More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle.  He walked around, showing off his power and pride.

    Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favorite tree.  He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.

    One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion's huge paws.  Lion woke up with a start. “How dare you wake me up!” he shouted angrily. Lion grabbed(抓住) Mouse with one paw. “On the second thought, I'm in the mood for the snack, and you'll make a delicious meal.” he said.

    Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare（饶恕） me! If you let me live, I'll always remember your kindness.  And, some day, I might be able to help you.”

    “How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go.  A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favorite tree when he stepped onto a hunter's net.  The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted (扭动) and turned, he couldn't escape.

    When Mouse heard Lion's frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net.  Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile.  “I was mistaken.  You are not a powerless little mouse. You are a great friend!”

    Our family went to the Yellow Stone National Park last summer vacation. Our son, Tom, wanted to see bears there. And what an experience(经历)it was!

When we got there, we put up our tent(帐篷) and went to explore(探险). As we returned, we heard our daughter Susie cry out. And then we saw a bear go into our camp.

    Tom wanted his father to chase(追赶)him away. His father said, “No. It's dangerous to chase a bear. And don't let him chase you. ”Susie said, “What shall we do? Maybe we should climb a tree. ”Tom said, “No. We have to get him out of there. He might go to sleep in our tent. ”“Maybe we could make him leave if we put some honey outside for him to eat. ”Susie suggested. Then I said, “How are you going to get the honey? It's in the tent. ”We watched the bear go into the tent and heard him upset(翻倒; 弄翻)everything inside. “It's foolish for us to try to chase him away. ”said my husband, “Leave him alone and wait for him to come out. ”We waited, but the bear stayed inside. We had to sleep in the car that night.

    Fresh off his MasterChef Junior run, Evan Robinson, who is only 12 years old, is using his kitchen skills to raise money for Puerto Rico. The TV show contestant wanted to offer help after hurricanes(飓风) hit the country last September.

    “I've been seeing, all over the news, people struggling,” Evan said. “They can't get fresh water, electricity; they can't get really anything. I know I'm just a kid, but I think if a lot of people do something, a lot of things will get better.”

    He raises money by baking and taking online orders for homemade empanadas(馅 饼). He started cooking on a recent Friday night. By the next Sunday evening, he had filled orders for 420 empanadas — — roasted chicken, cheeseburger and vegetarian — — getting $18 for six empanadas and $30 for a dozen.

    His mom, Veronica Robinson, helped him send the empanadas around the city. “We've never done anything like this before,” she said. “But it's a great idea, so I want to help him make it work.”

    For Evan's out-of-town friends and supporters, he has set up a crowdfunding(众筹) page. Through it, he's hoping to raise $1, 500 in “virtual (虚 拟 的) empanadas”. This is because he heard on the news that it could take Puerto Rico years, maybe  even 10 years, to recover(复 原) from the hurricanes. And he said, “Fruit pies are up next. And my baking will continue as well.”

    It's a difficult job, especially for a kid with homework and Boy Scouts and friendships to tend to. But he doesn't seem worried.

    “It's what we're supposed to do.” he said. “I'm a human. They're humans. Why shouldn't I help them?”

    Indeed.

    The film Forever Enthralled was directed by the director(导演)Chen Kaige, and famous stars acted in it, such asZhang Ziyi and Chen Hong. This film shows Mei Lanfang's life.

    Mei, a master of Beijing opera, grew up in a family of Beijing opera performers. He began to perform on the stage(舞台)in 1904 when he was 10 years old. He learnt his acting skills and played female roles and became highly good at singing, dancing and acting. He turned himself into a performer of almost all types of the "Dan" female roles.

    In July 1937, the Japanese army occupied(占领) Beijing. The officer of the army told Mei to perform for them and promised to give him a lot of money. Mei refused to do so, and from then on, he gave up performing on stage during the war. This made him poor until the war ended in 1945.

After 1949, he made the Dan have an important place in Beijing opera through many years of hard working. In his 50-year stage life, he used new acting skills and made lots of good operas. So he became the symbol of Beijing opera.