One day a poor farmer was taking a bag of rice to town. Suddenly the bag fell off his horse on the road. He didn't know what to do about it because it was too heavy for him to lift by himself. He only hoped that somebody would soon pass by and help him.

    Just at this moment a man riding a horse came up to him. But the farmer was very disappointed (失望) when he saw who he was. It was the great man living nearby. The farmer had hoped to ask another farmer or a poor man like him.

    But to his surprise, the great man got off his horse as soon as he came near. He said to the farmer, “I see you need help, friend. How good it is that I'm here just at the right time.” Then he took one end of the bag, the farmer took the other. They together lifted and put it on the horse.

    “Sir,” asked the farmer, “how can I pay you?”

    “It's quite easy,” the great man answered with a smile, “wherever you see anyone else in trouble, do the same for him.”

    An old man is sitting on the sofa in his house along with his son. Just then, a crow (乌鸦) stops on their window.

    "What is that?" asks the father.

    "It is a crow." answers the son.

    "What is that?" asks the father again after a few minutes.

    "Father, I just told you. It's a crow." the son answers again.

    "What is that?" asks the old father a third time.

    "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again?  I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'!" shouts (大喊) the son.

    After a little while,  the father goes to his room and comes back with his old diary (日记). He asks his son to read one page. The son reads the following words in the diary:

    "Today my 3-year-old son is sitting with me on the sofa. When a crow is sitting in the window, he asks me 23 times what it is, and, 23 times, I answer, 'it is a crow' I hug (拥抱) him warmly every time he asks me the same question, again and again."

    When your parents get old,  do not look them as a burden (负担), but be kind to them. Remember they are the people who always love you. Love your parents, please.

    When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings (缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn't a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with (忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

    He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, "Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said."

    I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.

    I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. "That's just for you," he said. "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be helpful to you. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right."

    Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure (珍惜) all your life!

As a kind of traditional Chinese dress, Ma Mian Qun( horse face skirt) first appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty. The two sides of Ma Mian Qun are pleated(起褶的), and there isa smooth part in the middle, commonly known as " Ma Mian".

Why is it called " Ma Mian"? In fact, " Ma Mian" is a kind of structure(结构) used for protection in the city wall system. However, all the books about Ma Mian Qun only show that the smooth surface without pleats in the middle is called " Ma Mian". But there is no further explanation of how Ma Mian Qun got its name.

Ma Mian Qun is colorful, mostly red and blue. Red means good luck and joy. According to Han customs, women usually wore red skirts during celebrations of festivals. In the Qing dynasty, blue was also common and popular, paired with black and yellow.

Ma Mian Qun has different kinds of patterns with different meanings. For example, dragon and phoenix patterns show the love between a man and a woman or a beautiful marriage. Peony(牡丹) is a symbol of wealth and honor.

Recently, Ma Mian Qun has become a popular form of skirt for Hanfu fans. More and more modern fashion designers find ideas from Ma Mian Oun. For example, some get ideas from the patterns. Some combine(结合) the styles of Ma Mian Qun with T- shirts or blouses, which are more suitable for everyday wear. Even western fashion has been influenced by Ma Mian Qun for many years.

Robots can help us in many ways. And Topeliffe Primary School is doing something new by helping autistic（患自闭症的）children through robot friends. These robots can dance，play games and tell stories. They can do Tai Chi as well!

Dr Guldberg，a teacher from University of Birmingham，said，"Studies show that autistic children often feel safe with computers and robots. So we wonder how robots can help the children to communicate with others. For example，robots can act as their friends and listen to them at school. "

Ian Lowe，a teacher from Topcliffe Primary School，teaches about 30 autistic children. He said，"The robots are very smart at helping autistic children with their learning. In the future we hope they can help with learning at home. "

And the students love them. Seven﹣year﹣old Joshua says he likes playing games with the robots. Daniel and Kevin say they like to watch the robots dancing. And Stephen says he likes Robert Max when it tells him stories. 

In a way，the robots are helpful for these autistic children to express（表达）their ideas.