Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people still remember and respect him today.

Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only three. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn’t give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children fromnoblefamilies could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.

Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that we all have something valuable to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them.”

He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled（困惑的）. All thinking but no study makes people lazy.”

Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners（举止）.” A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.

【推荐3】During the Qin Dynasty in China, there was a boy named Han Xin. He was born in a very poor family and often had nothing to eat. He often went fishing but almost caught nothing. He was always hungry.

One day, Han Xin was fishing at the river. An old lady saw that the boy was very thin and looked hungry. She gave him a bowl of rice.

“Thank you so much,” said Han Xin as he bowed down to the old lady. Since then, every time Han Xin met the old lady at the river, he never went hungry. Han Xin was very thankful to the old lady. “I will find a way to pay you back someday,” he said.

“Why do you promise so much when you have nothing?” she said. “I give you rice because I feel sorry that you don’t have anything to eat. I don’t expect you to repay me. If you are a real man, you will find a way to support yourself.”

When Han Xin grew up, he became brave and kind. He joined the army and then became a general. And later he became the “King of Qi” and the “King of Chu” in the Han Dynasty. He did many good things and helped many people.

Han Xin never forgot the old lady. He went back to the village and took her to his palace. Han Xin bowed down to her and gave her a bowl filled with gold.

“I promised I would pay you back someday,” he said.

The old lady refused. “Thank you for the gold,” she said. “You have already paid me back by becoming a strong and kind man.”

The Chinese idiom “one rice, thousand gold” (一饭恩，千金酬) comes from this story. It tells us that we should always give a hand to others without expecting anything in return, and we should also forever remember the help from someone else.

【推荐2】I don’t like bullies (霸凌者). Bullies are people who keep saying things or doing things that hurt you. Bullies make you feel scared. They hurt (使受伤) you or embarrass you. Sometimes they take things from you. Sometimes they break your things.

I don’t know why people become bullies. Maybe they think that bullying makes them look strong. Maybe they think bullying makes them popular. I think some bullies might be jealous of (嫉妒) the people they bully. Or, maybe they just feel bad about themselves and want other people to feel bad too. Whatever the reasons, bullying is wrong.

Everyone needs to work together to let bullies know that we won’t allow (允许) bullying in our school. We won’t ignore (忽视) bullying. If we ignore bullying, then the bullies get away with it. If we let bullies continue hurting others, then we are just as bad as them. We all need to let bullies know that they have to stop. We need to tell them we don’t like it. We must help people who are being bullied.

Let’s say “No” to bullying. Our school is a NO BULLYING school!

【推荐3】

【推荐2】A worker and a doctor are waiting at the airport. Suddenly, the doctor asks the worker if he wants to play a game. The worker is tired, so he refuses (拒绝) the doctor politely.

But the doctor keeps on and says the game is easy. He says, “I ask you a question, and if you know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I can’t, I’ll pay you the same.” The worker refuses again. But the doctor still says, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $500.” This catches the worker’s attention and he agrees to play the game.

The doctor asks the first question, “What the distance (距离) from the earth to the moon?” The worker doesn’t say a word, and pays $5 to the doctor. “Okay,” says the doctor, “it’s your turn.” He asks the doctor, “What goes up the hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?” The doctor feels puzzled (困惑的) and uses his mobile phone to search for the answer for thirty minutes, but gets no answer.

Then he wakes the worker and gives him $500. The worker says, “Thank you.” The doctor asks, “Well, what the answer?” Without a word, the worker pays the doctor $5 and goes to sleep.

When you look up into the night sky, you can see the moon. But do you know that you’re only seeing one side of the moon? The other side, also known as the far side of the moon, has long been a secret to us. But now, we have a chance to see what’s on the far side.

On January 3rd , China’s Chang’e 4 probe( 探测器) landed on the far side of the moon. It is the first probe in history to land there.

Chang’e 4 probe has already done a lot of things on the moon. One of its jobs is to grow plants. Chang’e 4 probe took six living things to the moon. Such as cotton, potatoes and fruit flies( 果蝇 ). The cotton has already started growing. This is the first time humans have grown plants on the moon.

Chang’e 4 probe also took a lot of pictures of the moon’s far side. With these pictures, scientists will learn more about the moon.

“I will think of it.” It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking?

Sir Isaac Newton was sitting in his garden when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.

A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fire, watching the lid of the kettle move up and down. He wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking. And when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could easily do the work of many horses.

James Ferguson was a poor American boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he wondered. “Why should I not make a watch?” But how could he get the materials to make the mainspring(钟表的主发条)?He soon found he could make it with whalebone(鲸骨). He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. His motto(座右铭)was “I will think of it.” And he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.

Boys and girls, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, don't lose heart, and don't ask someone for help before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.

【推荐2】You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860-1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a feeling of community（社区）by creating shelters（避难所）and improving education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, there might not be the environmental movement today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring made people realize the dangers of pollution. People got to know the bad influence of chemicals（化学物品）on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O'Connor(1930-present)

When Sandra Day O'Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. In 1981, She became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court（最高法院）. O'Connor played a very important role in many important events during her 24 years on the Supreme Court.

【推荐3】Every time there is a serious disease outbreak (爆发) somewhere in the world, city planners come up with new ideas to fight it. Pandemics (流行病) have been shaping our cities for a long time.

In 1854, for example, a cholera (霍乱) outbreak in London, UK led to the design of modern sewers (下水道). At that time, Londoners’ drinking water came from ground water. It was heavily polluted by waste water, and the sewer system separated the wastewater from the groundwater. This stopped the spread of cholera. “By sewering certain towns in England, today’s death rate (死亡率) from pulmonary (肺部的) diseases alone was reduced by 50%.” George Pierson wrote in his book, The Separate System of Sewerage.

During this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, an officer from Paris, Anne Hidalgo introduced a new idea―every neighborhood should have a mix of stores, homes, offices, and other important buildings. Every basic need should be just a 15-minute walk away. This would reduce crowding on public transport and prevent the spread of disease.