As we know, it is important to be honest with children. But there are some things in this world that simply aren't 1 . Sometimes it makes sense for parents to2to their children.

    I still remember my three-year-old daughter's face when we watched the 3that twenty children at Sandy Hook Elementary School had been killed. After a few minutes she 4and put her5arms around my legs and said, “I love you, Momma.” I was still 6whether or not to turn the TV off when she, 7, asked, “Momma, why aren't those kids OK?” I just 8that they were smart children,9 they did something wrong and got punished.

    We're not all 10of a little lie here and there. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Snow White are just a few examples of 11for parents to keep magic in the world. Magic, imagination and creativity are very essential in life, 12 for children. These stories battle against the negative aspects of the world and create 13. In the end children will be able to 14what is true and what was made to 15their lives. Out of five brothers and a sister I can happily report that not one of the children I grew up with was16when we discovered who all those17people really were.

    In life, a parent is the 18of knowledge, and it is up to the parent to decide what knowledge to teach and when. There's no 19to tell children all about the truth. As they become20, they will have a better understanding of the world.

    When my grandma fell ill just a few days before Christmas, I felt shocked and sad that she wasn't going to be at able for Christmas with the people she loved around her. Mother said, “If she can't come here for Christmas, we'll take Christmas to her !” She was very 1when we all arrived at the ward with a lot of2full of bustle(喧闹)and chatter.

    Afterwards, the idea for Secret Santa started to3in me. The following year, I decided to put my thoughts into action and 4a request on Facebook and Twitter asking people to donate presents to those who were in hospital at Christmas. The 5was incredible.

    The first year, in the week6up to Christmas, I put on a red Santa's hat and pushed a trolley(手推车) full of presents 7the hospital wards and the local children's hospice(收容所) handing out some Christmas8I made sure those who weren't 9 also received a present.

    And, of course, the nurses and carers were10big boxes of Chocolates. I also took presents into care homes for the11 Often it was just something little, but I think they were just12to see a friendly face. It felt good doing something for other people.

    13my grandma died last year, I was still determined to keep the 14running for a second year. This time I was overwhelmed(征服)by the response. There were twice as many presents15as there were the previous year.

    We'll be16presents right up to the Christmas Eve before going to Midnight Mass(子夜弥撒), so it takes a lot of energy and time. But it's 17worth to see the looks on the children's faces when they get their presents, and to see how happy the older folk are with a (n)18and a chat. I love being a real-life Santa Claus.

    My grandma always told me Christmas was about giving, not19“That's the real spirit of Christmas!” she used to say.20I can pass on that message to others.

A Game of Light and Shade

    It was a sunny day. I had gone up and down the tower when, outside the door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. In a moment, he disappeared up the stairs. I looked at the sign that said "To the Tower", and decided to 1 him.

    I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was 2 to see the attendant (工作人员) selling him a ticket as if he were any other visitor. Then, with the ticket in one hand and 3 the wall with the fingers of the other, the blind man reached the stairs 4 to the hallway.

    "That man is blind. What would a blind man climb up the tower for?" I said to the attendant, expecting him to show some 5, but he didn't answer.

    "Not the 6 certainly," I said. "Perhaps he wants to 7."

    I bought a ticket and 8 up the stairs. The man hadn't gone as far as I 9. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his 10. I slowed down and followed him at a little 11. He stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony, I was a dozen steps 12. As I reached it, I saw him at the corner of the tower.

    At last, after ten minutes, I 13 him. "Excuse me," I said as politely as I could, "but I am curious to know 14 you came up."

    He smiled. "Coming up the stairs, you will notice how not just light but sun 15 into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that you can feel the 16—the cool stairs suddenly become quite warm—and how up here behind the wall there is 17, but as soon as going opposite a window you can find the sun. There is no 18 so good as this for feeling the difference between light and shade. It is not the first time I've come up."

    The blind man seemed quite 19 just like a child who was enjoying his favorite games. He told me the truth that blind men can also find the beauty in life 20 they cannot enjoy the sights of the world.

    On a cold winter night, when the moon was shining clearly, and the snow lay on the ground, two foxes started out on a hunt to obtain something to satisfy their hunger. In order to 1 time on the boring way, they sang and frisked, as they walked along.

    For some time, they were 2 in their hunt. Neither in the wood, 3 on the plain, not in the valley, nor on the hill, could they discover even a goose（鹅） or a 4. At last, they came to a farmer's barn, standing by the roadside. Looking 5 in, their eyes 6 as they saw the farmer's fattest chickens sitting inside, without a thought of the approaching 7.

    Finding a hole 8 which they could enter with 9, they hurried in, and speedily secured those unprotected chickens.

    One of them, too much 10 for a second thought, abandoned(放纵) himself without limit to the 11 before him. The other, however, having looked carefully about him, concluded it best to control his appetite.

    In fact, he had noticed that the opening which had just permitted them to 12 their way through was extremely small. He thought that if, slim and half-starved, they could barely enter, but to pass out at the same place after a rich meal could be totally 13. What, then, would become of him, if suddenly 14, and he had to escape for his life?

    Just as morning began to dawn, who should appear 15 the farmer himself? His eye instantly fell 16 the two foxes, and seizing a wooden pole, he 17 the trembling criminals hard.

    The cautious one, who had denied 18, escaped through the opening by which he had entered. But the other, attempting to follow him, 19 firmly, and, being unable either to get through the hole or 20 back, was easily killed by the angry farmer.

The weather in Texas may have cooled since the recent extreme heat, but the temperature will be high at the State Board of Education meeting in Austin this month as officials debate how climate change is taught in Texas schools.

Pat Hardy, who agrees with the views of the energy department, is resisting proposed changes to science standards for pre-teen pupils. These would emphasize the significance of human activity in recent climate change and encourage discussion of reduction measures.

Most scientists and experts sharply argue against Hardy's views. "They casually view the career work of scholars and scientists as just another misguided opinion," says Dan Quinn, senior communications strategist at the Texas Freedom Network, a non-profit group that monitors public education. Such debates reflect fierce discussions across the US and around the world, as researchers, policymakers, teachers and students step up demands for a greater focus on teaching about the facts of climate change in schools.

A study, looking at how state public schools across the country address climate change in science classes, gave barely half of US states a grade B+ or higher. Among the 10 worst performers were some of the most populous states, including Texas, which was given the lowest grade (F) and has a huge influence because its textbooks are widely sold elsewhere.

Glenn Branch, the center's deputy director, cautions that setting state-level science standards is only one limited norm in a country that decentralizes (使分权)decisions to local school boards. Even if a state is considered a high performer in its science standards, "that does not mean it will be taught", he says.

Branch points out that, even if a growing number of official guidelines and textbooks reflect scientific consensus (共识) on climate change, unofficial educational materials that convey more biased(带有偏见的) perspectives are being distributed to teachers. They include materials sponsored by libertarian think-tanks(智库) and energy industry associations. 

Adam Wolfers believes that his son's autism(自闭症) has a positive impact on his hobby of photography. 10yearold Morgan has always possessed a 1 eye for capturing the world around him through his camera. Diagnosed(被诊断) with autism at the age of 3, Morgan has had a hard time 2 with others. 

3 these difficulties, he has shown an exceptional talent for noticing details that 4 others. Morgan has found clarity and focus in nature, particularly in the vivid colors and shapes of plants, leading him to 5 the art of nature photography. 

Not 6 with merely capturing pictures, Morgan has even established his own photography business, becoming one of the top sellers in a local shop. 7 , he donates ten percent of his 8 to support autistic artists through the Blue Ribbon Arts Initiative. 

However, his motivation for photography 9 financial gain, as he simply wants to share the beauty he 10 with others. His work has gained 11 , with one of his photos picked by National Geographic for 12 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

His parents teared up as they told what his photography means. Morgan's photography has become his saving grace(体面) because it gets people to look 13 his issues. "He's going to make his 14 , " his mother said. 

Morgan advises all of us to try new things and explore our 15 and what we want to do. In other words, don't be afraid to see things differently.