Hello. I'm Jan from Mrs. Lake's class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt（收养） a highway.

    Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.

    The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.

    We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean，please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake's room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we'll try to pick an area to adopt and clean.

    I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!

    "BANG! " the door caused a reverberation(回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and me on the other side.

    We were both in great anger. "Never set foot in this house again! "father stormed. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.

    The street lights were shining, causing rather sad feelings. I walked aimlessly.

    A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw childhood from another space: happy and carefree(无忧无虑的).

    But now... I don t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.

    I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on, there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.

    I thought to myself: "Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?"

    In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.

    All the lights were off except father's.

    Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn't know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any pity or any moments of regret. This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.

    The light was still on. "Am I wrong?"I whispered, maybe... With the key in my hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. love-it's second to none.

    There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in out lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.

    How would you feel if you could not joke around with wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you.

    I know of a few people that don't have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their faces. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am, busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?

    Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor, we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness and bring a little light into our lives.

    Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.

    As my dad unwrapped（打开）the new bicycle helmet（头盔）that I got him for his birthday, I realized that a number of people ride their bicycles every day without the protection of a helmet.

      Due to cold winters across the country, riding has become increasingly dangerous as many roads have holes and are torn-up（磨损的）. Not everyone realizes that there are laws requiring the wearing of helmets in many places.

    Where I live, there has been a law in place since October 1, 1992 stating that cyclists of all ages are required to wear helmets. Unfortunately, accidents can happen to the best of riders. My dad has been a cyclist for many years, and he often rides around my county and to Rockland Lake State Park.

    One afternoon, as he was just entering the park, he lost control of his bicycle and flew off and landed on a nearby patch of grass, breaking his helmet into pieces and losing consciousness（知觉）. When he was just awakening, a lovely couple found him and brought him back to our house, where he attempted to recall the events leading up to his fall. Later that day, a CAT scan showed that he had a concussion (脑震荡). That evening, while my dad was showing me the pieces of his broken helmet, we both came to a shocking realization.

    If he had not worn his helmet, he probably would have cracked his skull and perhaps died. Today, when my dad and I go out cycling, the wearing of our helmets is not even a question. Regardless of age, everyone should wear a helmet whenever they get on a bicycle.

    It is good to get in touch with your inner child from time to time, and obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment. A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again.

    At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show—and—tell, arts—and—crafts such as finger paint, games like musical chairs and even take naps. The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day.

    30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos, the brain behind the adult preschool, studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher. She's always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood. A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead.

    According to Candice, her blogger friend, Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children. "I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool," said founder Michelle Joni, "People come here and get in touch with their inner child. It's magical. We are bringing ourselves back to another place, another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves, more confident and ready to take on the world."

    "One person's here because they want to learn not to be so serious." Michelle said. "Another's here to learn to be more confident." She explained that most of the classes were planned. However, Joni added that while the planned activities were fun, it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students. "It's the things you don't plan for, the sharing between friends and learning from each other."

    Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, an early Christian churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1,700 years ago, but the day that has his name is even earlier than that.

More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweetheart for a year. Today, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they send each other Valentine's Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candy. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some used another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much.” Others say more. This one, for example, “Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, Mary.”

    Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries as well. This means someone can send a Valentine message to a lover in a far-away city or town almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine's Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.