A 50-year-old American officer came back to his school. The teacher asked him to give a talk to the small boys and girls there. The talk was about the love of their great country. All the little ones were sitting in a large meeting room. The old officer went up and began speaking. He said, “Boys and girls, I studied in this school forty years ago. When I was your age, we were not as happy as you are today. Think about it and answer me. Why are you so happy now?”

    No sound came from the children. The old man waited for a long time. Then a short boy in front put up his small dirty hand. “Good boy! Please answer me, dear.” said the officer.

    With a big smile on his face, the boy stood up and said, “If you speak long enough, we won't have Maths and Biology lessons this morning.”

    What is DIY? Why do many people like it? Yang Chen works for a computer business in Beijing. He enjoys his work, but it is not easy for him to relax(放松) after work. One day when he saw many toy dogs in a toy shop, he had an idea. "Why not make them myself?" Then he began to make model planes, model ships and something else. He was interested in it because it brings him lots of fun and makes life colourful. So what is DIY? Yes, it is making or creating (创造) things by yourselves, with your own hands.

    It may take much time, but some people, now known as DIYers—do-it-yourselfers, enjoy doing it very much. They enjoy it because it is fun. And they also say it helps them save money, too. What's more, they think it is a good way to protect the environment (环境). It is a kind of green life. In fact, DIY is not a modern thing in China. Many people remember when it was once a way of life in the past. During the 1960s and 1970s, when there were not enough living things for people to live on, they had to use their own hands to do many things. If you wanted something, you had to do it yourself, and if you needed something, you made it yourself.

    Times have changed and DIY also has different meanings.

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    Just before the Midnight on Aug. 12th, 2015, a big explosion（大爆炸）hit the port City of Tianjin, China. Lots of people were injured by the explosion. Some of them suffered from chemical burns（灼伤）.

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    Put on gloves or protection suit（防护衣）. If possible. Avoid exposing yourself to chemical.

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    Keep the burn area in cold water for at least 20 minutes.

    Don't use a strong stream（水流） of water, if possible.

    Don't try to deal the burn area with other ways before you see a doctor.

    Don't put antibiotic ointment（抗生素药膏） on the burn. This could cause a chemical Reaction（化学反应） that worsens the burn.

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    You can cover a small burn with dry, sterile gauze

（消毒纱布）or clean cloth to protect it from being infected（感染）.

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    Though we can deal with this emergency by ourselves. We are not the doctors. So we must see the doctors for help us with the burn. The sooner you see the doctor, the safer you will be.

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    Many kinds of birds live in the United States, but the number of the birds is becoming smaller every year. One of the leading reasons is the growing number of pet cats. By keeping your pet cats in your home, you can help give birds a better possible chance to live.

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    Of the 90 million pet cats in this country, about two-thirds are allowed to go outside. It is said that these cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, as well as billions of small animals such as rabbits and field mice.

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    They can also bring illness to the animals that live in people's yard，and further weakening the health of the natural populations.

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    Allowing pet cats to go outside is not just bad for birds and wildlife，it's also bad for the cats themselves. Outdoor cats can get sick very easily. They are in danger from traffic and attacks（攻击）from other animals. In fact，outdoor cats usually don't live past the age of five，while indoor cats often live to be 17 or older.

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    Keep your pet cat inside！If you raise a young cat，it's your duty to let it play inside.

    In the UK, bus journeys are very common. Buses are often convenient(便利的）for the people who live or work in the city center. Passengers can avoid heavy traffic and do not have to pay for the parking. However, taking the bus is just a necessary but boring part of life: they get on the bus, pay for it and sit down or find a place to stand when it is crowded. Everyone seems sad and bored. 

    In Latin America, however, bus trips can be wonderful. For a start, films are showed on the buses between cities for passengers to have fun along the journeys. Local buses do not show films. but drivers usually turn on the radio and it can be great for passengers to listen to songs and get relaxed. 

    Even better than films and music are the sights and sounds on the buses. Local buses always go to parts of the town that passengers would not visit by themselves. There passengers can see shops that they have never heard about. And they can also see other cultures of the town from the windows of the buses.

    Besides passengers' luggage(行李)is also interesting. It is common to see a happy dog's head getting out of somebody's bag or a lovely chicken "speaking cheerfully "under somebody's arm. Once on a bus in Peru a farmer even tied a sheep to the top of the bus. It was quite surprising.

    In all, taking the bus in Latin America is really fun and unforgettable.