3 .

This April marks 460 years since the birth of William Shakespeare. What do you know about this great writer? Shakespeare was born in a town of England, in 1564. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it has long been celebrated on April 23.

Shakespeare had three younger brothers and two younger sisters. His father was a glove maker. He got married at the age of 18. What he did for the next ten years is unknown. Some people think he was a teacher. Others think he was a lawyer.

By 1592, Shakespeare was working as a writer and actor in London. That year, a big illness kept the city’s theaters closed most of the time. He then turned to writing poetry. His poems were very popular.

Two years later, London’s theaters reopened. Then he joined an acting group called Lord Chamberlain’s Men. They often performed plays for royalty (王室成员). Later, Shakespeare opened a famous local theater with others. This brought him a lot of money.

Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays in 20 years. They were of different types. His most famous tragedies include Hamlet and King Lear. Among his comedies are A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It. His historical plays are about some kings of England.

Shakespeare retired (退休) from the theater around 1610. He returned to his hometown and died there six years later.

Tragedy is a serious play with a sad ending, especially the one in which the main character dies.

Comedy is a funny play or film, usually with a happy ending.

Which countries have the happiest people in the world? You can find the answer in the yearly World Happiness Report. This year’s report came out on March 20, 2024.

To get an idea of how happy people are, a team from the U.N. surveyed people from 143 different countries. They asked them to imagine their life as a ladder and report where they stand on it. For the seventh year in a row, Finland was named the world’s happiest country. Its neighbors also scored highly. Denmark, Iceland and Sweden were all among the top five.

What makes these people happy? One important reason is that they get support from people around them. Besides, their governments have programs to give them a lot of support. These include good healthcare and education systems. The report shows that people are more likely to be happy when they can trust others and their government.

This finding can partly explain why most Americans under 30 reported feeling unhappy with their lives. For this reason, the U.S. ranked 23rd this year. For the first time, it fell out of the top 20. The U.N. started publishing the World Happiness Report in 2012. It aims “to tell leaders what people think makes life meaningful,” said a U.N. official. “This goal has never changed.”

Hu Lei, a man in his early thirties, can’t stand or walk because of an illness called polio (小儿麻痹症). However, that doesn’t stop him from helping others. People call him “The Giant (巨人)” because he     1     a heart of gold.

Hu was born in Ningxia. When he was little,     2     father died, and his mother had a new family. He had to look after his     3    . At the age of 7, he got polio and couldn’t walk anymore. Even though Hu     4     many difficulties, he didn’t give up. Every day, he crawled (爬) a long way to collect things that people didn’t need anymore and     5     them. Sometimes, kind strangers gave him food, clothes, and even money. Their kindness made him feel     6     inside and gave him the idea to help others.

Hu started doing good things in 2008 with the money he saved. He has     7     away over one million yuan so far! He helped many people in need. He     8     believed that when he helps someone, they will help others, too.

The kind     9     story teaches us that we don’t need to be rich or famous. Even small acts of     10     can do the job. Just like Hu, we can all be giants of good deeds by spreading love and helping those in need.