Long ago, a wolf called Howler lived in a valley where lots of fruit trees grew. He often tried to climb up the trees to eat the fruit, but couldn't reach. In the valley, an old man named Martin also had a few fruit trees that he looked after very well. But as he was getting older, he noticed that he didn't have the strength to pick the fruit.Martin had the most beautiful fruit trees in the valley, which was why Howler had his eye on them. One day he decided to steal the fruit and started jumping up and down the tree.Martin looked out of the window and realized that the wolf was trying to steal fruit from his beautiful trees. Howler jumped and jumped, but he couldn't reach even the lowest branches of such a big tree.

    Seeing this, Martin had a great idea: he offered Howler a ladder to climb up, but in return the wolf would have to give him half of the fruit. Howler accepted the deal and began to collect the fruit. For the whole morning, he went up and down the ladder filling his basket with the fruit.

    Howler soon realized that he could eat all the fruit if he didn't give Martin some. He thought up a new and secret plan. Martin, on the other hand, trusted Howler and even began to think they would be friends forever.

    But the wolf stole the ladder and went off to other trees in the area for more fruit.Realizing that the ladder was missing, Martin went looking for it. Martin felt very disappointed at the trick and no longer trusted Howler. Though he wasn't angry with the wolf and they became friends again, he never made any more deals with him.

    At last, Howler learned that he shouldn't trick people and he should keep promises. He also learned that if he had been honest and not greedy, he would still have been able to enjoy more delicious fruit.

    A young man with a large bag on his back came far away for a master (大师). He said "Master, I'm so lonely and so painful that the long trip makes me tired out, my shoes worn-out, my feet cut, and my hands also injured an bleeding .... Why can't I find the sun in the heart?"

    The master asked, "What do you put in you large bag?"

    The young man said, "It is very important to me, inside it including the pain each time I fall, the tears each time I'm hurt, the trouble each time I feel lonely ... Depending on it, I can come to you here."

    So the master took the young man to the river which they crossed in a boat. On the other side of the river, the master said, "Hurry on your journey carrying the boat!"

    "What, carrying the boat?" the young man was surprised, "it is so heavy. How can I carry it?"

    "Yes, my son, you can't carry it," the master just smiled and said, "when you cross the river, the boat is useful. But after crossing it, you will put down the boat and hurry on, If not, it will become a burden (负担). Pain, loneliness and tears—all these are useful to life. They can improve life, but if you don't forget them all the time, they will become the burden in life. Put it down! My son, life can't bear(承受) a heavy burden," The young man put down his bag and hurried on. He walked easily and happily, and much faster than before.

    Long ago in a small village, there was a place called the House of 1,000 Mirrors(镜子).A small, happy little dog learned about this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he jumped happily up the stairs and to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway. His ears lifted up, and his tail wagged as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself looking at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile and he found 1,000 great smiles that were just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself," This is a wonderful place. I will come back to visit often."

    In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the other one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung (垂下) his head low as he looked into the doorway. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly-looking dogs looking back at him, he growled (吼叫) at them. He was afraid when he saw 1,000 little dogs barking back. As he left, he thought to himself," That is a terrible place. I will never go back there again."

    All the faces in the world are mirrors of you. What kind of reflections (反映) do you see in the faces of people you meet?

Dear Li Na,

    I'm really glad to receive your e-mail. You said you were learning to cook. Is it interesting? I think if you want to keep healthy, food is very important. You'll be better if you try all kinds of food, especially（特别是） vegetables and fruit. I eat them every day.

    You asked me how to make a milk shake. There are different kinds of milk shakes, such as apple milk shake, banana milk shake, carrot milk shake and watermelon milk shake. Apple milk shake is my favorite, because apples and milk are both good for our health. Before starting, we need an apple, a cup of milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey. Of course, you need a blender.

    Now, let's start. First, peel an apple and cut it up. Next, put the apple, the milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey into the blender. Then turn on the blender. Keep it going for only one minute. Finally, pour the apple milk shake into a glass and drink it. It's delicious!

    I want to learn how to make some Chinese food, such as dumplings, noodles and zongzi. Could you teach me?

    Write soon!

Yours,

Maria

    Valentine's Day is a very old holiday. It goes back to the times of Ancient Rome (古罗马). One of the characters we often see on Valentine's Day is Cupid. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. He shoots people with arrows (箭) of love. When a man and a woman are hit by his arrows, they will fall in love.

Today people celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14. If a man and a woman are in love, they will give each other gifts. The most popular gifts are flowers (especially roses) and chocolates. Couples may also go to a restaurant for a very nice dinner or plan something else romantic.

    In the United States, Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. Children make special Valentine's cards for their classmates. Families and friends may give candy or other small gifts to each other. It can be a fun day.