It’s believed that Huck Finn is based on (基于) a childhood friend of Mark Twain’s. In fact, Twain was not alone in basing a fictional character (虚构的角色) on a real-life person.

Severus Snape/John Nettleship

Severus Snape is a skillful wizard (巫师) teaching magic in Harry Potter. The writer, J.K. Rowling, once said that the character was based on a teacher of hers.

The teacher turned out to be John Nettleship, who taught Rowling chemistry. At first, Nettleship felt surprised. “I know I am a strict teacher,” he said. “But I don’t think I am as bad as Snape!” On second thoughts, however, he said that he was so ill-tempered that most of his students avoided making him mad. Also, he used to wear long hair and have an untidy lab. That sounds familiar to Harry Potter fans.

Alice/Alice Liddell

Famously, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is based on Alice Liddell.

Carroll was close to the Liddell family. One day, ten-year-old Alice asked Carroll to tell her a new story. Carroll began to create his famous tale of Alice and what happened after she fell through the rabbit hole. The little girl liked the story so much that she asked him to write it down. And the rest is history.

Dill/Truman Capote

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee based Dill on her childhood friend, Truman Capote. Capote once said, “Lee was my best friend. Have you ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? I’m a character in that story! The story takes place just in the town where we lived!”

Aarrav Anil has had a deep interest in mechanics (机械学) since childhood. This allows the teen to represent (代表) India at more than 20 robotics competitions around the world. But Aarrav didn’t create his smart spoon to win a prize. He saw his uncle, who has Parkinson’s disease (PD) (帕金森病), struggling to feed himself. Food kept falling out of his mouth, making him look like a mess. He wanted to make a change.

More than 7 million people in India have PD. The disease influences the brain, causing patients to shake uncontrollably. As the disease progresses, it leads to difficulty in eating by oneself.

Aarrav wanted his uncle to be able to eat by himself. This encouraged the teen to look for a way to help his uncle. So he took to his room with sensors (传感器), a 3D printer and other tools. But not everything went well.

“It was disappointing not to be able to find certain parts I needed in India. I had to buy some from abroad,” Aarrav said in an interview.

Aarrav made a first model, but the spoon handle was not easy for his uncle to hold. “I’ve improved the invention. It needs to be waterproof (防水的). The spoon must be easily separated, so that it can be cleaned and replaced with a fork. And the spoon needs to be deeper to hold more food,” the teen said.

The smart spoon is now being tested at a local college. The test is expected to be completed in early 2024. Aarrav hopes that his smart spoon will be used in hospitals soon.

An online shop selling oranges has become very popular. What makes it so popular?

The reason for it is a talk between the owner and a student from Zhejiang University. After learning that the students were buying oranges for an experiment (实验), the owner Chen Kai decided to give away these oranges for free.

“You are doing research for the country, and I will give you a box of oranges for free.” Said Chen Kai. The student from Zhejiang University was moved (被感动) by the man. And the thing, including the discussion with the owner, appeared on the Internet. Many students then knew this story and it became more and more famous.

Chen Kai is from Yongquan Town, Taizhou City. He has run an online shop to sell oranges for a long time. In Yongquan, it is general for every family to grow oranges. “They make their living by selling oranges. When the oranges are harvested (收成), I help my family pick and sell them.” Chen Kai said. After being popular, he helped others in his town to sell oranges. The fruit farmer, Chen Kai supports (支持) the experiment because he deeply loves our country in his mind. People buy his oranges without thinking twice.

Common people are helping others and giving back to the world in their own way. Let us work together to build a better country!