When I was young, I almost failed in everything. I became very disheartened, sighing (叹息) miserably all day. Having seen me like that, my father decided to cheer me up.

One day, he gave me a cup of water and asked me to taste it. I found it salty. My father said he just put one small spoonful of salt in the cup. And then, he led me to a lake, where he scattered a big handful of salt into the lake, scooped up (舀起) a spoon of water and let me taste it again. He asked, “Does it still taste salty?” “Not at all,” I said. My father said, “Now, you may know the reason for your pain: you are just a cup of water, but not a lake. To be a lake and you won’t feel miserable any more.”

I came to understand my father’ motives: That I feel miserable is because my heart is as small as a cup of water without great dreams as a lake.

To be a lake with great dreams, your pain of failure (失败) will be melted (融化) quickly like salt scattered into the lake.

I was poor when I was young. But when I was 16, I could beat anyone on the football field. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who not only believed in me but also taught me how to believe in myself. One particular incident (发生的事情) with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.

It was during the summer vacation, and there was a chance to get a summer job and earn some money that I wanted very much. Then I realized I would have to give up summer football camp to earn the money. When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as angry as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said, “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head hanging. “How much are you going to make from this job?” he asked. “$3.25 an hour.” I replied. “Well,” he asked, “Is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?” That question made me think about the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I dedicated (献身) myself to football that summer, and within the year I was chosen by a professional (职业的) team.

I finally achieved my goal in life because I insisted on chasing (坚持追求) my dream. The point is that no matter who you are and no matter where you are, you should always have a dream. And this dream will show you your direction like a beacon to a ship at sea at night.

If you want to travel from Xi’an to Chengdu by train, it will take about 16 hours. But starting this month, the new Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway will shorten this travel time to three hours.

The 643-kilometer line is China’s first high-speed railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which form a natural boundary (分界线) between China’s north and south. With a speed of 250 km perhour, it’s also the first mountain-heavy train line to provide a 4G network. Along the way, the train passes through two areas for rare (稀有) wild animals-one for pandas and the other for crested ibises (朱鹮).

To reduce the railway’s influence on the animals, workers and experts have designed and built the railway to be environmentally friendly. There were 345 wild pandas living in the Qinling Mountains. China currently has 1,864 wild pandas in total, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

To avoid disturbing the pandas, the railway was designed to run through tunnels (隧道)within the are Protective shields (防护屏) are placed near the entrance of each tunnel to stop animals from going in.

To protect the thousands of crested ibises that fly near one part of the railway, protective nets have been set up to make sure the birds will not fly into a train.The nets are about 32km long and 4 meters high. Experts tested different shapes and materials for building the nets before making their final choice.

Have you ever been to Singapore? For many Chinese tourists, this small island in Southeast Asia is a wonderful place to take a holiday. On the one hand, more than seventy-five percent of population are of Chinese descent, so you can simply speak Putonghua a lot of time. On the other hand, Singapore is an English-speaking country.

When the ancient Chinese paid their first visit here in the early 14th century, it was still a small seaside city. Later in the 1820s, the British Empire claimed it as a colony (殖民地). Singapore hasn’t been an independent country until 1965. From then on, it has become an important port of trade and business between different countries.

One great thing about Singapore is that the temperature is almost the same all year round. It seldom drops below 20℃. It’s warm and wet the whole year. This is because it is so close to the equator (赤道). So you can choose to go whenever you like — spring, summer, autumn or winter! And, of course, it’s not too far from China. For those who enjoy the sun and the beach, Singapore is an ideal place.

On the northeast coast of Singapore, Changi Village is far from the noise of central Singapore. The buildings are modern, but there’s still a village terminal (晚期的) atmosphere. There’s a small, attractive seaside camp site across the Changi Creek from the bus terminal, where you can watch the planes gliding into Changi airport while relaxing on the sand.

Most large cities have zoos, but have you ever been to a zoo at night? Singapore has a night zoo called the “Night Safari”. It might seem strange to go to a zoo when it’s dark. But if you’ve ever been to a zoo during the daytime, you might understand why Night Safari is so special. A lot of animals only wake up at night, so this is the best time to watch them. At the Night Safari, you can watch these animals in more natural environment than a normal zoo.

The clever learning methods

Why do you need study skills? Because they will make it e    86     for you to learn and do better in class, especially as you move up to middle school and high school.

◆Pay attention in class Do you have d    87     in paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Is it hard to see the blackboard? Make sure you’re sitting in a good seat that makes you pay attention. Tell your teacher or parents about any problem that is stopping you from paying attention and taking good notes.

◆Take good notes     Not sure how to take notes? Start by writing down facts that your teacher m    88     or writes on the blackboard in class. Try your best to use good handwriting so that you can read your notes later. It’s also a good idea to keep your notes, quizzes, and papers o    89     according to subjects.

◆Plan b    90     tests It’s not w    91     of you to wait until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test. It also makes it hard to do your best. You’ll feel sorry for p    92     off things often. One of the best ways is to plan ahead.

◆Get a good night’s sleep If the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan, but s    93     you can’t remember anything, not even 2＋2! Don’t worry. Your brain needs time to digest (消化) all the i    94     you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be s    95     by what comes back to you in the morning!