Few parents can hear the words "What can I do to help?" from their kids. Teenagers spend more time on video games, computers and mobile phones, so they help less with housework.

Students at a primary school in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province were required to clean the school toilets to help them develop good habits. But some parents are strongly against the idea. They can't see the advantages of students doing such chores. They think that the school should provide students with a proper education, not the chance to be school cleaners.

In fact, parents, schools and society play an equally (同等地) important role in developing the character of students. It is good for schools to give students such tasks, because few of the students will do them at home. Their parents want them to do homework only.

In recent years, some parents will make mountains out of molehills when students are asked to do some chores in schools. Some will complain the teachers if their kids get hurt in schools; some will even challenge the schools' teaching methods and management. As a result, many primary schools, especially those in big cities, do not let students join in outdoor activities during breaks, fearing that they might get hurt. This is bad for the development of students' best qualities.

What the primary school in Fuzhou doing is worth praising. Doing chores can put a sense of responsibility (责任感) into students' minds and teach them the spirit of rules as well as teamwork. Also, it can make students' in-school experiences more meaningful.

"Everything happens for the best." Whenever things weren't going my way, my mother would say this to me.

After I finished college in 1932, I decided to find a job in radio as a sports announcer(广播员) . I went to Chicago and knocked at the door of every station. But unluckily, I got turned down every time.

In one station, a kind lady told me that big stations wouldn't hire (雇用) a person without any experience and suggested that I try my luck at smaller stations. Following her advice, I went back to Dixon, where I had grown up. There were no such jobs in Dixon, and my father said a newly-opened store wanted a local person to work for it. I wanted this job, but I was refused again.

"Everything happens for the best," Mum reminded me. Dad offered me the car to look for a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The programme director, Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.

As I left his office, I felt so frustrated. "How can I become a sports announcer if I can't get a job in a radio station?" I asked aloud.

While I was waiting for the elevator, I heard someone calling. It was MacArthur. "What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he asked me to have a try. He was pleased with my performance, and he offered me a chance to work there.

On my way home, I thought of my mother's words: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn't have happened without the failure before."

Do you get angry when your friends sing loudly while you are trying to work? Or when your best friend does not wait for you after school? 

If you do, you need to take control of（控制）your feelings and stop getting angry so easily. Getting angry with people can cause you to lose friends. 

Gary Egeberg, an American high school teacher, has written My Feelings Are Just Like Wild Animals to help you control your feelings. It tells teens how to stay cool when bad things happen to them. The book says that getting angry only makes problems worse. 

It can never make them better. Getting angry is not a natural（自然的）way to act, the book says. It is just a bad habit, like smoking. The book says you can control your anger easily—all you have to do is to tell yourself not to be angry. 

When a baby falls over, it only cries if people are watching it. Like a baby you should only get angry if you are sure it is the right thing to do. 

The book gives many tips to help you if you get angry easily. Here are our top three: 

①Keep a record. Every time you get angry, write down why you are angry. Look at it later and you will see you get angry too easily. 

②Ask your friends to stop talking to you when you get angry. This will teach you not to be angry. 

③Do something different. When you get angry, wall away from the problem and go somewhere else. Try to laugh! 

Tom: What's your plan tomorrow, Ann? 

Ann: I'll stay at home.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Tom: I will have a picnic in a park with some friends. 

Ann: {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Tom: No. We'll go to Zhongshan Park.

Ann: Have you checked the weather report? 

Tom: Yes. It'll be sunny.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Ann: I'd love to, but I have to finish a school report. 

Tom: What a pity! {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Ann: OK.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Tom: Thank you.

These days, it seems that many people are trying to live more with less. They throw away all the less- used things, or some things that are not necessary. They are discovering the pleasure of spending their time and money on the things that matter most. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

◆More free time

The more things you own, the more time you will spend keeping them in order. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You' ll be surprised at how much time you' ll have to do what you really want to do. Care for fewer things, and spend more time with friends and family.

◆Money saved

As you stop buying things you don't need, your finances will be better.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Learn to reward yourself with rich experiences.

Changed values

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} You will realize that things don't bring lasting happiness. True happiness comes from making memories with loved ones.

Living simply lowers your stress, betters your health and allows you to find out what's important.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't wait for a holiday to start living simply. Start today, and you will find that less is more.

A. Just keep the things you use or enjoy.

B. Here are some advantages of living simply.

C. Once you break the habit, your values will change.

D. You can save some money and take a special trip instead.

E. Try to discover the peace and happiness this way of living can bring.

F. With the change of your values, you will get more satisfaction and joy.