April is Financial Literacy Month，when Americans of all ages are encouraged to learn how to be smart about money.And this year，fifth­grade Rachel Kelly from Naperville，Illinois，is already at the head of her class.Kelly,11, won a nationwide contest called the Stock Market Game.

    Students who take part in the Stock Market Game，run by the SIFMA Foundation，a financial­education organization，pretend to buy stocks (股票) worth $100,000.Then they have to read financial news over several days to see if their investments would have gained money or lost money and write an article explaining their choices.

    “I  wanted  to  choose  a  company  that was well­known，” writes Kelly.“I thought about products that I see every day，so cars came to my mind.” Kelly picked the Japanese car company Honda Motors.“Honda Motor Company is the No.1 producer of motorcycles in the world and the fifth­largest producer of automobiles behind Toyota，Volkswagen，General Motors and Hyundai，” says Kelly.

    Honda makes many different kinds of cars，which Kelly thinks makes the company a safe investment.She explains that even if the cost of gas goes up，Honda has a good chance of staying in business because of the company's fuel­efficient cars，which run on less gas than most cars made today.

    “If one of their departments is not doing so well，it won't affect the overall company sales，” she writes.

    Because the stock Kelly picked performed well and her article was persuasive，Kelly won this year's contest.About 600,000 students from 4th to 12th grade competed.

    People say that one man can't make a difference, but Abdul Samad Sheikh, a 60-year-old rickshaw(人力车)driver from Bangladesh, has proved that doing a small thing over a long period of time can mean very much. He has planted at least one tree every day since he was 12 years old, which means that he has so far planted a small forest of over 17,500 trees. Imagine if everyone followed his example.

    Abdul has worked as a rickshaw driver for most of his life. He makes a little money from his job, which is only enough to put food on the table for his family, but he somehow tries to also buy at least one tree everyday. He considers it his duty to the world. Mostly he plants them on government land so nobody can cut them down later. He also them, and if he sees anyone cutting a tree, he blames them.

    Abdul, this wife Jorna, and four of their children live in two old houses, on a piece of land that is owned by the Faridpur deputy commissioner's office. They have no land of their own.

    Sometimes, she commands him not to plant trees but he doesn't listen. Abdul's 30-year-old son, Kutub Uddin, has never told his father not to plant trees, because he thinks his father does a good thing for society.

    Abdul's neighbors all know about his daily habit, and praise his work. Whoever can ask of him anything, he will do his best to help. Therefore, Abdul is loved by neighbors.

    For his efforts, Abdul Samad Sheikh was recently honored by The Daily Star, and given $1, 253 to help him build a better home for his family. The Daily Star hoped everyone to follow his example, and protect the environment.

     “I can't do it alone. I need the help of you all,” Abdul said in his speech.

    Elephants in Uganda are starting to come close to villages near national parks. The big animals are a real danger to people.

    So, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has been giving people new tools to keep the elephants away: vuvuzelas. They are plastic instruments some fans use at sports events.

    The instruments make a loud sound elephants do not like. The animals leave, and no one is harmed. A spokesperson for the Uganda Wildlife Authority says vuvuzelas work because they do not threaten the elephants. That is important because an elephant that feels threatened is more likely to attack. So far, no one has reported an elephant attacking in answer to a vuvuzela.

    Officials and villagers have tried other ways to stop elephants from coming near farms and houses. They have built beehives – houses for flying insects that sting. They have hung ropes covered in spicy oil. They have dug long, deep holes. And they have used guns, called A-K47s.

    An official from the Uganda Wildlife Authority explains that people shoot the gun in the air to scare the elephant. But over time, the elephants have stopped being afraid of the sound of the gun. They only look at the shooter and wave their ears.

    Another official for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Gessa Simblicious, says one elephant-prevention solution will not work everywhere in Uganda. And one day, elephants may accept the vuvuzela noise, just as they do the sound of the A-K47.

    But right now, vuvuzelas are an effective, non-violent and fun way to deal with a serious problem.

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My Experience in Ghana

    I decided to take part in an exchange program in Ghana. The 30 of us participating in the program met up the first morning in Ghana to meet Fred, our guide in Ghana.

    We boarded the bus to Senase, a village of 3,000 in Northwest Ghana. Once we got to the village, we were greeted by the queen mother and the other elders. A young girl performed a dance for us with Ghanaian drums, and then the elders each thanked us for coming to the village and helping their children and their schools.

    After our meeting ended, we split up into three groups and went to different schools, spending most of the day handing out toothbrushes and school supplies, meeting with the children, and playing games with various classes. It was really interesting to see the schools and to see what all of the different classes were learning.

    We got back to our host's house that night literally seconds before the skies opened up over Senase, and since the power was out, Fred, Cari (my roommate) and I sat out under the roof listening to the pouring rain and talking about our lives. We were able to hear Fred's story, which was absolutely incredible. I can say it gave me a new sense of respect for the Ghanaian people, their unity in the face of tremendous hardship, and the immense amount of care and love they hold in their hearts, not only for their families but their entire community.

    The next day we performed our dance for one of the schools, to the delight (and laughter) of the children, queen mother, and principal. After that we were on the bus heading back.

    During the bus ride, new thoughts and questions filled my mind. Where is this fire Senase lit in my heart going to take me, and how can I feed it and build it into real change? How do I bring this back to my community, and then back home to my family and friends? These were only a few of the questions that I was struggling with and continue to struggle with, and I can't say I have found any answers yet. All I know is that Senase did light a fire within me, and I refuse to ever let it burn out.

    From Madrid to Buenos Aires to Panama City to Lisbon, President Xi Jinping has tirelessly promoted the building of a community of shared future for mankind, and the Belt and Road Initiative(倡议) as a means to achieve that.

    But all don't see it that way. While some are quick to see its positive potentials, other countries insist on viewing it skeptically. There have been the usual doubts about the intention behind, although the mysterious threat they speak of is one they seem unable to explain clearly.

    To some of them, it is a vague assumption that investments from China are potential "debt traps" that call for extreme caution or "threats to national security". That is why the business combinations involving Chinese companies which would be mutually(相互地)beneficial have hit the rocks. The Chinese telecommunications technology giant Huawei, for instance, has found the doors to the 5G telecommunications markets of advanced countries closed to it on "national security" grounds. Likewise, the European Union has agreed on a framework regulating foreign investment(投资) particularly those from China on the same account.

    Even as Chinese and Portuguese leaders discuss bilateral(双边的)cooperation under the Belt and Road, there is no lack of concern about "Chinas influence". But existing EU rules do not forbid Lisbon from seeking such a partnership. If Lisbon sees no harm from foreign investment, no outsider is in a position to prevent it from making a choice in its own best interests.

    Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has reminded EU decision-makers of his country's desire for foreign investment, and advised the latter to avoid taking "the path of protectionism". It was a timely reminder.

    Facing the challenges in today's world, China and the countries that have embraced the Belt and Road are convinced it is the way to common development and the world's lasting peace and stability.