April 13^th, 1539

    Outside Mexico City

Dear Mariana,

    Today we arrived safe. It was a long and dangerous trip over the ocean. The winter storms were strong. We were always a little sick from high waves.

    The journey from the shore to Mexico City is also long and dangerous. There are robbers in the countryside. We will travel together with the other ship passengers, thinking we will be safer as a group. Tomorrow we will travel into the city to find our uncle.

    Father says it will take a year for this letter to reach you. The trip from New Spain to Spain is very long.

Your loving brother,

Tomas

    April 20^th, 1539

    Mexico City

Dear Mariana,

    Father and I finally arrived at Mexico City. Here, old buildings are being pulled down; new ones are being built. Just around the corner from Uncle's city house, Aztec workers are pulling down a small, beautiful pyramid. Father says it is one of the last Aztec temples.

    In the center of the city, I met an Aztec boy named Carlos. He speaks a little Spanish. Carlos learns Spanish at his new school. He told me that the Spanish set up new schools for the Aztecs. There he got his new name, Carlos. He says he likes his new school but misses his old city. I wonder what this city used to be like before Cortes came.

    Tomorrow we will go to Uncle's farmland. He and father are talking about the Aztec workers that father will oversee.

Your brother,

Tomas

found v. 建立        battle n. 战役        conquer v. 征服

    As Sam slowly woke, he got a funny feeling in his stomach. He knew he would have to do something that he had been afraid to do for a long time.The school bus came on time, and he sat with his friend, Billy. They chatted about baseball. It was a great way to get his mind off what he had to do later. As they got close to the school, he could feel his heart beating. His hands were starting to sweat. He hated this!

    He entered Mrs. Owen's class. She was smiling, and saying hello to all her students as she did every morning.

    "Hi, Sam!" she said as he walked in."Hi," he said and quickly sat in his seat. Then the class began to take their spelling test. He looked at the clock. The time was near. He hoped he was not first! Mrs. Owens said it was time to begin their special day."Sam, you'll be first." Mrs. Owens said to the class, "Sam has worked very hard on his report on Hawaii, and I know it is very interesting."

    Sam nervously greeted his class. Then, he thought about the fun things he had read about surfing, volcanoes, and pineapples in Hawaii, and he started to talk. He talked in front of the whole class, and it was fun. The class clapped as he finished and Mrs. Owens was smiling. It wasn't terrible at all and he knew he would do better the next time.

    Mona doesn't like to ask people for help. But it is hard for her to perform daily activities on her own. She is almost 13, yet she is no larger than a 5-year-old. Mona has trouble keeping her balance and can't walk very far. When she uses a wheelchair, she can't push it herself.

    Fortunately, Mona has a wonderful service dog named Sam. A service dog is a dog that has been trained to assist someone who has a physical problem. Sam lets Mona lean on him when she walks. He also pulls her wheelchair and turns lights on and off. When Mona drops something, Sam picks it up. He even pulls her socks off at night.

    Sam also helps Mona with everyday tasks at school. He carries her books from class to class in a special backpack. He puts Mona's completed assignments in her teachers' homework trays. In the lunchroom he throws away her trash.

    Besides making Mona less dependent on other people, Sam helps her lead a fuller life. Mona's classmates flock around Sam like geese. This has helped her make friends. Sam also helps Mona be more active. With his aid, she raised over $500 in walk-a-thon for her local humane society.

    Because of Sam, Mona doesn't have to ask people for help. Sam brings her closer to other kids. And he even helps her contribute to her community.

    Asher Angel, an American child actor, was born on 6 September, 2002. He has performed in more than 10 theatre productions. Most of the time, he is occupied. His workday is from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. during the week. "I go to sleep when I get home, with weekends off," Asher said. However, he loves animals and always finds time to help them.

    Asher and his family became interested in animal rescue after their beloved dog. Avery, died of illness. They volunteer at a local animal rescue centre called Home Fur Good. Asher walks, feeds and plays with the dogs at the rescue centre.

    In his home, Asher has three dogs, one cat and two hamsters, and they are mostly rescued pets. He loves all his pets and could not imagine his life without them. His acting work keeps him away a lot, but he loves to play with his dogs (Monet Belle, Harper Belle and Cleo Belle) as soon as he gets home. They are super excited to see him every time. Asher has a special relationship with Monet Belle. He says, "Her eyes look like a human's, and I can talk to her. She comforts (安慰) me when I need her."

    Asher is really excited about his new role in Andi Mack, because the character of Jonah Beck is a lot like him: thoughtful and sensitive (敏感的). He also got the chance to learn to play Frisbee (飞碟), which was really fun, especially since Asher also loves sports.

    Asher showed an interest in acting at an early age and he has a dream of becoming a professional full-time actor in the future.