Several days ago, I was walking home from school and saw some writing on the fence of a house I was passing by. It said, “Happiness is a direction, not a destination (终点).” I had been having a bad day and just reading this brightened my day a little. I also took out a pen and wrote one of my favorite quotes (格言) down.

    When I came back to the fence, I saw another quote under mine in the handwriting as the first one. I added another, and we kept at this pattern for quite a while. One day, I was writing another quote on the fence and the old man, one of my neighbors, who owned the fence, saw me. He came out and I was afraid he would be mad at me for writing on his fence; he was not known to be very friendly. He gave me a sharp glance and then read the quotes on the fence. Without saying a word, he said something to himself and then went back inside. I was a bit terrified for a while, afraid to go back to the fence, but when I did, I noticed not more quotes but two words in entirely different handwriting had been added, “Thank you.”

    Later, I saw the old man in his front yard. He beckoned (召唤) me over and told me how my quotes had been inspiring him, how he thanked me and how he was glad to see young people still have “values”. We are now good friend and I talk to him a lot. This experience has changed my life. I still don't know who wrote that very first quote, but if he is out there, I'd like to say “thanks” to that unknown friend.

    Eric was walking along the road of the countryside with his dad when he saw the tortoise(乌龟). He touched it. The tortoise stopped moving and retracted(缩)its head and legs to the shell(壳). Eric became angry. He used a stick and tried to force its head and legs to come out.

    His dad saw this. He stopped him and said, "Son, you won't get it open with a stick." Eric was surprised and asked," Why? ”

    "Just wait and see, "his dad answered. Then to protect the tortoise, he put it in a bag and took it back home.

    After getting home, the dad put it near the fireplace. A few minutes later, the tortoise stretched(伸展)out its head and legs and moved a little. How exciting!

    "See," said his dad, "sometimes, you can't force someone to do something. But if you give him warm first, he'll do what you want him to do. "

Spider monkeys are. New World primates（灵长类）. They get their names because they have very long limbs（四肢）and tails, which make them look like spiders. They are often seen with their limbs on different branches.

Spider monkeys can be in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. They are 35 to 66 centimeters long and weigh 13 to 26 pounds. They have long tails that they use to catch tree branches, kind of like a 5th hand.

Spider monkeys live in groups. One group usually has dozens of spider monkeys. They communicate with each other through screeches（尖叫声）. A night, spider monkeys break off into smaller sleeping parties of about half a dozen or fewer. Unlike many other primates, males（雄性）stay together throughout their lives with the females. They leave their first groups to find another group.

When they go out to look for food, spider monkey groups take separate actions in order to avoid competition for it. They mainly eat fruit and nuts. They also eat other things like insects, honey, leaves, spiders and bird eggs. Spider monkeys actually play an important part in the spreading of seeds throughout the South American rain forests. Enemies that they need to keep an eye out for include animals like lions and crocodiles.

Spider monkeys are dying out. Woodcutting, which leads to the loss（丧失）of their natural living places, is playing a big role in their loss. These monkeys are also hunted for food, or to sell as pets. Spider monkeys are actually one of the most popular monkey pets around because of their look and their behavior. We must do something to protect them. After all, such good and interesting monkeys should live with humans for many years to come.