2 . Born blind is unfortunate in any case. But things were even harder for Srikanth Bolla who was born in a small village in India, where the common belief was that kids with disabilities were “of no use” and therefore, better off dead. Fortunately, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to give him up. Instead, they encouraged the blind boy to dream big and reach for the stars.

Srikanth did not disappoint his parents. The now twenty-four-year-old man is the founder and CEO of Bollant Industries.

Of course, getting here was not easy. Being both blind and poor meant that Srikanth had to face hard challenges. As a young boy, Srikanth attended a regular school near his home. Unfortunately, the students and teachers didn’t quite like him because of his disability. As a result, the young boy was largely ignored and often spent the entire day alone.

Concerned this would hold back Srikanth’s development, his family decided to send him to a special school in Hyderabad. Sure enough, the young boy soon rose to the top of his class, earning awards in speech and debate competitions. But Srikanth was prevented from studying science when he reached 10th grade, because it was thought too dangerous for a blind student. Not wanting to give up, Sriksanth took legal action and became the first blind student in the country allowed to study science.

Later, after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Srikanth set up Bollant Industries in 2012. For just four years, it has become a powerhouse with over 450 employees,70% of whom are physically challenged.

Being disabled doesn’t mean being unable. “If the world looks at me and says ‘Srikanth, you can do nothing’, I will look back at the world and say I can do anything,” says the young man.

Antarctica, the southernmost part of Earth, is covered with snow and ice all year round.     1     it has amazing views, many people are still frightened by this icy desert.

But 34-year-old US explorer Colin O’ Brady is different. Three    2     (month) ago he became the first person     3    (cross) Antarctica alone. During the 932-mile journey, O’ Brady spent 54 days in extreme conditions. He had to push     4     (he) to the limit. He carried everything he’d need on a sled. But even with enough food, O’ Brady began to become     5     (thin) and weaker after six weeks. “I     6     (lose) a ton of weight so far. My legs feel more like the size of my arms at this point,” he wrote on US social media Instagram.

Adding to the pressure, O’ Brady was racing against Louis from the UK. The two men set off together, with Brady     7     (take) an early lead. But on Christmas Day, O’ Brady resolved to make a final effort without stopping for a rest.     8    (lucky) for him he made it, getting to the finish line earlier than Louis.

O’ Brady thinks that he has the spirit     9     exploration in his blood: He is    10    athlete, who loves to move. He also believes we can all have this strength and achieve much.

4 . Volunteering is a great way to help your community. It is something that people should be doing more often, because it is a great way to help out those less fortunate. Another reason that you should volunteer is that it has a lot of health benefits, which people don’t seem to really know about.     1    .

Reduce depression (抑郁)

Volunteering is a great way to decrease depression, especially if you are someone who doesn’t have a great support system at home.     2    . When you are volunteering, you are around other people often talking and laughing, which helps reduce depression.

    3    

A lot of volunteering involves packing boxes or moving things, and that is very good for your heart. You can actually walk the dogs and clean cages at a local animal shelter, which are all ways to stay active. If you are volunteering to do something you love, you may not even notice that it takes a great deal of physical energy, so it’s much better than just working out because you enjoy it.

Make you feel satisfied (满意的)

When you do voluntary work, you feel this satisfaction out of what you are doing, because you know you are helping other people. When you feel this satisfaction, your mental and physical health improves, and you just feel better overall (全面的).     4    . And this is something that volunteering provides.

Reduce anxiety

    5    . When you start volunteering, you find new ways to communicate with other people. It helps reduce your anxiety levels. It can help you find ways to interact with others and can help you build confidence around others.

5 . The history of Azerbaijani cinema dates back to the end of the 19th century, during which, many excellent movies have been filmed, which are still watched and admired by everyone.

These movies were filmed in many beautiful places: from the comfortable and winding streets of the Icharishahar(Old City)—UNESCO World Heritage Site in Baku—to the beautiful fruit gardens and forests of beautiful areas of Azerbaijan.

Here, on these streets, one of the most famous Azerbaijani films, Arshin Mal Alan, directed by Rza Tahmasib, was filmed.

Filmed in 1945 and characterized by its amazing plot, beautiful music, great singing and acting, Arshin Mal Alan quickly became a box office sensation (轰动).

It remains an important cultural touchstone across Eurasia and has been translated into 86languages and shown in 136 countries.

The film is about pure love, women’s rights, and a young couple’s dreams for a modern way of life.

The plot tells us about a rich young man named Asker. One day, he decides to get married. However, according to the Eastern rule, a bride (新娘) needs to cover her face before the wedding. But soon he finds a solution to this problem. On the advice of his friend Suleyman, Asker dresses up as a street seller of cloth. By selling goods, these sellers can enter houses where the women and girls choosing their cloth don’t cover their faces. Now Asker can go into any yard and choose a bride.

The film has a lot of entertaining moments, songs and humour. The black-and-white version of this film has also been restored and can now be viewed in colour.

However, this is not the only movie that was filmed in the Old City. For example, in the films Amphibian Man and The Diamond Arm, you can see the streets well known to every Azerbaijaní.

6 . My 88-year-old grandfather and I are both starting 2022 as new college graduates. He was unable to continue school because he got married and started a family in the 1950s. Over the next few decades, he managed to balance his roles as a husband, a father of five, working at a local bank and taking a college class here and there.

Our higher education journey together at Palo Alto College began in 2016. I had just graduated from high school then and my grandfather, 82, was determined to take classes to make his lifelong dream of earning his bachelor’s degree become a reality. In 2017, we were both admitted into the University of Texas at San Antonio. I majored in engineering while my grandfather majored in literature. We would have lunch together and work silently side-by-side in the library. There were also many times when I drove him to school in my car. That was really special because I could always show off him and shout out my grandpa was here.

When COVID-19 broke out suddenly, my grandfather asked for leave from school. I often assisted him with his schoolwork online. Over the past year, his health has continued to decline and he now has difficulty speaking. As graduation day approached in December, my family and I persuaded university officials to approve of my grandfather having a degree of recognition. We had the expectation that he could have that memory before his death.

My grandfather was worried he would steal the show from my graduation moment when I told him we were graduating together. I told him this is our moment and that I want to share it with him. I’m so grateful and proud that I was able to have this moment with him. Applause run through the hall when my grandfather was awarded to his bachelor’s degree at the commencement (毕业典礼).

I appreciate my grandfather’s lifelong passion of learning and his strong wills.

Chinese opera is one of the oldest dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor Xuanzong set up an opera school with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden). From that time on, performers of Chinese opera were referred to     1     “Disciples(弟子) of the Pear Garden”. Since the Yuan Dynasty it has been encouraged by officials and emperors and has become a     2    (tradition) art form. During the Qing Dynasty, it became fashionable among ordinary people and was watched in tearooms and     3    (restaurant).

It developed from folk songs, dances, talking and especially distinctive dialectical music, and     4    (gradual) combined music, art and literature into one     5    (perform) on the stage.     6    (accompany) by Chinese musical instruments like the erhu and the suona, actors present unique melodies and dialogues which are beautifully written. For Chinese, especially older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure.

    7     appeals to foreigners most might be the different styles of facial make-up, which requires distinctive techniques of painting. Always, exaggerated designs     8    (paint) on each performer’s face to symbolize a character’s personality and role. Audiences     9     are familiar with opera can know the character by     10    (observe) the facial painting as well as the costumes.

Chinese opera has developed into many different regional varieties. Today, there are over 300 amazing regional opera styles.

9 . “You should get a cat,” my doctor said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的) friend into my life.

Adopting an animal during the height of the pandemic was far from easy. When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and had a few weeks to prepare for her arrival.

When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my doctor’s advice.

We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like if there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident, leaving a cat-sized hole in my heart the day she left us at only six months old. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve ever had. She was supposed to help me through more of my life than the three short months we had her.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.