For some time, I had been thinking that I wanted to do something to make strangers smile. I decided that I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (leave) small notes around shops and other public places with positive sayings or kind words for strangers {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (find).

    A friend on Facebook posted that she had received a lot of beautiful paper from an artist friend and was wondering what to do with it. I told her about my idea, and she {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (immediate) said that this must be what her paper was meant for.

    So two friends on opposite {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (side) of the world started leaving these random notes of kindness. I leave my notes without {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (expect) any particular result. It doesn't matter whether they are read {#blank#}6{#/blank#} thrown away. The main thing is that I did this act.

    I now carry around a notebook in {#blank#}7{#/blank#} I write down lovely and inspiring phrases that I find. And I buy packs of Post­ its to write notes on whenever I see {#blank#}8{#/blank#} opportunity to make a stranger smile. I only leave the notes when I am feeling in a {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (happily) mood, as I don't want to pass any negative energy on to someone else.

    I sign them all {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (say) that this note is left for you by a stranger to make you smile. Then, I add a heart.

    A Shanghai policeman took on the role of son to help comfort an elderly couple, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} had lost their own son in a deadly accident.

    In 2003, Liang Qiaoying and her son {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(expose) to poison gas during an accident. The woman survived, but her young son was {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(lucky). And Liang was left mentally-disabled. Her husband, Xia Zhanhai, couldn't bear to tell her the {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(true) about their son. Instead, whenever his wife asked to see the son, he kept {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(say) that their son had gone to work in another city.

    In 2010, while watching a television show, Xia Zhanhai was amazed to see an officer that looked {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(exact) like his son. He immediately knew that the young man was the answer to making his wife smile again.

    With {#blank#}7{#/blank#} help of the television station and the police station, the couple were able to meet the very policeman on a TV show.

    The young policeman was touched by {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (they) loss and sadness, and said that he was more than willing {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(act) as the son. Although he still hesitated to call another woman "mum", his mother was happy to support his action.

Their "reunion" lasted just a few minutes on the show, but it had a lasting influence {#blank#}10{#/blank#}the sick "mother".

    English perfectly shows the "network effects" of a global tongue: the more people use it, the more useful it is. Parents expect their children {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(master)English, which is encouraging the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(grow)of private schooling. Education authorities are switching to English medium, in part to control the outflow(外流) of children into the private sector.

Teaching children in English is fine if that is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} they speak at home and their parents are fluent {#blank#}4{#/blank#} it. But that is not {#blank#}5{#/blank#} case in most public and low-cost private schools. Children are taught in a language they don't understand by teachers {#blank#}6{#/blank#} English is poor. The children learn neither English nor anything else.

    Research shows that children learn {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(much)when they are taught in their mother tongue than they do when they are taught in any other language. In a study of children in 12 schools in Cameroon last month, those taught in Kom {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(do)better than those taught in English in all subjects.

    English should be an important subject at school, but not {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(necessary)the language of instruction. Rather than switching to English-medium teaching, governments fearful of {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(lose) custom (光顾) to the private sector should look at the many possible ways of improving public schools.