A Father's Promise for a Daughter

By Roger Horsh

I promised I'd always love you.

From the day of your own birth.

I promise I will love you more

Than anything on Earth.

I promise I will be there

On the day you learn to talk.

I promise I will hold your hands

When you begin to walk.

I promise I will wipe your tears

At the times when you are sad.

I promise I will love you still

Even if I'm mad

Each and every day.

The joy （欢乐） you give to me is strong

But, there's one more thing to say.

You are the apple of my eye.

You are my little pearl.

I'll always hold you in my heart

Cause you're Daddy's little girl.

    The poem A Father's Promise for a Daughter was written by{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. In this poem, he sings high praises(赞扬)of a father's love to his{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    This poem clearly shows the great image(形象)of a father who promises to love his daughter from the day of her birth， and who is always there to {#blank#}3{#/blank#}her hands and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}her tears, Daughter is the {#blank#}5{#/blank#}of his eye.

    The poem is short, but the ideas it expresses are deep.

    Moving out, moving back

    In the countries all over the world, people are leaving the countryside in large numbers to find jobs in the cities. They leave because the countryside is much poorer than the city and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in cities than they are in the country. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    But in the big cities of Europe and America-London. Pairs, New York, people are moving out of the city. These are usually families who have some money, and want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They want a house with a garden, and clean air that isn't polluted.

    So they move out. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

There are sheep and cows and green fields! There, they start a new life and try to make new friends.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much to do. The people there are very different and aren't always very friendly. .{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    "It's wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights, "they say, "I'm so glad I'm back in the city!"

    Reading is fun! Besides for fun, we can also analyze (分析) texts to learn more from the texts and more about the texts. One way we can do this is by finding out the theme of the texts.

    The theme of a text is the "big idea" that runs through the text, connecting the characters and events. It is what the writer wants to tell us through the story. Usually the theme of a text isn't told directly, you have to use clues (线索) in the text to find it out. 83 Themes can be ideas like family, friendship, love and so on. The theme might not be just one word, but it might be an idea such as "Friendship is important." There may also be more than one theme in a story. How can we find out the theme of a text? The following steps may help you.

    Read through the whole text, usually characters change as the story goes on, so the theme you get at the beginning might not be true at the end! For this reason, you need to read through the whole text first.

    Find out the clue after reading the whole text, try to answer the following questions. What important events happened during the story? What was the problem? How did the problem get solved? How did the character(s) change? What did the character(s) learn? The answers may help you to get the clues.

    Get the big idea Read again for the writer's purpose of the text by answering the following questions. Was most of the plot(情节) around friendship? Did the characters solve problems with their families? Did the main character learn the importance of friendship? If one of the answers is "yes", you may get the big idea.

    Check the big idea out If you've found a "big idea", go through the text to find the evidence( 证 据 ) that supports this idea in the text. For example, if there was only one small problem with a character's family, then "family" might not be the theme of the text. You might find more evidence for other themes.

    Have you got the way to find out the theme of a text? 84 Get your favorite book quickly and see if you can find the theme out!

    What can you do when someone hurts you? Most people may be angry or even fight with the one who hurts him or her. But it's not a good idea. The best way is to forgive him or her. Although it is not easy for us to forgive people who hurt us, it is possible. "Forgiveness makes people hopeful. And it is good for our health," says Fredric, Ph. D. the writer of the book called Forgive for God.

    But how can we forgive others?

    First, think of something beautiful and try to get yourself happy.

Second, don't wait for others to say sorry to you. If some people hurt you, they won't say sorry to you. They may just want to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way.

    Third, try to see things in others' shoes. You can write a letter to yourself from the offender's (冒犯者)point. That can make you understand others better and make yourself happier.

    At last, don't forget to forgive yourself. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge(挑战). And it also makes you more confident.

    Running away is a serious problem. There are lots of runaway and homeless kids living in the streets around the world.

    孩子们为什么想离家出走呢?

    Some kids run away because they're afraid to tell their parents the bad things that they did at school or in society.

    Some kids run away because there is violence(暴力)in the family.

    Some kids run away because their parents' divorce(离婚) or marry again.

    Some kids run away because they have problems at school.

    What will you do if your friend wants to run away from home?

    If your friend is thinking about running away, tell him or her that it is difficult to survive (幸存) in the streets. Try to help your friend fee less alone.

    Whatever the problem is there are other ways to solve it .Maybe you can't think of the ways right now. but an adult (成年人) will know how to help you. You should tell an adult that your friend plans to run away as soon as possible. Being a real friend doesn't mean keeping a secret that may hurt someone. And running away isn't a solution for either of you. It only makes more problems and danger.