I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I thought that the act of writing is the coolest thing in the world.

    Years later, during her final illness, my mother kept different things for my sister and my brother.“ But the desk，” She said, “it's for Helen.”

    Although I knew she loved me and she only showed it in action, I wanted heart­to­heart talks between mother and daughter. But they never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”，but she lived “on the surface”．

    I had my own family later. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she forgave me. I posted the letter and waited for her answer. It didn't come.

    My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and finally, peace—it seemed that nothing happened. I wasn't even sure if the letter had got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I never heard from her!

    Now the present of her desk told, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside—a photo of my father and a one­page letter, folded and refolded many times.

    Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

    I once had a hard time making a living in France. Three years ago, I moved to a new neighborhood and felt an intense(强烈的) need to meet people so I went to the cinema. Outside the cinema was a woman with long gray hair who had a strong smell and was asking for money. I reached for my wallet to give her a Euro and then something made me stop and enter into conversation with her. I said, “Look, all the women going to the cinema here on a Tuesday night are seeing a film that can change your life. I'd rather buy you a ticket than give you money.”

    She hesitated（犹豫） for a moment and then came in with me. She hid behind me because, she said, the people running the theater didn't like her. I got her a ticket and she sat next to me. There were about 80 women there; I noticed some of them were turning around and looking at me with expressions of surprise and curiosity(好奇心).

    I encouraged the woman I had bought the ticket for to come the following night to an event where there would be many representatives(代表) of various social services. I thought they could be of some help to her. She did come and I was able to direct her to an agency that helped women in her situation. At the same time, a woman came toward me and said, “Are you the person who bought a ticket for the woman outside the theater asking for handouts?” When I said yes she said, “I want you to come to the community center where I work. I want the other employees there to meet you.”

    This was the beginning of a deep friendship and colleague relationship. I now have a great job and have more work than I've ever had in my 20 years in France. And the woman I took to the cinema that night? I learned that she was not homeless and that she was a secretary.

    Every living thing on Earth is either a plant or an animal, right? Wrong! Many organisms（有机体）in our world are neither. Some of them float through the air, and some lie hidden in the ground. They do not need sunlight to survive, and if the weather becomes too cold, they can become inactive until conditions improve.

    What are these? They are called fungi(菌类), and you see them almost every day. Many kinds of fungi seem disgusting, such as the green black things that appear on the food which are left too long in the refrigerator. But other kinds are not so bad. For example, the yeast that is used to make bread and mushrooms (蘑菇) are both fungi.

    What makes fungi different from plants and animals? An animal can move around by itself. Fungi get around too, but they don't have feet, wings, or tails. They have to wait for wind or some other outside force to move them. Plants are different from fungi because they have chlorophyll（叶绿素）. It helps them make food from the energy in sunlight. Fungi do not have chlorophyll.

    Some fungi are bad, while others are not. Some fungi cause diseases, such as athlete's foot, which makes feet uncomfortable. Other kinds of fungi can be used to make medicines, which have saved many lives.

    Fungi clean up more than wounds, though. They are the world's first recyclers. Without fungi, our world would be a mess. Since fungi cannot make their own food as plants do, they must get their food elsewhere. Many fungi get their food from dead plants. They break them down and turn them into soil. The fungi get a meal, and the world gets a housecleaning.

    Asher Angel, an American child actor, was born on 6 September, 2002. He has performed in more than 10 theatre productions. Most of the time, he is occupied. His workday is from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. during the week. "I go to sleep when I get home, with weekends off," Asher said. However, he loves animals and always finds time to help them.

    Asher and his family became interested in animal rescue after their beloved dog. Avery, died of illness. They volunteer at a local animal rescue centre called Home Fur Good. Asher walks, feeds and plays with the dogs at the rescue centre.

    In his home, Asher has three dogs, one cat and two hamsters, and they are mostly rescued pets. He loves all his pets and could not imagine his life without them. His acting work keeps him away a lot, but he loves to play with his dogs (Monet Belle, Harper Belle and Cleo Belle) as soon as he gets home. They are super excited to see him every time. Asher has a special relationship with Monet Belle. He says, "Her eyes look like a human's, and I can talk to her. She comforts (安慰) me when I need her."

    Asher is really excited about his new role in Andi Mack, because the character of Jonah Beck is a lot like him: thoughtful and sensitive (敏感的). He also got the chance to learn to play Frisbee (飞碟), which was really fun, especially since Asher also loves sports.

    Asher showed an interest in acting at an early age and he has a dream of becoming a professional full-time actor in the future.

    Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

    The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

    Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy with what you did.

    I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day

    I said, "I'm not going to do anymore."

    Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.

    You may know several kinds of police, traffic police and street police. But have you ever heard of energy-saving (节能) police?

    A group of 22 new policemen went to work in Beijing. They went around the city to see the use of energy in hotels, office buildings, shopping centres and other public places. One of their aims is to make sure that these places have set their air conditioners (空调) no cooler than 26℃.

    They also set up a special phone hotline so that people can tell them which building doesn't follow the rule.

    "If everyone sets the air conditioner at 26℃, Beijing will save 400 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in one summer. That's one third of all the usage of the city in the season, said an advertisement."

    A show was held in Beijing last week on energy-saving technology (技术) and productions to introduce a green life to the public. Environmentally—friendly machines, like a machine that helps collect used bottles, have attracted lots of attention.

    "We want to tell people that there are some ways to protect the environment. Each of us can find effective (有效的) ways to do it in our daily life," said Liu Qianguang, an environmental engineer.