During all this time I never stopped thinking about escape. When I traveled across to the other side of the island (岛屿), I could see the other islands, and I said to myself, “Perhaps I can get there with a boat. Perhaps I can get back to England one day.”
So I decided to make myself a boat. I cut down a big tree, and then began to make a long hole (洞) in it. It was hard work, but about six months later, I had a very fine canoe (独木舟). Next, I had to get it down to the sea. How silly I was! Why didn't I think before I began work? Of course, the canoe was too heavy. I couldn't move it! I pulled and pushed and tried everything, but it didn't move. I was very unhappy for a long time after that.
That happened in my fourth year on the island. In my sixth year I did make myself a smaller canoe, but I did not try to escape in it. The boat was too small for a long journey, and I did not want to die at sea. The island was my home now, not my prison, and I was just happy to be alive. A year or two later, I made myself a second canoe on the other side of the island. I also built myself a second house there, and so I had two homes.
My life was still busy from morning to night. There were always things to do or to make. I learnt to make new clothes for myself from the skins of dead animals. They looked very strange, it is true, but they kept me dry in the rain.
I kept food and tools (工具) at both my houses, and also wild goats (山羊). There were many goats on the island, and I made fields with high fences to keep them in. They learnt to take food from me, and soon I had goats' milk to drink every day. I also worked hard in my corn (玉米) fields. And so many years went by.

    Children across the world are taking pictures of their school meals. They are sending these pictures over the Internet to a young girl in Scotland. Then she shares the pictures and stories with people around the world.

    The girl's name is Martha. She likes to write. So Martha decided to start her own blog. Every day, Martha writes on the Internet about the meals she eats at school. She also takes pictures of the food.

    Martha is very honest about the food. She does not just describe the food. She judges (评价) the taste of the food. She also judges how healthy the food is. Sometimes she likes the food, and sometimes she does not. Now, other people send pictures to Martha. Students around the world share their pictures of their school food!

    Martha also started her blog for another important reason. She began to raise money for the organization (组织) Mary's Meals. Mary's Meals works in the East African country of Malawi . It provides food for children in schools. Martha encourages her readers to send money to Mary's Meals to help build a kitchen.

    Martha hoped to raise about 10,000 dollars. But the total reached 100,000 dollars and still keeps on growing!

    Martha's blog has also helped to improve meals at her school. Martha and her school friends found their meals improved since she started writing her blog.

    No one knows what will happen to Martha's blog in future. But already this girl has helped to change the eating experience of many children just by sharing pictures of her school meals.

    John is five years old now. He is a good boy. He is very clever and can read very well. But he can't tell the right time by clock. He doesn't say eight o'clock in the morning, twelve o'clock or four o'clock in the afternoon. He always says "breakfast time" for eight o'clock, "lunch time" for twelve o'clock and "tea-time" for four o'clock in the afternoon. His mother wants to teach him to know the time by clock.

    "Can you count, John?" his mother asks him. "Yes. Let me count for you. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve..." "That's good, John. Now let me tell you to say the time. Now, look! I put the long hand on twelve and the short hand on one. That is one o'clock. If I put the short on two, that's two o'clock. Do you know?"

    "Yes, I do." John tells his mother. "Good. If I put the short hand on four, what's that?" his mother asks and really puts the short one on four. "Tea-time, Mum. And I am hungry."

    In Japan, Luffy is more popular than Harry Potter．Luffy is the main character of One Piece(海贼王)．The book came out in 1997.

    One Piece tells the adventures of Monkey D．Luffy, a 17-year-old boy．He gets supernatural abilities by eating fruit．Luffy's dream is to find the world's biggest treasure, One Piece．Then he wants to become the next Pirate(海盗) King.

    To make his dream come true, Luffy has to reach the end of the most dangerous ocean: the Grand Line．Luffy travels with a group of pirates called the Straw Hats．On his way, more people join the group．It even includes a cook, a soldier and a musician．They also help Luffy fight with other pirates on the way.

    Many Chinese teenagers are One Piece fans．Yang Peiqi, 14, of Shenzhen, says he thinks reading One Piece is great fun and also he likes the themes of the story－dreams and friends．

    When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I would make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have the three-day holiday posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a little snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood, there were lights, all colors, and ornaments (饰品) shining against the green of a pine.

    “Where did it come from?” I asked.

    “I asked the Gates boy to cut it,” my mother said. “I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but when in great need…such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon.”

    The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Crystal Star was in its place. A few green branches reached out a little awkwardly(难看) at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas.

    “It's not like the one you used to find,” my mother went on. “Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn't know where to look for a better one. But I couldn't be fussy because he had tried his best.”

    “Don't worry,” I told her. “It's perfect.”

    It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect.

    A poor farmer had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apple tees he grew.

    One day, his friend gave the farmer a young apple tree and told him to plant it. The farmer was glad of the gift, but he did not know where to plant it.

    He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers(陌生人) would take the fruit. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come at night and take some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit. Finally he planted the tree in the deep forest. But without sunlight and good soil(土壤), the tree soon died.

    Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place. "What' the difference?" the farmer said angrily and then told what he had thought.

    "Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now not only no one could enjoy the fruit, but also you have destroyed (毁掉) a good apple tree!"