3 . On a cold winter day, Don took his dogs, Milo and Duke, out for their usual morning walk at Bark Park. But this peaceful walk was interrupted by Mike, an anxious dog owner who was missing his best friend. His small gray dog, Jackson, had gotten lost somewhere in the park- and he'd already been gone for quite some time. Small dogs don't do very well in cold weather. Knowing that there was no time to waste, Don and his own dogs immediately started searching the park. Unfortunately, Jackson was nowhere to be found.

If Don hadn't had his own dogs with him, Jackson might never have been found in time. Don was about to give up on the search and was already heading back to his car. But as Don and his dogs were crossing the bridge, Milo suddenly noticed something in the water. Thinking that his dog had seen a duck or something else, Don tried to pull on the leash, but Milo wouldn't listen. Duke joined in, and the two dogs insisted that something was going on.

Don looked out across the bridge and saw a small, gray shape struggling in the icy river. The reality of the situation clicked, and Don immediately began running down to the water's edge. Don called 911, but he knew that help wouldn't arrive in time. Without even sparing a thought for himself, the brave man jumped into the water and moved straight towards the terrified dog. Jackson was trapped in ice and barely holding himself above water. Don used his arms to break the ice and quickly pulled the dog into his arms. The two swam out of the water and back onto dry land. Mike was waiting for Jackson and rushed him straight to a nearby vet clinic. It's reported that Jackson didn't suffer any harm from the incident and is as cheerful as ever.

4 . Chinese people’s English proficiency (熟练) has improved in the past years compared to other non-English speaking countries, a report released on Tuesday said.     1     It scores 53. 44 out of 100 points this year, 1.5 points more than last year.

This year’s report was based on the EF Standard English Test results of more than 2.3 million adults who were tested on their ability to understand written and spoken English.     2     Their median age was 23, and 59 percent were women, the report said.

Jesper Knutell, executive vice-president and general manager of corporate solutions, EF China, said China’s increase in rankings was for two main reasons.     3     Their long-term commitment to English education and increased investment in the language also made a great difference.

“    4     Because I learned English, I had the opportunity to study at Harvard University, where I received a PhD. I also taught for 10 years at Yale University and the University of Michigan,” said Ning Qiang, professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing. He added, “I am a product of good English proficiency and an example of how important good English proficiency is to peopled learning opportunities and career advancement.”

To improve English proficiency, people should study English every day in sessions of 20 to 40 minutes rather than for hours at a time, Knutell said.     5     He added that watching TV, reading and listening to the radio in English can also help.