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.

It's early in the morning and the alarm clock has already rung several time. You have to pull yourself out of bed and rush to school because you're afraid of being late for school.

As a school student, this is probably a common experience for you. But thanks to new rules, students in Zhejiang and Heilongjiang provinces can now stay in bed longer than before.

On Feb 23, the Zhejiang Department of Education announced (宣布) a new rule that asks primary schools to start school later. According to the rule, start times could be different among different grades, with students in Grade 1 and 2 starting no earlier than 8:30 am.

A similar guideline (指导方针) was announced by the education department in Heilongjiang Province on Feb 24. Students from all primary and junior high schools in the province have been required (要求) to arrive at school no earlier than 8 am.

According to a 2016 study by the Zhejiang Department of Education, half students in Grade 4 slept nine hours or more a night, while the enough sleep time for primary students in 10 hours.

"I welcome the new rule so much. It is such a wonderful rule that gives my son enough time for breakfast, which is necessary for his health and growth", a mother named Xu Li said. She is from Hangzhou and his son is in Grade 1. These changes have received much praise as they make students get enough sleep and enough time for breakfast.

Pushing back school times isn't unique (唯一的) to China. In the United States, schools in at least 21 states began to start school later in 2017, as studies have shown that later school start times could be good for students' development.

Joel Sartore is a writer, teacher, and photographer. His words and beautiful images show his love of photography and of the natural world. 

Question 1: How did you become a National Geographic photographer?

My first job was for a newspaper. After a few years there, I met a National Geographic photographer. He liked my photos and said I should send some to the magazine. So I did. That led to a one—day job. And that led to a nine—day job, and so on. 

Question 2:     ▲    

To get into National Geographic, you have to give them something they don't have. It's not enough just to be a great photographer. You also have to be a scientist, for example, or be able to dive under sea ice, or spend maybe several days in a tree. 

Question 3: Is it hard to get a job as a photographer today?

It's now harder to work for magazines. Technology makes it easy to take good pictures, which means there are more photos and photographers. Also, the Web is filled with photos from all around the world that are free, or cost very little. These photos are often good enough to be put in books and magazines. What the magazines need to do these days is to pay for these photos. 

Question 4: I want to be a photographer. Do you have any advice for me?

Advice? Well, work hard. Be passionate (热情的)about every project you work on. Take lots of pictures in different situations. Look at others' photos thoughtfully and learn from them. And be curious about everything. There's something to photograph everywhere. 

Children all around the world love Lego bricks(乐高积木). With those bricks, they can make anything they want. Lego bricks are a great toy(玩具) to play with. Now, for the first time, Lego makes Braille Bricks in English and French, making them a useful toy for blind(失明的) children. 

Lego Braille Bricks have dots (小圆点) on them. The dots are Braille. By feeling (感受) them, blind children can read words and numbers. They can also learn Braille when playing with the bricks. It makes learning easy and fun. 

Olivia is a blind girl, and she learns Braille when playing with the Lego bricks at her school. She loves to play with them and learn Braille at the same time. Her mother also plays with her at home and now she also knows Braille. 

Reece, a little boy, uses the Lego bricks to teach his family Braille. Now, his mother and sister know Braille as well. He says, "I feel so good. Because my loved ones learn something new and I am their teacher. So cool!"

Lego makes its colourful bricks useful. Let's thank it for bringing a new way of playing and learning!

Luke Hayes-Alexander, 32 years old, looks like a typical eighteen-year-old boy. He speaks slowly and is quite shy. However, when he talks about food, he is different! "My life is about food shopping, preparing food and serving." Luke was the executive chef(行政主厨)of Luke's Gastronomy in Kingston, Canada, started by his parents in 1993. When he was a kid, he liked reading cookbooks. Soon, he started helping his father with cooking in the kitchen. At the age of fourteen, Luke left school and decided to learn more about food. Then, at the age of sixteen, he became the chef and started changing the small family restaurant into a center of creative dishes.

Luke cares about his ingredients(原料)a lot:  they all come from local(当地的): arms and he chooses them carefully. Everything in the restaurant is home-made. Even the wine in his restaurant is from his own vineyard(葡萄园)."I enjoy cooking. I hope every ingredient in my dishes is beautiful and fresh and that the customers will enjoy the taste of my food, "he said.

Luke is happy in Toronto. He has many plans and is already working on a new cookbook. And then he would also like to go to Europe in the future to find out more about cooking and talk with some famous cooks. What words does Luke have for other teenagers interested in cooking?" Have fun, get dirty, listen to some good music and cook!"