People are compassionate. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it's not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register (收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.

    I couldn't help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn't allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.

    Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.

    What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.

    The Bronte sisters were three sisters who became famous novelists． Their lives and works are connected with the lonely moors of Yorkshire, England, where they lived． Patrick Bronte, the sisters' father, was a poor Irishman who became the parish clergyman of the small, isolated town of Haworth, Yorkshire． Bronte was somewhat strange and tended to be strict． His wife died in 1821 and her sister brought up the family out of duty, but with little love or understanding． The sisters went to several boarding schools where they received a better education than usual for girls at that time, but in a bad atmosphere．

Few jobs were available for women at that time, and the Bronte sisters, except for occasional jobs as governesses or schoolteachers, lived their entire lives at home． They were shy, poor, and lonely, and occupied themselves with music, drawing, reading and —above all—writing． Their isolation led to the early development of their imaginations． In 1846, under the male pen names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, the sisters published a joint volume of poems．Although only two copies were sold, all three sisters soon had their first novels published．

    Charlotte Bronte's most famous novel Jane Eyre （1847） is largely autobiographical ． Through the heroine, Charlotte relived her hated boarding school life and her experiences as a governess in a large house． Rochester, the hero and master of the house, is fictional． Jane Eyre was enormously successful, but many readers were shocked that Rochester, who tried to make Jane his mistress, should be rewarded by marrying her． Some readers were also shocked because Jane wanted to be regarded as a thinking and independent person, rather than as a weak female．

    Charlotte Bronte wrote three other novels． The first one, The Professor, was not published until 1857, after her death． Shirley （1849） is set among the labour riots of the early 1800s． Villette

    Weaving hammocks is an art that takes a sharp eye, a skilled hand and lots of patience. But in Lenwood Haddock's case, being blind works to his advantage. His trained, sensitive hands are acutely aware of every step of the process. Since beginning his craft in 1986, Lenwood has woven about 145, 000 perfect hammocks.

    Lenwood lost his sight in 1973, at age 18, during a hunting accident. “My whole working career has been blind,” he says. He first found a job as a woodworker, but when that organization closed, the North Carolina Division of Services for the Blind connected him with Hatteras Hammocks. On his first day of work. “I did a total of one hammock,” Lenwood recalls, laughing. “And then I came home and lay down to sleep. I lift weights, but I wasn't as tough as I thought until I started weaving.lt takes a lot of energy, and you're standing up all day.”

    In time, however, Lenwood found he had a knack (窍门) for the job. At first he worked on-site at the company, but after a year Lenwood moved his operation to the home workshop where he had worked for 10 years during his woodworking days.

    There, he creates dozens of hammocks each week from ropes in a variety of sizes. One day, he realized the step counter on his phone recorded him walking eight miles without ever leaving his shop.

    The process of weaving a hammock involves making and catching hundreds of loops (环). A single missed stitch (织针) creates a hole that can widen and make the hammock uncomfortable or even dangerous to use. Experienced weavers miss loops sometimes, but to his company's knowledge, Lenwood has never turned in a hammock with even one dropped stitch. Lenwood's skilled fingers are quick to catch and fix any mistakes.

    The company has acquired other brands and changed its name to The Hammock Source. Today, it is the world's largest maker and seller of hammocks, all built by hand.

    However, Lenwood's routine has changed little. He works his fingers back and forth across the rows, looping the rope and pulling it. With every hammock, Lenwood presents himself a perfect product. “I'm not sure how sighted people do it,” he admits.

    More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It's fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    If you get on a bicycle and ride it, you may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your cars. You can bike to work and benefit from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle friendly to travellers.

    Here are some of Health Benefits of Bicycling：

    Bicycling helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15­minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.

    Bicycling can improve your mood.

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.

    Bicycling is healthier than driving.

    Many of us just laugh it away when they are told incredible (难以置信的) stories about other people, but I have a deep interest in these stories and I prefer to believe they are true. Here's one I collected from a total stranger.

    "Well, I was 11 when my family arrived at Fern Lake overlooking Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was so beautiful to look miles across the Rockies and thousands of feet below into the valley. My parents were busy getting lunch out of the trunk so I climbed over the wooden fence to get closer to the cliff edge in the hope that I wouldn't miss any beautiful sight down there.

    I started down a little hill but soon started sliding on loose pebble rocks(鹅卵石). I fell on my back, but kept going faster and faster to what seemed the edge of the world (a 2,000 foot drop). In seconds I knew I was going to die. My feet and legs went first over the edge at a high speed. Then suddenly I felt two hands push hard on my chest and stopped me dead. My heart was racing and I slowly inched my body back to where I finally could make it back up the hill.

    My father was waiting there and screaming at me for doing such a dangerous stunt (特技). I tried to tell him and my mom about the hands that held me back, but to this day they don't believe me. They thought I was just trying to get out of trouble with a made-up story.”

    We parted ways, but I assured her that I believed every word of her story. I could see a little surprise and happiness on her face.

    That's why I always ask people to share their miracles (奇迹). Each real story makes my days full of hope and gratefulness.

There is an old saying in China that goes, "The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days. " "Sanjiu period", which is in Minor(较小的) Cold, refers to the third nine-day period (the 19th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice(冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.

Eating hotpot

During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.

Eating huangyacai

In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.

Eating glutinous rice(糯米饭)

According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved(腌制的) pork, sausage and peanuts and mix them into the rice.

Eating vegetable rice

In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is unspeakably delicious. Among the ingredients( 原 料 ), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausage and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.