【推荐2】Terry Fox was only seventeen when he got a cancer (癌症). He must have felt hopeless when the doctor said his right leg would have to be cut off 6 inches above the knee.

But to everyone’s surprise, Terry Fox made up his mind to become a long-distance runner and do something about the cancer. What a dream!

Although it seemed impossible, Terry decided to run across the whole country. He hoped to raise one million dollars for cancer research. Few believed he would make it. Anyway, on April 12, 1980, Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope. For the first days of his marathon, Terry Fox was alone. He started running at 4:30 am. Day by day, people began to realize that something big was happening on the lonely road. As people saw Terry, they stopped and donated (捐赠) money for cancer research.

However, his health took a rapid turn for the worse several months later. He had to give up his marathon on September 1, 1980. Terry died three months later, at the age of 22. In his short life, he raised $24 million for cancer research—one dollar for each person in his motherland.

Since his death, the yearly Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to be the world’s largest one-day fundraiser (筹资活动) for cancer research.

【推荐3】Zhang Guimei showed us how to be a good teacher and the importance of a teacher in students’ lives.

In 2009, Zhang Guimei set up the Huaping High School for Girls in Lijiang, Yunnan Province. This was a special school which was free for girls in poor families. In 2003, Zhang began to raise money for the school, but what she did was often met with suspicion and even misunderstanding. Between 2003 and 2007, Zhang spent her spare time asking people to give money to her school. However, the money she got was far from enough. In 2007, after her dream was reported by media (媒体), the government promised to help her project.

Zhang carries on strict school rules. She plans every minute of her students’ timetable. At 5:20 am, she wakes up all the girls. They must take a nap (小睡) in the afternoon. They are only allowed three hours a week outside of the school. And having long hair is not allowed. She wants to change the lives of many girls from poor families through education.

Eleven years later, over 1,600 girl students from the school have received higher education—including many famous universities in China.

When people asked why she did so much to help girls in the mountains get better education, she just said, “I believe it is really important for girls to get education because it will break the circle between uneducated mothers and children. I hope they can live happier than me.”

【推荐1】You must have read or heard of the sad love story between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. But can you imagine the two singing opera in English instead of speaking poetic Chinese?

Jia and Lin are two characters from the classic Chinese novel A Dream of Red Mansions（《红楼梦》）, written by Cao Xueqin（1715—1763）. Now the book has been made into an English-language opera. After being performed in San Francisco, the US, the performance came to Beijing, Changsha and Wuhan in 2017.

Many of the opera’s creators have backgrounds in both Chinese and American cultures, including the director and playwrights（剧作家）. Their understanding of both cultures helped them change a Chinese classic into a foreign-language opera.

The book, which covers the rise and fall of the Jia family, has 120 chapters and hundreds of characters. But opera writer David Henry Hwang cut down the number of characters to just seven. Hwang, a Chinese-American, focused on the love story between Jia and Lin and tried to write a tragedy（悲剧）that everyone would understand.

The art director Timmy Yip, from Hong Kong, tried to help foreign people understand the characters using costumes and stage decorations. He compared Lin to water and gave her a light green costume. When Lin showed up on stage, there was usually water around her on the stage.

The creators considered the work of introducing a Chinese classic to Western audience was worth doing. Hwang told China Daily he was happy to “have made a contribution（贡献）to the land where my parents were born”.

【推荐2】Chinese people usually eat three meals (饭) a day.

In China, people usually have youtiao, baozi, bread, milk and tea fbr breakfast. The breakfast time in China is usually from 7:00 to 9:00. Most Chinese students have classes at 8:00, so their breakfast time is around 7:00.

Lunch time is usually at about 12:00. Most Chinese have a quick (快的) lunch, so they can have time to take a rest (休息). Their lunch is usually noodles or rice with some vegetables and meat. Most people usually eat at school or their workplace. And some take their lunch box from home.

Dinner is a relaxing meal for many Chinese, because they have it with their family. The food is usually soup, meat, vegetables, and rice. Dinner time is usually from 6:00 to 8:00, For restaurants (餐馆), the busy time is from 7:00 and 10:00. There is one interesting thing in China. People don’t leave (离开) the restaurant quickly. After dinner, they usually talk and play games with their family or friends.