One day, Mr. Smith went to a dinner party. He was wearing very old clothes. He came into the room.But people in the room didn't look at him. They didn't ask him to sit at the table. He wasn't happy. But he said nothing.Mr. Smith went home quickly and put on his best clothes. He went back to the party. Everyone in the room stood up and looked at him. They gave him good food to eat.Mr. Smith took off his coat, and put it on the food and said, "Eat, coat!" The other people were surprised and asked, "What are you doing? Why do you do that?" Mr. Smith answered, "I am asking my coat to eat food. When I wore old clothes, you didn't look at me. You didn't ask me to sit down. Now I am wearing these nice clothes. And you give me good food. Now I see, you give the food to my coat, not to me."

    When Lina was awoken by the sound of thunder, she was alone on the island. The air was cool and bullfrogs croaked. It was that brief moment when the summer sun had set but the stars hadn't yet appeared. Lina rubbed her eyes and looked around.

    "Hello?" she called. "Celia? Marie?"

    There was no response.

    The moon was rising now, shedding light on the island. They had always called it "Forgotten Island" because no one but they seemed to remember its existence. It wasn't on any of the maps they could find, and even the forest rangers didn't know about it. Lina loved that the island, hidden in a heavily-wooded side stream of the river, was a secret between the three friends -her, Celia, and Marie.

    But now Lina was here alone, and it was night. Worse still, it was her own fault.

    "Come on, Lina, let Marie row the boat." Celia had said. Marie was two years older than Lina, but she was a hopeless rower. That's why Lina refused and rowed the boat to the island. The argument that followed the refusal took the usual form. Celia took Marie's side, as she always did. Lina had exploded and yelled at them to just leave. So they got back in the boat and left.

    A bolt of lightning crossed the darkened sky, accompanied by a deafening thunder clap. The storm was here. As the first cold raindrop slid down her neck, Lina's mind returned to her current problem. She was stuck here by herself. She just hoped she didn't become as forgotten as the island. The thought of it sent a chill（寒意）down her back.

    Suddenly, Lina spotted something in the water. It was a boat, and inside it were Marie, Celia, and Marie's dad, who was steering through the fast flowing waters. As the boat approached, they saw Lina waving and the worried expressions on their faces turned to relief.

    In her excitement Lina jumped into the river. Only once she was in the icy water did she remember how fast the water was moving. Luckily a strong arm reached into the water and pulled her out. She smiled weakly at Marie's dad and, without a word, hugged Celia and Marie. They didn't seem to mind becoming wet.

    My elephant adventures began in 1984 when, with our one-year-old daughter, my husband and I crossed the jungle in a jeep, slicking behind a lorry for comfort and company. The elephants standing like watchers on either side of the forest highway had us praying for our safety. One elephant made loud noise and angrily pawed (抓) the ground, warning us off. We raced away before they could attack.

    It was wise to keep elephants at a distance. We heard stories of tourists whose jeeps were overturned, and a couple of photographers were killed because they moved too close. Elephants are misleading animals. They give people an impression of being quiet and kind, so tourists think it's safe to picnic in the jungle (丛林). Yet angry elephants have knocked them down in seconds before they could take off.

    Elephants might make life unpredictable and dangerous. It's difficult for inexperienced environmentalists to even, begin to grasp this reality. I've heard city people say " We humans are encroaching (侵害) on their forests." But what's the solution?

    When a poor farmer borrows heavily to plant a crop, he'll do anything to protect it His life depends on it Elephants ruining an about-to-be-harvested corn field cannot expect to be welcomed like special guests. The battle between beast and farmer is violent.

    Experts are working on solutions to human-elephant conflicts (冲突). Some are sure to fail to like the plans to build electric fences around human settlements. Elephants rapidly figure them out and come in, around and over them.

    There are more questions than answers, for sure. But as my husband said, "More people die in car accidents every single day, in every city on the earth. But they won't take cars off the roads, will they?" So we need to seek practical ways of preventing elephant accidents.

    Do you want to do some volunteer work while exploring Africa? Then join in our 21-Day Flagship Program. Step onto the flat, sandy land of Ghana, and you'll immediately hear the laughter of children everywhere. This laughter will be the constant of your trip and a steady source of energy while you volunteer among one of Africa s kind communities.

    Community Service

    Volunteer in primary schools, working with children of different ages to help improve their English skills, tutor those who might be falling behind and contribute to each school's needs, including making improvements to the facilities. Split your time between teaching and campus refurbishment (翻修) projects to serve every aspect of the school, and learn all about education in Ghana.

    Hands-on Learning

    Participate in workshops such as batik cloth dyeing (蜡染), drumming, dancing and crash courses in the native language, Ewe or Krobo. You'll be given a Ghanaian name by the local chief of your village, and visit a seamstress (女裁缝) to have custom clothing made out of colorful fabrics you purchase. On the 21-Day Flagship Program, you'll hear about the nation's history as a center of the slave trade, and visit Fort Prinzenstein to truly understand the weight of this topic.

    Adventure

    You'll also experience the natural surroundings of Ghana with a beautiful waterfall hike: On your 21-Day Flagship Program, go on a two-night trip where you'll get to visit a monkey shelter.

    Lodging

    Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) operates two Home Bases for the 21-day program. Both are located outside of the capital city of Accra in rural village settings. Accommodations are basic, but clean and safe. Students sleep in rooms with roommates, and have access to shared bathrooms with cold-water showers.

    Dates

    June 26-July 16, 2019

    July 9-July 29, 2019

    July 20-August9, 2019

    Duration: 21 days

    Tuition: $5,399

    Community Service Hours: 60

    For more information, please call 1-858-771-0645 or send an email to info@experiencegla.com.

Music

    Opera at Music Hall: 1243 Elm Street. The season runs June through August, with additional performances in March and September. The Opera honors enjoy the Arts membership discounts. Phone: 723­1182.

    Chamber Orchestra: The Orchestra plays at Memorial Hall at 106 Elm Street, which offers several concerts from March through June. Call 241­2742 for more information.

    Symphony Orchestra: At Music Hall and Riverbend. For ticket sales, call 381­3300. Regular season runs September through May at Music Hall and in summer at Riverbend.

    College Conservatory of Music (CCM): Performances are on the main campus (校园) of the university, usually at Patricia Cobbett Theater. CCM organizes a variety of events, including performances by the well­known LaSalle Quartet, CCM's Philharmonic Orchestra, and various groups of musicians presenting Baroque through modern music. Students with I.D. cards can attend the events for free. A free schedule of events for each term is available by calling the box office at 556­4183.

    Riverbend Music Theater: 6295 Kellogg Ave. Large outdoor theater with the closest seats under cover (price difference) .Big name shows all summer long! Phone: 232­6220.

    Naturalist John Muir called the Marin County woods named for him "the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world."

    Located only 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge near San Francisco, California, USA. Muir Woods puts some of nature's most huge creations within reach of little feet, hands, and imaginations.

    "Muir Woods is home to a small forest of redwood trees that reach to the sky," says David Shaw of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. "Redwoods grow taller than any other tree species in the world. The average age of the redwoods here ranges from 400 to 800 years old and many ancient specimens have been around for more than a thousand years."

    William Kent, the man who donated the 295 acres to create the Muir monument, grew up in Marin and played in similar redwood forests. That childhood experience inspired him to save the redwoods as an adult.

    "Young people can learn about young William Kent when they visit here," says ranger(护林员) Timothy Jordan. "Kent's early connection with nature developed his love of the outdoors. As an adult, he witnessed the destruction of many Bay Area redwood forests. This, with the writings of John Muir, inspired Kent's conservationism."

    Walking (and playing)in, on, and around the redwoods will help kids understand why young Kent was so fascinated(深深吸引) by the trees. Ranger Jordan encourages children to lie down and look up at the treetops, hug a redwood tree, and start a nature journal like John Muir.

    "Have kids find a redwood spray(小树枝)the same age as them, count the rings in trees, and sit inside of a hollow redwood tree on Fern Creek." he advises.

    After all the interaction, the kids just may be ready to rest. Take this time to "be quiet and listen to the sounds of the forest," says Shaw. "Encourage kids to think about how these trees have stood quietly through year after year of rain, sun, and sometimes even snow."