1 . On the evening of February 17, 2021, the winners of Touching China were announced. Mao Xianglin, the party secretary(党支书) of Xiazhuang, Chongqing was among them.

In 1997, 38­-year­-old Mao started to work in this village. Around the village are 1000­-meter­-tall cliffs(悬崖峭壁), and there was only one way to get out of the village for many years. It took villagers three days to walk to the nearest town. Mao decided to build a road. “We can’t stay poor forever. I’ll lead us as we try, even though it will be hard.” Mao said.

He led more than 100 villagers to build the road with their hands. They hung from ropes and used different kinds of tools to build the road. It took them seven years to build an eight-kilometer road. But their work has improved people’s lives. It takes just one hour to drive to the nearest town now.

Mao then encouraged the villagers to grow oranges. Last year, their orange yield(产量) was nearly 40 tons. Young people have returned to the village to sell oranges online. By the end of 2019, 269 villagers had got out of poverty(贫困).

Mao, who will retire(退休) in five years, said, “Although the conditions are better, the spirit of the Xiazhuang people can’t be lost. It has to be passed down.”

1. Was Mao one of the winners of Touching China?
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2. When did Mao start to work in Xiazhuang?
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3. What did Mao do to make villagers in Xiazhuang live a better life?
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4. Do you think building a new road is the first thing to do for villagers in Xiazhuang to get out of poverty? Why or why not?
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