenny, who is 22, says: "I thought TikTok was ridiculous last year before the first lockdown. I really did think it was just for 14-year-olds, but BookTok is such a lovely community. There are people who like the same books as me, and I can talk about the books that I like. It just seems a little bit magical."

【推荐2】Ross Salvo, a 12-year-old boy from Newtown, CT, was very special, in the way he lived, served, cared about others and overcame challenges.

Born with serious health issues, Ross survived his first days of life, but the health problems continued. Shortly after birth, Ross had a brain injury. By the time Ross was two months old, he had already had one heart surgery and three brain surgeries. Despite many challenges, Ross made it through those early days. As one doctor said, “There is no reason for him to be alive right now, but he is still alive!”

But none of these stopped Ross from becoming the best version of himself and making a big impact on the people around him. The key was his amazing attitude, faith and spirit. His family never said “things Ross wanted to do”.

Ross wanted to be like everyone else. Where others saw differences ,he saw things they had in common. As he once said to a kid who was mean to him, “So I have crutches (拐杖). What’s the difference?” His family said he did not have a disability, but “different” ability.

Ross was willing to try anything! And he did! He played soccer and basketball. He was an active member the youth group at St. Rose of Lima church. He enjoyed serving others. His parents were both Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Ross trained to an EMT and helped his parents train others in CPR as a volunteer training assistant. Ross was also a great friend to many, genuinely cared about others and always tried to spread his great attitude to those around him. When people were struggling, he would encourage them.

Ross’s teacher, Amy, said, “Ross had his challenges, but he never complained whenever there were difficulties. I am a better teacher because I had the privilege (优惠待遇) of having him teach me.”