Zhang Jianna is a 49-year-old city cleaner from Chaoyang District, Beijing. She has studied English alone for about 10 years. Now she can speak English with foreigners and help them when they are in need.

Zhang became interested in learning English in 2014. She worked in the Sanlitun embassy (大使馆) area at that time. One day, when she was working, a man from another country asked her for help. But she didn’t know what he was talking and couldn’t give a hand. After that, she decided to learn English so that she could help foreign friends.

Zhang’s English learning stopped after leaving high school. She forgot much of what she had learned. Her first problem was about vocabulary. To learn new words, she wrote the new words on pieces of paper and carried them. When she had time, she took them out and read the new words. Zhang learns English by making conversations with her children in English now. With her children’s help, she uses her smart phone to learn English when she has time.

“Keeping learning is the most important thing in learning English! Learn step by step. Learn every day,” Zhang said, “There are no easy ways to learn English alone.”

Zhang wants to learn another foreign language now. Then she can help more foreign friends to visit Beijing and know about China.

Holding a pair of brushes—one with pigment (颜料) and the other with water—Tian Lili paints peonies (牡丹) on a piece of paper on Monday. 【小题1】 She is at a painting cooperative (合作性组织) in Hongmiao Village of Juye County, Shandong Province.

“My working time here is flexible (灵活的). Usually, I paint peonies seven or eight hours a day when there is no farming work to do,” said Tian. “I love painting peonies. 【小题2】 Working here, I can take care of my parents and children, and I can make some money by painting peonies,” she said.

【小题3】 Most of them are farmers. They would like to make some money on the side. They don’t want to travel away from their homes to make money.

Using brushes, the painters have drawn a road of rural vitalization (乡村振兴) in Juye. 【小题4】 Juye County belongs to Heze City, known as the “Peony Capital of China”.

To date, Juye has more than 160 painting training institutions (机构). There are more than 20,000 people painting or selling paintings. 【小题5】 The paintings are sold to 40 countries and regions (地区), according to the county government.

Last week I was at my desk in the classroom as usual. I was very tired, and couldn’t concentrate (集中注意力) on the lesson. Soon I fell asleep and had a dream. I looked around and noticed a door behind me. “I’m sure it wasn’t there before!” I said to myself. Very quickly I stood up, opened the door, and saw a long hallway. Soon I found myself in an underground room. There were a lot of strange machines, and people moved around in white coats. Suddenly, I heard a scream (尖叫) from another room, and I began to feel afraid. Just then a tall man with white hair came towards me.

“I am a professor (教授),” he told me. “How nice to see you! Did you come to help with our little experiment(实验)?” I didn’t like the professor, and I didn’t want to stay. I tried to run away, but my legs couldn’t move. He came closer. “Don’t worry,” he said, smiling. ‘We’re just doing a few tests...” ^“No!” I shouted. “No test!” He put his hand on my arm and repeated, “A few tests, tests, tests...”

Just then I woke up. I was back in the classroom, and someone was shaking my arm. I listened to the teacher. “Tests this week and next week,” she said. ‘That’s better,” I thought.