Jack King

    I work in a TV station from Monday to Friday. My house is near a beautiful park and is about thirty kilometers from my office. I usually go to work by train. I usually get up at 6:30 a. m. and take the train at 7:00 a. m. It usually takes me about thirty minutes to get to my office. The train is quick and cheap. I am never late for work.

    Peter Green

    I am a student, My house is near a beautiful lake. My school is across from the lake. I can walk to school across a bridge. It takes me about thirty minutes. But I often go to school by boat, because it is more fun. It takes me about twenty minutes.

    Molly Smith

    I'm a waitress I work in a restaurant from Monday to Saturday. I often go to work by bus, It is about five kilometers from my house to the restaurant. It takes me twenty five minutes to go to work. Sometimes I am late for work because the traffic is very busy.

Few parents can hear the words "What can I do to help?" from their kids. Teenagers spend more time on video games, computers and mobile phones, so they help less with housework.

Students at a primary school in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province were required to clean the school toilets to help them develop good habits. But some parents are strongly against the idea. They can't see the advantages of students doing such chores. They think that the school should provide students with a proper education, not the chance to be school cleaners.

In fact, parents, schools and society play an equally (同等地) important role in developing the character of students. It is good for schools to give students such tasks, because few of the students will do them at home. Their parents want them to do homework only.

In recent years, some parents will make mountains out of molehills when students are asked to do some chores in schools. Some will complain the teachers if their kids get hurt in schools; some will even challenge the schools' teaching methods and management. As a result, many primary schools, especially those in big cities, do not let students join in outdoor activities during breaks, fearing that they might get hurt. This is bad for the development of students' best qualities.

What the primary school in Fuzhou doing is worth praising. Doing chores can put a sense of responsibility (责任感) into students' minds and teach them the spirit of rules as well as teamwork. Also, it can make students' in-school experiences more meaningful.

Nowadays, "toilet revolution" is a thing in China.China isinvesting seven billion yuan in the project.The money is spent building or upgrading(改进) toilets in 30,000villages.

Experts have agreed that a "toilet revolution" is very important.Bettertoilets mean healthier lives and better living standards.Better toilets can alsohelp encourage tourism and improve the economy.

"Toilet revolution" was started in 2015.Chinese president Xi Jinpingthen called for improvement to toilets across China.The government has investedmore than 1.6 billion yuan in the project since then.Nearly 70,000 toilets havebeen built or upgraded.By the end of 2017, 45 percent of rural residents (居民) had been usingstandard toilets.In 2013, that number was only 36 percent.

In cities popular with tourists, more expensive toilets have been built.Thesetoilets have ATMs, Wi­Fi and recharging (充电) stations for mobile phones.Some toilets, meanwhile, havebeen expanded (扩大). Now, they have special cubicles (隔间) for the disabled and adults with young children.

China, in fact, is not alone in focusing on toilets.According to Bill Gates'foundation, forty percent of the world's population doesn't have flush toilets.UNICEF(联合国儿童基金会) says atleast 1.2 million young children die of diarrhea each year.Contact with human wasteis the main cause.Gates says toilets of the future will be able to save 800 livesevery day.

When I was about ten, I was woken up by the shouts（喊声）of my sister one morning. She was hungry, but my mother wasn't at home, so I made a banana cake for her. Let me share the recipe with you.

What you need:

2 eggs  3 bananas  2 cups of flour(面粉)

2 spoons of baking powder(发酵粉)

1/4 spoon of baking soda (小苏打)

1/2 spoon of salt

2/3 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of vegetable oil(油)

What to do:

l  Mix(混合) together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

l  Add the vegetable oil. Then add a little sugar, and stir (搅拌) it.

l  Pour the eggs into the bowl and stir them well.

l  Add the bananas and stir them.

l  Turn the oven to 180℃.

l  Pour them into the oven（烤箱）. Bake（烘焙） the cake for 20 minutes.

l  Get the cake out of the oven, and cut it into pieces to eat.

Dear Yoko,

Let me tell you about my family. I live with my mom, my dad and my older sister. We live in New York. 

My mom's name is Carmen. She's Mexiean and she speaks(讲）English and Spanish. She's a Spanish teacher. She's short and slim（苗条的）。She has long brown hair and brown eyes. My dad's name is David. He's American. He's tall and a little fat! He has short brown hair and blue eyes, He works in a bank which is far from our house. My sister Shania is 14 years old and she loves listening to music. She listens to music all the time! She has long brown hair and green eyes, like me. I have long hair, too. We have a pet dog, Brandy. He's black and white and very friendly.

Write back to me soon please and tell me about your family. 

 Yours

 Kelly