【推荐2】A video clip of a blind musician has caught the attention of many in China. Xiong Linghao,18 played a Beethove sonata in the national finals of the 13th Shanghai Youth Piano Competition in August. The video, published on China Daily’s Sina Weibo account, has been viewed more than 7 million times. Many internet users said they were touched by Xiong’s bravery and optimism. “This is the song to show the beauty of life,” one comment(评论) on the post read.

Xiong lost her eyesight in her childhood because of a medical accident. Her mother discovered Xiong had a talent for music early in her childhood. At age 3, she could play children’s songs on a small electric piano. At age 6, she started learning the piano. “The piano is my best friend,” said Xiong, a high school student at the Chengdu Special Education School. “It brings so much pleasure into my life and empowers me with perseverance.”

Unlike most pianists, who play by reading music, Xiong depended entirely on the sound of the music to guide her. “I listened to the melody repeatedly and then put what I heard to my fingers. I first practiced with my two hands separately before I could play with both hands together,” said Xiong.

“Repeated practice is key because I need music memory to find the right keys,” she explained. “I pay attention to each step in each phrase and need to be fairly precise with the angle of how I control my hands, wrists and fingers.”

Xiong was honored with the Special Jury Prize in the competition. “Through her piano playing, viewers could feel the vitality of life and a truly strong will,” said Ding Quan, a judge in the competition. “I never cared about prizes or fame while learning music,” explained Xiong. “Like Beethoven. I wanted to express hope, feelings and passion for life through the piano.”

【推荐1】Off the northwest coast of Malaysia, a group of islands called Langkawi sits upon the sea. It was the place of our last school trip. The trip was very exciting at first, because everything was new to me.

On that day, we got up early and jumped onto the boats. As the boat started, snow-white water came out from below the boat, and the wind rushed into my face. The first island（岛）we arrived at was called the Island of the Lady, whose name came from the mountains looking like a beautiful lady. As the weather was nice, I spent half an hour playing with my classmates in the water. It was really fun and exciting. Everything was fine until one of my water shoes fell into the lake. So I had to go on the trip with only one shoe on.

When we first walked through the forest, I thought it was a nice walk. But with only one shoe, my foot came across either cold glass pieces or hot stones along the way. As the day went on, the land became increasingly jagged（凹凸不平的）. I winced（皱起脸）with every step I took. It was a trip of pain（痛苦）. But then something magical happened. I suddenly found a seashell the size of my hand! I felt like I had found gold and all the pain was gone.

Luckily, there was still something wonderful. The beautiful sea views and the beach treasure hunt were really unforgettable for me. I’ve learned an important lesson from that day, which is to not worry about the bad memories, but instead to remember the cheerful feelings and value them.

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【推荐2】The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous landmarks (地标) in Australia. This summer holiday, I got the chance to visit it and find out what makes this building so great.

As our guide told us, the Sydney Opera House was built with a kind of self-cleaning material that is very rare even today.

First, we visited the Drama Hall. We learned about the designer of the Sydney Opera House—Danish architect Jorn Utzon. He was the winner of an international design competition. However, he designed the building according to his own tastes, which caused several problems. The project was completed 10 years late. The cost of construction (建造) was over budget (预算). Utzon didn’t get to see it after it was built.

Then, we visited Joan Sutherland Theatre. The theater was refurbished (翻新) in 2017 with new high-tech equipment. There was a rehearsal (排练) that day, so we could hear the beautiful sound of the orchestra. Finally, we arrived at the largest theater—Concert Hall. It has hosted many kinds of performances, from classical to rock music. A few years ago, a sports event was even held there.

Before we finished the tour, the guide told us the rest of Utzon’s story. In 1966, Utzon had an argument with the government and refused to give in. He had to leave the country. It was a hard time in his life. But many years later, people understood him and saw the building as a masterpiece.

From this tour, I learned that the opera house is not only a famous building, but a carrier of history and culture.

【推荐3】While at the park one day, a woman sits down next to a man on a chair near a playground. “That’s my son over there,” she says. The man sees a little boy in a red sweater playing happily. “He’s a good-looking boy,” the man says. “And that’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he calls to his daughter. “When do you say we will go, Melissa?” the man says, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.” The man nods（点头）and Melissa rides her bike to her friends in the playground again. Minutes pass and the father stands and calls again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again, Melissa says, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.” The man smiles and says, “OK.” “Oh! My God, you are really a considerate father,” the woman says.

The man smiles and then says, “Her big brother Tommy was killed by a drunk（喝醉的）driver last year when he was riding his bike near here. I never spent（花费）much time with Tommy before and I really want to give Tommy just five more minutes now, but I can’t. So, I want to have more time to stay with Melissa when she thinks she needs five more minutes to ride her bike. Then I can get five more minutes to watch her play.”

【推荐1】A little boy invited his mother to attend his first teacher-parent meeting. To his disappointment, his mother said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a scar that covered the right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.

At the meeting, the little boy was embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, hear them speaking.

“How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked.

The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. A beam (横梁) came down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. This scar will be with me forever, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.

【推荐2】A man with a green bag walked into a doctor’s room. “Please sit down. Open your mouth and put out your tongue,” the doctor said. “OK. You can close your mouth now. It’s clear something is wrong with you. You have to do more exercise. ”

“But, doctor,” the man said. “I don’t think…”

“Don’t tell me what you think.” the doctor said. “I am the doctor, not you. I know what you need. I see hundreds of people like you. None of them get any exercise. They sit in offices all day and in front of the television in the evening. What you need is to walk quickly for at least 30 minutes a day. ”

“Doctor, you don’t understand,” the man said. “I…”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses.” the doctor said. “You must find time for exercise. If you don’t, you will get fat and have health problems when you are older. ”

“But I walk every day,” the man said.

“Oh, yes, and I know what kind of walking that is. You walk a few meters to the train station from your house. a few more meters from the station to your office, and a few more meters from your office to a restaurant for lunch and back. ”

“Please listen to me, doctor!” the man shouted, getting angry.

“I’m a mailman.” the man continued. “I walk for seven hours every day and I come to send letters.”

For a moment, the doctor said nothing, and then he said slowly, “ Put your tongue out again, will you?”

Tom was a fat boy when he was ten. He liked watching TV very much. He watched TV at least five hours every day. Wherever (无论哪里) he went, he would be late.

One day, he found a pair of special glasses in his post-box (邮箱). He also found a message (消息) saying, “With these you can see time.”

The boy decided to have a try. He put the glasses on, looked at his brother, a tall and thin boy, and saw a big box of flowers on top of his head. And it wasn’t just his brother. When he looked at his parents, he also saw the flowers. The three boxes were very large and the flowers were very beautiful. Then, he looked at himself from the mirror. He saw the flowers, too. But his flowers went to the mouth of the television. Its mouth was big. His flowers became fewer and fewer.

At last, he learned that watching TV was a waste of time. He could learn nothing from it. He decided he would never again let the television eat his time.