A book on China’ s war survivors    1    (release) capturing the tales from witnesses in World War II in 2015. Li Genzhi, the author of the book entitled “Wartime Civilian Workers in Tengchong”, said it is a race    2     time before they are all gone.

The book draws its interviews from Tengchong,    3     county-level city in southwest China’ s Yunnan Province, which was home to one of the    4    (bad) battlefields in the Chinese People’ s War of Resistance Against   Japanese Aggression seventy years ago.

The book tells stories of civilians     5    voluntarily transported rice and other supplies along a dangerous mountain path for the Chinese Expeditionary Force (中国远征军) in 1944 as    6    planned to reclaim the China-Myanmar border town     7     (occupy)by invading Japanese troops during the war.     8    (continue) rain made it impossible    9    (deliver) food to the Chinese troops by air. So almost 30,000 local people, mostly women,     10     (old) and children, served as porters and took around 300, 000 kilograms of rice from a village on the other side of the mountain, which is 3,000 meters high.

3 . Plastics have been found from the top of Mount Qomolangma to newly-formed beaches in Hawaii. The amount of plastic in our environment is shocking. What can we do about it? I’m inspired by Kate Nelson, who has lived without using single-use plastic for over ten years. Kate is also the founder of Sea the Mermaids, an organization focusing on stopping human-sourced ocean pollution through education and community action.

She recently wrote an inspiring and practical guidebook I Quit Plastics: and you can too, which is full of information and tips on how to cook, clean, shop, wear and live plastic-free. Upon first opening, you will see a recipe for Cashew Cheese that looks amazing! Not only does this book provide many delicious recipes, but also explores interesting problems about plastic pollution.

For example, Kate explores the problems about plastics and social justice, including plastic privilege(特权). She points out that wealthier countries, such as the USA, export their plastic waste to Southeast Asia, but many of these countries cannot process their own waste. In addition, most of the affordable food, though processed and unhealthy, is heavily packaged in plastic. People that live in “food deserts” in cities and depend on corner stores have no choice when it comes to avoiding plastics. Kate writes in the book, “Not everyone will have bulk (散装) food stores or farmers’ markets near where they live.”

Kate’s writing is easy to read without sounding preachy (说教的). Her explanations and reasoning are clear. From food to beauty to cleaning, Kate’s practical recipes and tips make it easy for everyone to reduce their chances of using single-use plastic. She develops effective strategies that others can easily adopt and offers clear steps to help people improve on the plastic quifting journey.

6 . I was out for an evening with a friend, getting the relief from pressure and catching up on our lives. We got around to the subject of books.

“When do you read?” my friend asked me. My mind took off on a fast journey through my bookshelves and piles of looks. I know some people make artsy towers and pyramids out of books, but I’m not that kind of woman. Mine are just…stacks (摞). Stacks on end tables, stacks on the floor.

When do I read? I read when I’m when I’m happy. I read when I’m bored. I read when I’m defeated. I read when I’m filled with anxiety. My self-medication for the thoughts is not exercise or alcohol, but Jane Austen. I absolutely must slow down the pace of my thoughts when living through a walk to the town Meryton in Pride and Prejudice. I read to visit places I’ll never see in real life. Thank you, Vikram Seth, for making me completely involved in 1950s India. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for giving me a chance to see 1970s high society of New York City, I’ll spend some time with Edith Wharton. I read when I’m recalling the good old days, Many of my favorite books of childhood are still my favorite books. I read when I get so addicted to an author that I want to read everything she has ever written, including her Christmas cards and grocery lists.

Of course, I didn’t say any of these things to my friend. I stared at her with a blank, foolish look.

“When do I read?” I repeated.

“Yes. When do you find time?” she asked.

“When? Evenings. Bedtime. Dinnertime, if I’m eating alone. Sunday afternoons. Moments stolen here and there. And now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Mr. Hemingway, ” I said.