Two children stood outside the door with old coats. “Any old papers, Lady?” asked one of them.

I was busy. I wanted to say no, but I saw that their shoes were broken and wet. “Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot tea.” They came in, saying nothing. Their shoes left snow on the floor.

      I gave them tea and bread to protect them against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started my housework again.

      The silence in the front room surprised me. I looked in.

      The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked me in a low voice, “Lady, are you rich?”

      Am I rich? Oh, no! I looked at my old things in my room.

      The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟) carefully. “Your cups match your saucers.”

They left then, holding their papers against the wind. They hadn't said thank you. They didn't need to. They had done more than that. The blue cups and saucers were simple. But they said that they matched. The potatoes and meat before me, a roof over our hands, my husband with a job—these things matched, too.

      I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The prints of their small shoes were still wet on my floor. I let them be. I wanted them there to remind (提醒) me how rich I was.

    Gregg's dream was to travel around the Americas(美洲). He got the idea after he finished a long bike ride. Gregg's friend, Brooks, also liked riding a bike. The two friends talked and made a plan，they would travel from Alaska to Argentina by bike.

    To pay for the trip, Gregg and Brooks worked to save money for a long time. When they were on the road, they often camped outdoors and ate cheaply. In many places, local people opened their doors to the two friends and gave them food.

    On their way, there were deserts, rainforests and mountains. They visited modern cities and ancient ruins. And they made many friends from all over the world.

    Two years later, Gregg finally reached Ushuaia, Argentina in May 2007. (Near Guatemala, Brooks had to go back and Gregg continued without him.)

They both learned a lot about traveling. Here are some of Gregg's suggestions.

Travel light. You shouldn't carry many things with you.

    Be flexible(灵活的)• Don't plan everything. Then you'll be more relaxed and pleased. Be polite. One traveler told Gregg, "Nobody wants to cheat a nice man." It's true.

    Fiona likes to listen to music. She likes to listen to classical music. Now she is listening to Beethoven's Symphony (交响曲) No. 5. The music is about fate knocking on the door. Fate is the unseen power of life. Fate changes our lives. Fate designs our lives. Fiona likes this music. She feels the power of music.

    Suddenly, somebody knocks on her door. She goes to the door and opens it. There is a man at the door. The man is old. He has grey hair and a grey beard (胡须). She doesn't know who the person is. The man says he is her father. She closes the door in front of the man. She stays at the door and thinks. She has a father. But he is dead. She doesn't know the man at the door. She doesn't understand why he says he is her father. She wants to call the police. Just then she can see a photo under the door. The man is giving her a photo. She looks at the photo. She can see herself with a man she doesn't know. It is her because she took many photos when she was a young girl. Is the man who is standing in front of her door her father? She must find the answer.

    She opens the door. She asks the man whether he is lying or not. The man tells her he is telling the truth. She invites him for a cup of coffee. They sit down and drink coffee. They start talking about life. He tells her everything that he knows. She listens. Sometimes she is surprised. Sometimes she cries. Sometimes she laughs. They are listening to Beethoven. This time it is not fate, but her father who is knocking on the door.

    Ruo Dong and Ruo Jun are brothers. They are from Chengdu. Ruo Dong is 10 years old and Ruo Jun is 9 years old. They can speak Mandarin(普通话). Now they are in Hangzhou, and they study in No. 5 Middle School. Their family are all in Hangzhou. There are five people in their family. They are their parents, their sister and themselves. Their mother is a teacher. Their father is a doctor. Their sister is very young. She is only 3 years old. She goes to a kindergarten. They say Hangzhou is a very interesting city. They like the friendly people, the delicious food and its culture(文化). They like Hangzhou very much.