Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.

    “Farah, aren't you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.

    “Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.

    “Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.

    “Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so, you know, dark.”

    “I cannot believe it.” her mother said angrily.

    As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room.

    Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands.

    “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics.” her father said.

    Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.

    “Farah, it says that you can take part in supplementary exams(补考). If your grades don't improve then, I'll cancel your trip to Spain.”

    Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club.

    “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?”

    Gina laughed, “Exams? Who cares about exams?”

    One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help. Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”

    Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together. Gina called out

    “Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”

    “Gina I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.

    The best bikes for the beginners

    When it comes to purchasing your first bike, the choice is endless, making it tough to know what to go for. Here are the the best buys on the market right now.

⒈Boardman Cx Comp

    This is a cross country bike, and it's so multifunctional that you can handle any terrain(地势) on it , making it a great choice for those wanting to try various cycling subjects. If you leave on the thick tires it comes with, it can ride on various paths and can even handle some less demanding mountain bike routes. Alternatively, put on thin, smooth tires and treat it asa road bike. It has a basket and comes with Shimano Sora gears (变速器), which are outstanding for its price.

£650, Halfords

⒉Planet X RT-58 v2

    Planet X is based in Yorkshire, which means you'd probably have to buy this bike without seeing it. But it's worth it，because this is an excellent machine at a lower price, Planet X is a highly rated manufacturer and this model comes with Shimano Sora gearing.

£585, Planet X

⒊Specialized Allez E5

    Specialized is one of the biggest and most popular brands in cycling, and this is its hugely popular primary road bike. It comes with solid components from front to back and you'll look great out on the road.

£ 75, Evans Cycles

⒋Boardman Road Team Carbon

    If you can push your budget further still, this bike is worth the extra investment. The frame is made entirely from carbon, which is lighter, faster and more comfortable than the composition metal models above and gives you an all round and more enjoyable ride. It also means that if you get really serious about cycling, you don't have to upgrade as quickly as you would with a cheaper bike.

£800, Halfords

    Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn't in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren; correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.

    It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her suffering in her later years. At eighty- five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.

    Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.

    After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.

    “Whirr,” she said weakly.

    “Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.

    Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could gather said, “Not ...was. Say were!”

    We suddenly realized that Mom was correcting Brother Jim's last sentence. “if it was up to me…”

    Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads.

    Here are some of the strangest aviation(航空)ideas in recent history.

    Double-Decker Seating

    In 2015, Airbus filed a patent for a design for a double-decker cabin seating arrangement. Passengers would sit on top of the other, with upper-tier passengers climbing steps or a small ladder to reach their seats. While the design does have some advantages, the idea of climbing a ladder during flight seems unreliable.

    Separated Cabins

    This patent was awarded to Airbus. Rather than waiting for a flight to arrive and be cleaned,passengers could simply board a ready cabin, which would be moved into the plane's body as soon as it was ready. When the plane reached its destination, the cabin would be separated again. Different cabins with different kinds of seating or levels of comfort could be used for flights of different lengths or destinations.

    Windowless Cockpits(驾驶舱)

    For ideal design, airplane noses should be long and pointy. But there's the whole "pilots have to fit in the cockpit" problem. Well, what if the cockpit didn't have to go in the nose of the plane? That's part of the thinking behind this Airbus patent application* which suggests replacing the plane's window with a digital viewing surface. Without a window, there's no reason the cockpit needs to go in the front of the plane —it could go in the middle of the plane, or even in the tail.

    Nap Straps (睡眠吊带)

    Airbus is not the only company in the strange patent contest. Boeing's got its own patent, Nap Straps. With this invention, passengers looking for a nap can find an "upright sleep system^" beneath their seat. In action, the whole thing is somewhat like a traction device for someone who's been in a terrible accident.

    Road trip

    Motorhome delivery offers great family holidays. For just $1 a day, you can hire a fully-equipped motorhome, which you deliver to a specific destination within some days and kilometers. You then hire another one to get home or take a bus or train. Your only other expense will be fuel and about $20 a day for parking fees. To learn more, visit apollocamper. com.

    Plan ahead

    For a comfortable break, flexibility with times, dates and places helps lower the cost. Find a few hotels you like, ask about their vacant rooms, then wait a few weeks and call again. If they still have rooms, you're at an advantage to ask for a better price. Lots of last-minute deals are online. Watif (watif. com. au) has deals on hotels that have dropped their prices so slow. You don't know where you're staying until it's booked, but anywhere with four or five stars has to be fairly good.

    Back to nature

    Wild camping appeals to nature lovers and costs nothing. This is forbidden on beaches and parks in most urban areas, but you can turn up in more distant area as long as nobody owns the land. You'll need to take everything with you and may need to shop on eBuy (ebuy. com. au). If you're a camping beginner, be aware of safety measures and get your questions answered on the Internet.

    Swap meet

    How about a home swap? For a $250 yearly joining cost, you can stay in someone's home in an international place of your choice while they or someone else stays in yours. Find out more at familylink.com.au.

    The National Beekeeping Centre Wales is a free attraction in the countryside that teaches children about the importance of honeybees – with the chance to try lots of local honeys.

    This friendly visitor centre is a supporter of Welsh honeybees, which are increasingly under threat from climate change and loss of wildflower meadows. It raises visitors' awareness of environmental issues and shows the 4,000-year history of beekeeping and honey-making from the ancient Egyptians to the Romans. A Hive Aid scheme lets you adopt a beehive (from £50 per person), and regular courses (from £60 per person) train new generations of beekeepers.

Fun fact

    Bees pollinate about a third of everything we eat and play an important role in sustaining our ecosystems. In economic terms, honeybee pollination could be worth up to £200m to the UK alone.

What about lunch?

    Next door is the Furnace Tearoom, part of the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, which serves light bites – wraps (卷饼), fruit salads (£7) and coffee. And the nearby Pavilion Restaurant at the National Trust's Bodnant Garden has cooked food, including baked potatoes (£5) and daily specials such as local casseroles (焙盘) with bread rolls (£6), plus coffee and cakes.

Exit through the gift shop

    There is a range of bee-themed gifts in our gift shop, including bee toys (£2), wooden honey candy (£2) and a selection of honeys all made by Welsh producers (£5). The bestselling Bodnant honey (£8) goes fast.

Getting here

    We are located just off the A470 on the Bodnant Estate in the Conwy Valley, and 10 minutes from the A55 north Wales coast road. Follow the brown signs just after Bodnant Gardens.

Value for money

    Visits and activities for kids are free, though donations are welcome. Taster days (from £60) and the weekend beekeeping course (£80 per person) are held at Abergwyngregyn village, 10 miles west down the A55.

Opening hours

The Visitor Centre opens daily from 10 am — 4pm but it is volunteer-run, so phone ahead to check. Expect lots of fun activities around the annual Conwy Honey Fair.