Confucius’ life and thought

Confucius(551—479 BC) was a great thinker and teacher in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. He was born in Qufu, capital of the state of Lu (part of Shandong). He acted as an official(官员) there. But he was perhaps a better thinker than he was an official and he ended up having to leave the state of Lu. He spent 13 years travelling around the other states, spreading his ideas. And he tried to teach people that peace was very important for a healthy society. However, it was not until the rule of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty(156-87 BC) that his ideas were finally put into practice. In his last few years, he returned to Qufu where he spent the rest of his life teaching. His teachings were recorded by his followers in a book calledLunyu.

Confucius’ teachings formed the base of Chinese thought. Confucius thought everyone should develop virtues(美德) and always do the right thing. Confucius’ thought is considered to have been the necessity of Eastern thought.

To help people understand how to behave towards others, he taught five virtues accepted by all Chinese. They are ren(kindness, charity), yi (fairness), li(ceremony, tradition), zhi(knowledge), and xin(trust). Another virtue is xiao. Xiao is the duties a person has to their parents. It means loving, respecting, obeying(服从), and taking care of one’s parents in their old age. Xiao forms the base of a peaceful society. And he is the final goal according to his thought. It means social peace.

Here’s one of Confucius’ famous sayings, “Do not do to others as you do not wish to be done to you.” Another saying of his is “In the company of two others, I can always find one worthy of being my teacher.”

It is clear that Confucius’ thought will continue to be a necessary part of Chinese culture. And it will continue to do something good to the development of China and even the whole world.

1     * working as an official * travelling around to spread his ideas * teaching in Qufu	Achievements * the book calledLunyu * the base of Chinese thought * a necessary part of    2    and    3    . * a help for the development of China and the world		Main thought *    4     * doing the right thing * building a peaceful society (he)
Virtues *ren: kindness, charity *yi: fairness *li: ceremony, tradition *zhi: knowledge *xin: trust *xiao: to love, respect, obey and take care of parents     5    is one of the virtues and people who believe in it will love everyone in the world.		Famous sayings A. Do not do to others as you do not wish to be done to you. B. In the company of two others, I can always find one worthy of being my teacher. Saying A teaches us how to    6    while Saying B is to tell people we can always    7    .

【推荐1】A Bite of China(舌尖上的中国) is one of the most popular programs now, and it tries to bring something new by introducing more cultural features(特征) about dishes, such as eating habits and wonderful stories about food. It’s said that more than 100 million Chinese people love watching the program. Most Chinese people think the program is not only the common food shows but also about traditional habits and historical heritage(遗产).

On the other hand, the program also stimulates(刺激) Chinese people’s consumption(消费). Taobao, one of China’s biggest online shopping sites, reports that the search on food items that were introduced by the program has increased to 4 million times within one week, and sales have increased to 5.82 million, or 20%.

(72)To get enough good stories, the program team spent three months doing research and interviews in about 60 cities before they started making the program . Filming lasted about nine months.   

Liu Wen, the director, says “CCTV-9 serves as a window, allowing the world to better understand China, the program aims are to help the world not only appreciate(欣赏) the beauty of China, but also learn Chinese customs.”

【推荐2】When you go for a run outside, chances are that you’ll find litter all ① you. Do you just go past it, or do you stop and pick it up?   If you choose the second, you’re part of the latest popular sport in the West: plogging.

The word “plogging” is the Swedish phrase “ plocka upp”( pick up) and the English word “Jogging” (running slowly) put together.

What a plogger needs is a rubbish bag and a pair of gloves to protect your hands. While collecting rubbish,   ploggers learn to classify (分类)and deal with it correctly, too.

Plogging seems simple but it does a lot of good to both the environment and your health. ②It can not only make the world greener, but also get you full body exercise. For example, a 30-minute logging burns around 288 calories(卡路里),   compared to 235 calories burned from just jogging.

So next time you go out jogging, ③为什么不带个垃圾袋在路上捡些垃圾呢?   Your body and the environment will thank you.

I believe that family fights are unenjoyable. Whether you are dealing with（应付）a loud sister or a mom or a dad who can’t communicate with easily, the situation can be bad. Family fighting is, on one level, about power. Someone is telling someone else what to do. In a short moment, emotions（情绪）can be brought out and the fight is on. You can go down that old road or you can try something different.

In any fight, you have a need to be listened to and understood. People raise（抬高）their voices（嗓门）and shout at each other because they’re not being listened to. It’s completely unconscious（无意识的）. You want your mom or dad to listen and understand. You want your brother or sister to listen and care.

But you always seem to forget that the person you’re fighting with has the same need to be listened to. So if you can put aside（撇开）your need for a few minutes, the situation will change quickly. Give the other person some time to express（表达）his or her feelings, and you will get your turn to be listened to.

And while you are listening, you have to listen for the right information. In emotional（激动的）situations, the best way is not to pay attention to most of the words. Because many people can’t express what they are feeling with words alone, especially when they are upset.

But if the situation starts to get out of control, it would be clever to just keep quiet and leave the problem until later because many fights happen at the wrong time. The situation will die down（平息）quickly, usually in no more than 30 seconds（秒钟）. You can either move on to problem solving or reach an agreement to work on it at a better time.

This way, everyone will feel respected（受尊重的）and listened to, even when there is conflict（冲突）. Emotions will be understood and respected, and it will bring your family closer together.

【推荐2】Franz Schubert was a famous musician in the world. But he lived a very hard life and often suffered(遭受)from being hungry. One day he was very hungry and went to a small restaurant, hoping he might meet some friends there. He looked around but found nobody he could borrow any money from. Then his eyes fell on a piece of paper on one of the tables. In it was a little poem(诗 歌).He read the poem. Then he wrote a piece of music for the poem and took his work to the owner of the restaurant. He only received a piece of beef and potato for it. Thirty years after his death, this manuscript(手稿)by Schubert was worth 40,000 francs. It was his famous Berceuse《摇篮曲》.

No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom. But it is said that it began in the early 1900s. Jazz was a new kind of music, for America and the world, and New Orleans was its birthplace.

Who were the jazz pioneers? Most were blacks. This music was not written down, and at first only blacks played it. It was hard for white musicians to learn the new style. But soon they were playing jazz too.

The popularity (普及) of this music spread. From New Orleans, it traveled up the Mississippi to Chicago, then to Kansas City and New York. By the 1920s, there were many jazz musicians, both black and white. Many of them were famous. One man was better than the rest. His name was Louis Armstrong.

Louis Armstrong was a born musician. He was not only talented but also hard-working. He also had a good sense of humor. These personal qualities (个人品质) were valuable in his rise to fame (名气). After he became famous, he traveled around the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear Louis play. But life was not always easy, especially at the beginning.

Louis Armstrong was born in 1901 in New Orleans. His father never went to school and his mother could hardly read. When Louis was still a kid, his parents separated, and Louis lived with his mother. Their hard life can hardly be imagined. But Louis smiled through everything. He later wrote, “My whole life has been filled with happiness. Life was there for me and I accepted it. Whatever happened has been beautiful to me. I love everybody.”