A 50-year-old American officer came back to his school. The teacher asked him to give a talk to the small boys and girls there. The talk was about the love of their great country. All the little ones were sitting in a large meeting room. The old officer went up and began speaking. He said, “Boys and girls, I studied in this school forty years ago. When I was your age, we were not as happy as you are today. Think about it and answer me. Why are you so happy now?”

    No sound came from the children. The old man waited for a long time. Then a short boy in front put up his small dirty hand. “Good boy! Please answer me, dear.” said the officer.

    With a big smile on his face, the boy stood up and said, “If you speak long enough, we won't have Maths and Biology lessons this morning.”

The power of nature

    There are some things in nature that we cannot stop from happening. We cannot stop the power of nature. A flood comes when there is too much water on the land. Sometimes， it is after a big storm when too much rain falls on the land. Sometimes it is after a big storm at sea， when too much sea water comes onto the land. The fast flood water can hurt us and can hurt our homes. We cannot stop a flood from coming， but we can try to stop the water from coming into our homes. We can try to stop the water by making a wall. We can use sandbags to make the wall.

    An earthquake comes when the land moves. The land goes up and down and in different directions. Then land can crack（断裂）. An earthquake can hurt us. We can get hurt by things that fall down in an earthquake. Falling things can start fires. We cannot stop an earthquake from coming， but we can try to make our homes strong so that they will not fall down in an earthquake.

    A tornado（龙卷风）is fast air that goes around and around over the land. A tornado can pick up anything. It can break anything that is in the way. A hurricane（飓风）is a big storm with fast winds and strong rain. It begins at the sea and can come onto the land. Its fast winds can hurt us and our homes. We cannot stop a tornado or a hurricane from coming， but we can get out of its way. We cannot stop the power of nature， but we can go to places where we can be safe.

    Sometimes the world may feel like an unhappy place. However, you can make a difference. If you make even a person smile today, you can help make this world a better place. Here is a list of ideas to help you.

Send a handwritten letter

    In this age where everything is sent by email, it is a shock to receive a letter through the post. Writing a few words on paper to a friend is an easy way to make one smile. Even a postcard with a couple of sentences could really make someone's day- all for the price of a stamp！

Volunteer

    Volunteering is one of the nicest things you can do. It requires (需要 ) some time and research to find the perfect project before volunteering. Whether you volunteer at your local youth group or take dogs from the shelters for a walk, the simple fact that you are giving up your time to help someone else is unbelievable. There are so many chances, so you are sure to find one that is right for you. And it doesn't necessarily have to take up all your time-it could be once a week or a couple of times a year.

Make something for a special person

    Whether you're creative or not, taking time to make something for someone else M shows how much you appreciate (感激 ) them. Even if you think you are not creative, the receiver will feel lucky to get such a special gift that you put your time into. Some ideas could include a card, painting, drawing, song, poem or cake!

Tell someone "I love you"

    It can be anyone-a family member or a friend. You don't even have to say "I love you". Perhaps you can tell a friend that you appreciate all they are to you, or remind your mum that you love her. Sometimes, in our busy lives, we forget to take a moment to tell people what they mean to us.

    Is your life ruled by love or by fear? Love and fear are two opposite feelings that shape our life in very different ways. Most of us are controlled by both of them. However, even a tiny change towards love and away from fear can bring more happiness. Here are some suggestions towards love.

    Cultivate Gratitude(培养感恩之心)

    Gratitude makes us feel happier. If you remember to be thankful for the blessings(赐福)of your life, you will feel more connected to yourself and others. When you let worries go and have gratitude instead, love appears quickly.

    Test the Reality of Fear

    Sometimes fear can be like a cloud that keeps out the sunlight. A simple way to deal with fear is to test its reality. Write down three things that you're afraid of. Then look at each point and ask yourself,  "Is this fear really grounded(基于) in reality? "I know when I do this, I often find that fears aren't reasonable.

    Take Action

    Taking action is the best way to control fear. For example, if you are not feeling well, but you don't go to a doctor, you may imagine that you are having a serious health problem.

    Once you've been to a doctor, talked about the problems and dealt with them one by one, your fear will become smaller and even disappear.