【推荐2】Although he died almost 40 years ago, Bruce Lee is still considered the greatest and most influential kung fu performer of the 20th century. His films brought traditional Hong Kong kung fu movies to a new level of popularity, and introduced kung fu to millions of people in the West.

Born in the USA in 1940, Lee returned to his native Hong Kong before his first birthday. As a teenager, the highly intelligent boy was accepted into one of Hong Kong’s most famous middle schools but he paid little attention to his studies. He was more interested in sports, especially kung fu, and hanging out with his street-gang friends. In 1959, Lee got into trouble with the police for fighting.

His mother, fearing he would end up in prison, sent him to the USA. Two years later, he began studying at a university there.

While still a student, Lee opened his own kung fu school, teaching a new fighting style he had developed. What made Lee’s style different was that it used power, strength and, quick-action attacks. It also combined（融合）Japanese, Korean and South American fighting styles with traditional slow-moving Chinese kung fu.

Among Lee’s students were several famous actors who, impressed by his good-looks and fighting skill, encouraged him to start acting. Over the next five years Lee achieved some success in America. But his dream of introducing his fighting style into American movies was not accepted by local film makers who thought western audiences were not interested in kung fu.

Determined to prove them wrong, Lee returned to Hong Kong in 1970. There he made two films Fists of Fury and Way of the Dragon, using his kung fu ideas and techniques. The movies were huge hits worldwide, making Lee an international star and symbol of kung fu.

These were followed by what is widely considered the greatest kung fu movie of all time, Enter the Dragon. Tragically however, Lee suddenly and mysteriously died while making his next movie Game of Death. He was only 33 years old.

【推荐3】During the Jin Dynasty (265-420), there was a child named Che Yin. He was smart and loved to read. He grew up in a poor family and couldn’t afford(买得起) lamp oil to study at night.

One night, he saw fireflies(萤火虫) outside his house and came up with an idea. He caught some fireflies in a cloth bag and hung the bag up as a lamp. It is said that he spent all of his summer nights reading like this.

Another child named Sun Kang also loved reading. One night during winter, Sun used up all of his lamp oil and couldn’t study at night. When he woke up at midnight, he saw the snow reflecting(反射) the moonlight outside his house. “Oh, I can use the reflected light to read!” he thought. He took out his books and read, even though he was freezing cold.

Both of these kids later became successful government officials. People were touched by their hardworking spirit and turned their stories into the Chinese idiom nangying yingxue(囊萤映雪).

In 2012, President Xi Jinping told these stories at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee(中央党校). He talked about nangying yingxue, xuanliang cigu(悬梁刺股) and zaobitouguang(凿壁偷光). All of these stories encourage people to study hard in spite of difficulties. Xi hopes that government officials will keep this hardworking spirit in mind.

All of us can learn a lot from these stories. Although they don’t take place in modern times, they are just like the dim(微弱的) light of fireflies, they light up the road to knowledge.