One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn't or couldn't sleep,I tried everything I could think of: a warm bottle,songs,gentle rocking.Nothing would settle him.Guessing that I had a long night ahead of me,I brought a portable TV into his room,figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill the hours till dawn. To my surprise,as soon as the TV lit up,the baby quieted right down,his little eyes focused brightly on the tube.Not to waste an opportunity for sleep,I then tiptoes（踮着脚走）out of the room,leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday.

    My wife and I heard none of the baby that night,and the next morning when I went into his room,I found that he was still watching TV himself.

    I found in my baby's behavior a symbol of the new generation.My wife and I had given him some books to examine,but he merely spit upon them.When we read to him,he did not feel comfortable.And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don't read and that they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it.All that they want to do is to watch TV.After this experience with the baby,however,I have come to a conclusion:"Let them watch it!"If television is that much more attractive to children than books,why should we fight about it?Let them watch it all that they want!

    In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.

    My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.

    Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic－and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No,3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.

    You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo — a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college fulltime. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.

    The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.

    In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!

    I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside, it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.

    January means it's time for coats and gloves and cold weather. While many of us are preparing ourselves for the cold weeks ahead, in some cities winter is the “hottest” season of all because it's the time for winter festivities.

    Every year 2 million people visit the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan. This internationally well-known event began in 1950, when some local high-school students built six snow statues in Odori Park. Since then, the festival has grown to include lots of snow sculptures as well as a snow-sculpting contest that draws competitors from all over the world.

    In December, Finland created its 13th annual Snow Village, which will remain open until April, if weather permits. Snow Village lies nearly 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The village is designed by builders skilled in working with snow and ice. Visitors can take a tour of the village, eat in a restaurant made of ice or go dancing in the disco igloo(拱形圆顶小屋). They can also spend the night in a hotel made of snow. There's even an ice chapel(小礼拜堂) for couples who want to get married in Snow Village.

    Since 1935, the Fur Rendezvous has been held every February in Anchorage, Alaska, America's most northern state. Among the festival's many attractions is the World Championship Sled Dog Race, which draws sled dog teams from many countries. Dogs also take center stage in the Dog Weight Pull, in which dogs compete to see which one can pull the heaviest weight. The festival features sports like skiing, basketball, boxing and softball as well as the Grand Prix Auto Race in downtown Anchorage. True to the festival's name, there's also a fur auction(拍卖), where buyers buy real Alaskan furs. The first Fur Rendezvous lasted only three days. Now it's a 10-day event that attracts thousands of visitors.

    I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue(救援) and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival(存活) is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.

    I got a rescue call from a woman in Mutton town. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2­to-3­week­old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.

    I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate(定位) the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct(建造) a nest in a tree.

The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches(松树枝) into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.

    Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were nowhere to be found. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.

    A nervous night to be sure，but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded(回应) to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And with it was the greatest sight of all — LUNCH！The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.

    Life in the summertime is often full of pests. Like most Long Island homeowners, I want to ensure my suburban life with pest-free living. So it was with wide-eyed wonder that I greeted the smiling exterminator (灭虫者) who rang my bell.

    “We'll be serving your neighbors, Mike and Sarah (I'm not familiar with either one by name),” he waved in the other direction. “Since we'll have a team here tomorrow, we're offering a discount.” He came out with numbers beginning from $299 then in seconds to $89.

    “You've probably been seeing the ant hills around.” he moved toward my front walkway and lawn. “And have you seen the bees that dig nests in the ground?” he continued with his head shaking up and down pushing me to do the same.

    “What we do is spray three feet out from your foundation and three feet up.” As he was talking, and without breaking eye contact, he opened his iPad cover and began operating at the screen to show me frightening images. “It also kills other pests, like spiders. It is the best pesticide (杀虫剂),” he said, pausing for effect.

    He then went into soft talk to close the deal, correctly foreseeing that I would be concerned about safety and the environmental impact on my vegetable garden, plants and our little patch of planet here on Long Island. “The products are environmentally responsible, safe with children and pets,” he said.

    I'm unkind when it comes to unwanted visitors entering on my out-of-doors moments. Any insect found in my house or on my deck is bound to be poisoned or pancaked.

    Unfortunately for the exterminator, just as I was considering making an appointment, Billy, my fearless husband, pulled into our driveway, which made me ask for a business card out of politeness instead.

    King's College Summer School is a training program every year for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.

    More information is as follows: