“Homestay is a form of study abroad program．It allows visitors to rent a room from a local(当地的)family to better understand the local lifestyle．It also helps to improve the visitor's language ability，"said a teacher during a school meeting last term．“Students who wish to learn more about foreign cultures or to get foreign experience should join this kind of holiday．I am sure you won't be disappointed(失望的)．”

    After this special meeting，I always thought about this kind of holiday．Last month I had a chance at last to go on such a holiday with some of my schoolmates and we went to London．a place where I had wanted to go since years ago．

    As we were still young，we had a group leader who planned things for us and looked after us．After we got to London. we went to stay with different families．I was lucky that my host family(寄宿家庭)was a white couple who had a daughter about my age．They treated me as a daughter of their family during my stay there．They were interested in me and I learnt a lot of things from them，too．

    The holiday was filled with activities every day．After breakfast，a local teacher would come to take us in his car．Then we would have classes or go on a sight—seeing trip to different places of interest like the Big Ben，the London Bridge，and the Buckingham Palace．We would go back to our own homes after the activities．

    The holiday was a valuable experience for me．I enjoyed every minute of it．Yet，time really flew fast．Three weeks later，we had to leave “home” for Hong Kong．

Ten-year-old Barack Obama was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii, US. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. ①A white boy asked him whether his father ate people.“I lied (说谎) to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama. However, 37 years later, the boy made history—Obama became the first black president in the history of the US.

    Obama was born in 1961, to an African father and a white American woman in a small town in the US. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii. ②This unusual background made him want to know who he was. He once drank much wine to help forget this question.

    With the help of his friends, Obama finally went to college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator (参议员) in the history of the US. During his race to the highest post in the US. Obama talked about his background. He called for a United America, rather than a white America or a black America.

    Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.

    Jane was an old woman. She was rich and lived in a big house. One sunny morning, Jane opened the window and looked at her garden. The sun was shining brightly. "What a good day!" She said. Suddenly she saw a man eating grass in the front garden of her house. She walked to the man and asked, "Why are you eating grass? Are you very hungry?" The man answered, "I have no money to buy any food. I haven't had meals for days. I'm dying of hunger." "Poor boy," said Jane, "come to the back door." Then she walked into the house again. "The rich lady will give me some food to eat. It's so kind of her." The man thought. But when he went into the house, Jane opened the back door and said to him, "The grass is taller behind the house."

D

    A cup of coffee is a good way for many people to start their day. It can also pass on kindness.

    Manyang Kher used to be a Sudanese child refugee (难民). When he was three years old, his village was burnt in the war. He was separated from his parents and never saw them again. He became one of the 20,000 young Sudanese who had to leave their home for Ethiopia's Gambella area. He lived there as a refugee for 13 years.

    When he was 16, Kher went to the United States. While he was in college, he started a program to help the refugees. Now, he owns a coffee company (公司) called 734, which is part of his program. The company has helped more than 200,000 refugees living in the Gambella area till now. Kher said, “I know the difficulties and pains they face every day. You see kids die from hunger. You see kids dying of illnesses. You see kids running away from the refugee camp to find a place to be home, but die on the way.”

    Eighty percent of the money made by the coffee company is used to send more of the children to school. And, as Kher explains, the money helps refugees to help themselves. For example, a cup of 734 coffee can also buy one fishing net (网) for a refugee. They can fish fir themselves.

    Kher sells the coffee online and to coffee stores. Megan Murphy owns a coffee store in Washington, D.C. She serves 734 coffee in her store and people love it. The coffee tastes delicious, so it's a win-win on both sides.

    Life is colorful. However, life sometimes plays jokes on us, especially when one has a bad day. Ryu is an unlucky one.

    Ryu got up late in the morning. He set the alarm clock at 8:00 a.m. the night before because he had a job interview at a company today. But the alarm clock didn't ring. How strange!

    Then Ryu sat at the kitchen table where his breakfast usually was, but it wasn't there. Instead, he found a note left by his sister, "I am really busy today. Make breakfast yourself." So Ryu had a quick breakfast of bread and milk. Then he rode his bicycle to the company for the interview.

    When Ryu arrived, he was scolded(责骂) by the angry boss(老板) for being five minutes late. But he still got the job after the interview. Also, he was told to get to work at 9:00 a.m. the next day. That night Ryu went to bed earlier at 11:00 p.m., in order not to be late the next day.

    The next morning, Ryu's sister woke him up at 8:00 a.m. But he wanted to stay in bed for five more minutes. He finally had to get up when the sunlight shone down on his eyes. He did everything like any other normal day. When he finished his breakfast, he found it was already 9:05 a.m. He was late again.