Dear Adam,

    I'm on vacation in Central America and having a great time. I'm in Guatemala. It's a small country but there is so much to see and do! There are volcanoes (火山), mountains, rainforests, beaches and Mayan temples (玛雅寺庙) in the country.

    The Mayan people have a long and interesting history. They built many temples. Last Friday I visited a Mayan temple at a place called Tikal. The temple has a history of about 1,300 years. It is a wonderful place to visit.

    I am staying at Lake Atitlan now. Some people say it is the most beautiful lake in the world. It is a very big lake and there are mountains and volcanoes around it. You can walk around the lake and even climb to the top of a volcano.

    The volcanoes at Lake Atitlan are not active volcanoes (活火山), but tomorrow I am going to see an active volcano called Pacaya. Active volcanoes can be dangerous because they still erupt (爆发) sometimes. I want to climb Pacaya. It erupted in 2010. I hope it won't erupt when I' m there!

      I'll send (发送,) you another e-mail soon.

                                                      All the best,

                                                       Kate

    One day, Mr. Smith is going to take a train to his home town. When the train starts, one of his shoes falls (落下)on to the ground. The train is running faster and faster and he can't pick it up. Then he quickly takes off the other one and throws it on the ground near the fallen shoe. A little boy on the train asks him." Why do you do that?" "I've already(已经)lost one shoe. "Mr. Smith answers, "If a man picks them up, he may get a pair of shoes."

    Mr. and Mrs. Black opened a small restaurant. In order to attract customers, they put a notice in front of the restaurant that said "Meals on the House for Three Days."

    A foreign student who didn't know much English happened to pass by the restaurant on the second day. It was lunchtime and he felt very hungry. "Well, here is a restaurant. I am going to have something to eat."

    He walked towards the restaurant when he saw the notice. "American people are really strange. They even eat dinners on their houses! But how can I get up to the top of the house?" he said to himself.

    He looked around and found a ladder against a tree nearby. He started climbing up. But as he reached the top, he heard someone shouting at him.

    "Hey, what are you doing up there?" Mr. Black shouted at him. Next to him was a policeman. "Doesn't your notice say 'Meals on the House for Three Days'? Is it just a joke?" the foreign student answered.

    On hearing this, both Mr. Black and the policeman laughed. "Do you know what ON THE HOUSE means? Look it up in the dictionary," the policeman said.

    One day, an 11-year-old girl asked her dad, "What are you going to get me for my 15th birthday?" The father replied, "Don't worry about that we still have plenty of time."

    But on a day after her 14th birthday, she passed out (昏倒)and was rushed to the hospital. The family learned that the girl had a serious heart disease and that she might die. At night, she asked her dad, "Daddy, have they told you that I am going to die?" The father replied, "No, you will live as long as anyone else." She wondered and asked, "How can you be sure?" He smiled to her and said, "I just know it."

    After the girl turned 15, she had a heart transplant(心脏移植手术). After she came back from the hospital, she found a letter on her bed. It said, "My dearest daughter, one day you asked me what I would give you for your 15th birthday. I wasn't sure then. But now you know that my present to you is my heart." The father had given his heart to his daughter.

    Parents are selfless(无私的). They even make great sacrifices to make their children grow up happily. Keep this in mind when you feel angry toward your parents. Always, they're just doing what they think best for you.