The Old Man and the Sea is the story of a struggle between an old fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For eighty-four days, Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman, has set out to sea and returned with ________ hands. Unluckily the parents of his young apprentice(徒弟) and friend, Manolin, have ________ the boy to fish in another more prosperous(繁荣的) boat. ________, the boy continues to care for the old man and discusses the latest developments in American baseball. Santiago believes his failure will soon come to an end, and he decides to sail out farther than usual.

________ the eighty-fifth day, Santiago sails his boat to the Gulf Stream. He prepares his lines and drop ________. At noon, a big marlin(青枪鱼) takes the bait(鱼饵). The old man expertly hooks(钓) the fish, but he cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull to boat.

He is so worried the fish would run away that he can’t tie the line fast to the boat. The old man has to pull the line with his ________, back, and hands. The fish pulls the boat all through the day and night, Santiago stands the pain from the fishing line. Whenever the fish rushes around, the line ________ Santiago badly.

As Santiago sails on with the fish, the marlin’s blood attracts sharks. Although Santiago ________ to kill several sharks with the harpoon(鱼叉), more and more appear. They eat up the marlin’s precious meat, leaving only skeleton(骨架), head, and tail.

The next morning, a crowd of amazed fishermen gathers around the skeleton. Knowing nothing of the old man’s struggle, tourists at a nearby cafe saw the giant marlin and mistake it for a shark. Manolin, is moved to tears when he finds Santiago ________ in his bed. When the old man wakes, the two agree to fish as ________ once more. The old man returns to sleep and dreams his usual dream of lions at play on the beaches of Africa.

——中国新闻网

I’m right. You’re wrong! Isn’t this how we always argue? Reaching an understanding or seeing things from another person’s point of view(立场) can be difficult. But what if there was a way to change this? Science has the answer to our problems!

Scientists have found that “reflecting on (仔细考虑) your values before discussing with someone makes you more open-minded” and it is not easy to get angry at the other person. By doing this you increase your openness to being wrong, reported the Science website.

Paul Hanel, a sociologist(社会学家) at the University of Essex, UK, did this study. To test this, more than 300 student volunteers were put into small groups to discuss some topics. Then half of the group was asked to think of their 19 most important values, such as freedom(自由) and acceptance(接纳) of those who are different. While the other half reflected on what drinks they liked. Then they had discussions again.

About 60 percent of the values group showed more openness than the drinks group. And 80 percent of the values group also reported feeling more empathy(同情心). So next time when you want to argue with your friends or parents, try this simple method(方法)!

On Feb. 13 China released（发布）its “No. 1 central document(中央一号文件）” for 2023. It lists nine tasks for comprehensively promoting rural vitalization (全面促进乡村振兴) this year, Xinhua reported. For 20 years in a row, China’s first policy statement has focused on agriculture(农业)and rural areas.

   For the first time, the idea of building a strong agricultural country was seen in the No. 1 central document. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward the idea of moving faster to build up China’s strength in agriculture. Now the document brings specific measures (措施) to make it come true, experts said.

The first most important is to ensure (确保) food security. China’s grain output (粮食产量) has reached above 650 billion kilograms for eight years in a row, according to Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部部长). However, with a growing population and more consumption (消费), the need for grain is still growing. And the uncertain global agricultural trade makes it harder to ensure food supply, Tang said.

China will protect its planting area while increasing production levels. The document has shown specific ways to protect fields such as banning(禁止）the stealing of black soil（黑土）and stopping catching earthworms (蚯蚓) with electricity. It also encourages projects to increase the yields (产量) of soybeans（大豆）and corn, and develop smart facilities (设施) in farming.

Another highlight (亮点) of the document is to ensure no large-scale return to poverty(贫穷）. How to increase farmers’ income（收入）is always a central task in agriculture, said Wu Hongyao, an officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

China will work hard to develop business and help workers keep their jobs. More than 60 percent of the central government subsidies (补贴) for rural vitalization are used to develop local business, according to the document. Over 30 million people who have shaken off poverty will get jobs, too.

On the evening of March 4, 2023, a Winter Olympic Champion (冠军) from a Barbecue Stall (户外烧烤摊) was named got the honor of   “2022 Touching China Annual People”.

Many people know Xu Mengtao is a star athlete. On the evening of February 14, Xu Mengtao won the gold medal in her familiar sport—women’s free style skiing aerials in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

In her eyes, her winning not only comes from her hard work. More importantly, it is because of the fast growth of China’s winter sports. “I’m thankful to the age that I’m living in. It enables (使能够) young people to achieve their dreams”, she said.

Xu Mengtao began to practice freestyle skiing at 12. “Passion (热情) came to me first, then I dreamed about making history,” she said.

Before Beijing Winter games, she competed in Winter Olympics three times. But she missed the gold medal. When China was going to hold the 2022 Winter Games, she felt it was a great honor and responsibility (责任）to win gold at home. She bravely went after her dream again.

On the road to run after his dream, Xu has experienced four major operations (手术)—right knee anterior cruciate ligament fracture (右膝前十字韧带断裂), medial collateral ligament tear (内侧副韧带撕裂), meniscus resection (半月板切除) of nearly 70%, knee was driven into three steel nails(钉)…Any of these injuries could be enough to end a skier’s career (职业生涯), but Xu Mengtao still chose to move resolutely (坚决地) toward the dream.

“To be ready for every battle(战斗）of our lives, we need to make each step forward solid (坚实的),” she said.