I'm a Chinese student studying in Canada. I have been a boarder(寄宿生) with the Carsons for more than a year and a half.

    The Carsons live in their own house, which has four bedrooms including the one in the basement(底层) which I live in. Judy does all the work in the house and Andrew is responsible for the work in the garden. When they go out in the evening, they often ask me to look after their children.

    Judy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris, lived in another city. Judy was their only child and naturally they doted on(溺爱) Judy's children. They often sent the children presents.

    Last April Mr. Morris died. Now that Mrs. Morris was quite alone, I expected that Judy would want her to come and live with them. One day, Margaret told me grandma was coming to live with them and her daddy and mummy would want my room back. The news didn't surprise me and the next day I went to Judy and asked her about it. I said I couldn't think of living in their basement room any longer if it was needed for Mrs. Morris. Judy seemed surprised at first. Then she told me there was no deed for me to move, for they hadn't yet come to any decision about her mother coming to live with them. "Naturally I'm worried about my mother. She has been in poor health." She smiled sadly and added. "To be honest, Andrew and my mother have never got on well. We'll wait a bit and see what happens. Perhaps Moter will be all right living herself, of perhaps they will both change their minds."

    That was six months ago. During this time I've heard that Mrs. Morris has had two illnesses and that her health has got worse. A nursing home was mentioned once but Mrs. Morris refused to go there. So up to now she's still living alone and I'm still living in the basement room.

    A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maiyuwa, a small village. They lived with the man's big family-his parents, his brothers, their wives and children.  The family kept an elephant, in which the woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar.

    Three months later, having quarreled with her husband, the woman went back to her parents' home. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work.  It appeared to be ill and heartbroken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house.

    It went to the woman's home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved by the act of the animal. So she went back to her husband's home.

    A 16-year-old Australian girl drove her bright pink ship out of Sydney Harbor on Sunday to begin her beautiful travel. She wanted to become the youngest person to sail solo（单人）around the world.

    After saying goodbye to her parents beside the sea, Jessica sailed her 10-meter ship out of Sydney harbor, smiling to well-wishers.

    Her plan is to make a 38-thousand-kilometer journey. Although people are not sure someone so young could make it, the girl and her parents insisted she was an experienced and good sailor.

    On the eve of her traveling, she said she was fully prepared.

    Jessica said, "I suppose it's a big, scary（恐怖的）, and possibly risky（冒险的）thing to do, but yes, there's plenty of different risks, but it can't beat me." Jessica's trip is to last about eight months.

    In August, a 17-year-old British boy, Mike, wanted to be the youngest solo round-the-world sailor. He made a 45-thousand-kilometer trip in nine months.