Each and every year, during Chongyang Festival, citizens of China celebrate the elders in their families and communities. It's a special tradition which is rooted in the deep value that Chinese culture places on honouring their elders.

Sadly, many of our aging population are seniors without sons, daughters or grandchildren to visit. While they may have great friends, they no doubt miss the tender and loving relationships unique to families. To fill this void（空虚）, many volunteers turned up on October 28 at nursing homes around the country in order to spend time with the residents. In some cases, they performed humble（谦逊的） gestures of kindness, such as combing their hair or washing their feet.

    While the kind acts were appreciated, one embarrassing story out of Anhui province raised a valuable question. Reportedly, one old gentleman had his feet washed seven times during the day by different volunteers. Is this genuinely（真诚地） caring for the elderly? Many of the residents at the home said that those gestures do not make them feel cared for at all. Their family members or community volunteers may drop by for a few hours of token time, but soon they disappear back into their busy lives.

    There is nothing we can give that is more valuable or appreciated than our time. While you may feel like there is barely enough time to care for your many responsibilities, might it be possible to spare just a moment as you walk home from school to sit with a senior who lives in your community? Just five minutes is not going to prevent you from getting your homework done, but it may totally change a day of loneliness into a day of joy for one old man or woman. Do you live far from your grandparents? Why not pick up the phone and let them know you're thinking of them? Or maybe you could remind them of the “good old days” and mail them a short letter. Imagine their surprise and joy!

We live in a complicated（复杂的） and busy world, but kindness and caring is still a very simple thing.

    In 1945，6 planes and 17 men disappeared without a sign, all in one day. This was Flight 19. Flight 19's captain was Lieutenant Charles Taylor. Flight 19 was a usual flight. It took off at about 2:10 p.m. from Miami. The weather was very normal on that December 5th of 1945. A message was received at 4：00 p．m.that told about pilot Taylor not knowing the way to go because his compass(指南针) was running around and around.

    After that，it was never heard from again.While searching for it，a search plane was also lost.The search for the both continued until December 10th of that same year.None of the things from Flight 19's planes，or from the search plane，was ever found.It is one of the most infamous disappearances. Searching for Flight 19 lasted five days，and covered 380，000 square miles. Dr. Kripke suggests that the accident happened because of a vortex(涡流).

Information Card

    Jeff has a white pet dog. It is very smart. It can buy newspapers for Jeff. Every morning, Jeff puts one dollar into the dog's mouth and it goes to the shop to buy newspapers for Jeff.

    Jeff has a good friend named Mark. Jeff tells Mark about his smart dog. Mark doesn't believe it. Today, Mark comes to see Jeff in the morning. (A)杰夫正在跟他的狗玩耍。Mark says, "I will give your dog money. I don't think it can buy newspapers. "

    "Have a try (试一下), " says Jeff.

    Then Mark puts the money into the dog's mouth and the dog walks out. After one hour, the dog doesn't come back.

    "How much money do you give the dog?" asks Jeff.

    "Five dollars," says Mark.

    (B)"If it has five dollars, it will go to the movies." says Jeff.

    Some people around you look so cool and happy, but you often feel lonely. Or the friends you have do not really understand you that make you feel lonely, too. So what can be done when you have this feeling?

    Understand people's differences

    Not everyone has to do things the same way or behave the same way. Find people who have the same feeling. That is always a good basic for the friendship. You can take part in activities outside school like sports, art classes and dancing classes. There you can have more chances to find people who have the same interest as you.

    Develop your friendship

    Friendships do not just happen, and they need work. Phone your friends once in a while. Being there when they need you means that they will do the same for you.

    Accept others' invitations

    Even if someone invites you to a neighborhood street party, you never know who else will be there. Laughing and playing together could start a new friendship.

    Start a club

    Make your circle of friends big by starting a club. Going camping together or regularly (有规律地) going to the movies doesn't take much time.

    Everyone loves chocolate- kids and grown-ups alike, and no matter what your age is, you are sure to enjoy learning more about chocolate. Read on to learn some fun facts.

    All the chocolate we eat comes from a special plant- the cacao tree. These trees produce a special kind of seeds. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then they are used to make chocolate.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So they grow best when under the branches(树枝) of taller trees in the forest. They won't begin to bear fruit, however, until they are at least three to five years old. Cacao trees produce beautiful flowers all the year round. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A kind of small flies pollinate(对......授粉) these small flowers. These flies are so small that they easily stand on the head of a needle(针状物). They beat their wings very fast—1, 000 beats a second! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A cacao pod(可可果) has about 30—50 seeds. This is enough to make about seven milk chocolate candy bars!

    It's rare to see a team earn 11 straight wins (连胜) in a tournament (锦标赛). However, the Chinese Women's volleyball team has done it!

    On Sept 29, China took the Women's Volleyball World Cup Trophy(奖杯) in Japan. The team didn't lose any of its games during the tournament. It was also the team's 10^th world title (冠军).

    "The trophy is the best gift to celebrate the 70^th birthday of New China," People's Daily said in an article.

    The Chinese Women's volleyball team has long been the pride of Chinese athletics. In the 1980s, the team won five world titles in a row (连续), which raised people's confidence at the time. Since then its fighting spirit has encouraged generations (一代代) of people, both within the team and across the country.

    Working hard was the key to the team's success. The World Cup was played in several different cities and the team didn't have much time to train. The girls had to squeeze in (挤出) training time when they could. On Sept 25, for example, they arrived in Osaka at 2:30 pm and started training only an hour later.

    Never giving up, especially during difficult times, is also the key to getting success, according to head coach Lang Ping. Many of the team's members kept on playing even after being hurt.

    With their latest win, the girls are ready to prepare for next year's Tokyo Olympics.