I was coming back home late at night in a ”Sharing” minivan. In Hyderabad, India, it is a cheap and quick means of transport. The van drivers ply (揽客) as many as 13 people at times in a vehicle which is designed for the transport of 8 people．Our van was crowded as well. People were getting off and on at many places.

    On the journey, one girl waved her hand to ask the driver to stop. While getting down, she tripped and fell．None of us notice it，as it was dark. The driver was waiting for her to pay. It was then that we saw the girl was on her knees by the side of the road. Another passenger and l got down and held her up．

    Even in pain, the girl held up a note and asked us to pay the driver．The other passenger took the note and paid the driver．My stop was a few hundred meters away. I decided to stay with her till she was fine. I paid the driver for myself and he took off with the other passengers.

    I neither knew her nor did I know what to do, but I was there, saying some comforting words to a stranger in pain. I asked her to stand still for a few minutes. We then looked for a place for her to sit. From out of nowhere, her friend joined us.

    We made her sit in a nearby grassland and her friend rushed to get a taxi. In the meantime, she examined her leg and her ankle had swollen up (肿胀). It looked like a sprain (扭伤). Once her friend came back, they took the taxi and rushed to a hospital. Before they left, the girl thanked me and said they could manage as it was only a small sprain.

    I do not know if I did enough. But I feel I gave some comfort to her in a small way.

    Liu Wei is very famous in China because he can play the piano with his toes(脚趾).

    One day when Liu Wei was only 10 years old, he played a game with some friends. He lost both his arms because of electricity (电). Liu Wei was very sad when both his arms were cut off after the accident. But soon he had to make a choice. “For people like me, there were only two choices. One was to give up all the dreams which would cause a quick death. The other was to work hard without arms to live an excellent life.” says Liu Wei.

    Liu's dream was to be a pianist. His excellent life included a show on China's Got Talent(中国达人秀) and a wonderful performance playing the beautiful Marriage D'amour with his two feet on the piano. Liu Wei learned to play the piano with his feet. And teaching himself to play the piano with his feet was very hard. Many times he wanted to give it up, but his parents went on encouraging him and he wanted to make his parents proud.

    Maybe you can not believe that Liu Wei is able to play well only with his toes. The audience(观众) were deeply moved and very excited when they watched his performance.

    Like many countries, Britain has serious environmental problems. In 1952, more than 4, 000 people died in London because of the smog(雾霾). The government made new laws to stop smog from coal(煤) fires and factories and things became better.

    Today, London is much cleaner but there is a new problem：smog from cars. In December 1991, there was very little wind in London and pollution was much worse. As a result, about 160 people died from pollution in just four days.

    Part of the problem is the new "out of town" shopping centers. In the past, people often walked to shops near their home or went by bus. Now, many people drive to the new shopping centers. As a result, the small shops have been closed and more people have to travel to do their shopping.

    Many people think that Britain needs better and cheaper public transport(交通). Transport in Britain is very expensive. An early morning train trip from Glasgow to London(about 600km)can cost about 100 pounds, for example. A short 15-minute bus trip can cost over 100 pound.

    Many people are trying to cut the use of cars in Britain. Some cities now have special bicycle paths and many people cycle to work. Some people also travel to work together in one car to make less the pollution and the cost.

Dear Mike,

    Greetings from Los Angeles! Thank you for your postcard. Yes, your mother and I can visit you at Christmas. We thought to stay at home on Christmas Day, but now we are going to stay with you. And Jack isn't going to school then.

    The weather in Los Angeles is cold, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes we like the snow.

    We are going to buy plane tickets tomorrow because your mother wants to take a plane and she thinks it is fast. We will get to your city on December 18th. Our plan is to stay with you for two weeks. Is that all right with you？

    We are going to take our favourite recipes(食谱), so we can have a nice Christmas dinner on Christmas Day.

    See you soon.

Love,

Dad