Do you like to start your day with a cup of coffee? It cheers people up and helps in burning fat. However, the hobby also brings problems. One study shows that about 50 billion single-use coffee cups are thrown away in the US every year, while another believes the number is closer to 130 million. Whatever the actual number is, it is clear that our use of coffee cups is bad for the environment.

Fortunately, some companies are trying their best to solve the problem. GaeaStar is one of them. It is trying to create single-use clay coffee cups to take the place of plastic ones.

The cups are suitable for both cold and hot drinks. They are made of clay, water and salt, so they will produce no waste. You even don’t need to throw the cups into a rubbish bin. You can simply throw them onto the ground and smash (粉碎) them. After all, they come from earth and return to earth in the same form. Recycling is no longer required.

In fact, the idea of using clay as a solution (解决方法) to the problem isn’t new. But GaeaStar connects it with new technology. Using 3D printers, it can make the cup in 10 seconds. Its CEO says that printing a clay cup uses 60% less energy than creating a plastic or paper cup. This is an example of how new technology brings old ideas back to life.

If you are interested in GaeaStar’s special cups, visit the Verve Coffee Shop in California!

One day both brothers were fighting so much as if they were ready to kill each other any minute. When Lao Li saw them like this, he laughed very loudly.

Seeing their father laughing like this, both brothers forgot about the fight and asked their father why he laughed.

The father said, “You are fighting so much over a small piece of land. Leave it, come with me and I will show you a priceless treasure. But if you continue to fight, then I will take neither of you to the treasure.”

Both sons made a pact (协议) for treasure. No matter what happened, they would not fight and would go on the journey with their father.

After leaving their home, both sons got on a bus with their father. They traveled for about ten hours and then reached a village.

Lao Li took them to a very big house. When they entered the house, what they saw surprised Lao Li. Crying, he said, “You may not remember, but when you were young, I fought a lot with my elder brother for this house. At that time, I won, but I lost my brother forever because he cut ties with me and left to live in a place far away. Then time changed and one day we also had to desert (舍弃) this house.”

The sons were listening carefully. Just then the father said, “Tell me which seat we were sitting on when we came here. Would that seat be ours forever?”

Both sons said together, “How can the bus seat be ours forever?”

Lao Li said, “Journey of bus continues and passengers on the seat keep changing. Someone else must be sitting there before us and tomorrow someone else will sit the seat which belongs to us for a while.”

Remember that the seat of the bus whose passengers keep changing every day. Don’t sacrifice (牺牲) your relationship for that seat.