I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签 ) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got nearer and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

    War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, "Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!" Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

    The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing.

    Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart. Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me. "Thanks."

    Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in cleaning up and holding on.

    Recently, the TV show “Where are we going, Dad?” produced by Hunan SatelliteTelevision is a big hit across nation. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered（触发）a lot of people's emotional resonance（共鸣）. Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents' confusion in children's education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.

    In the real life, on the one hand, the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand, they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children's education is also very low.

    It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going, Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.

    I could feel the judging eyes of my family burning a hole into the back of my head as I picked up my phone. All of a sudden, the chattering in the living room died and all I could hear was the sound of the turkey sizzling (发出嘶嘶声) in the oven.

    “Look at her! She's been on her phone all day long! It's all your fault! Children will never respect elders if they are not taught how to behave! ” my grandmother shouted.

    I was very shocked and angry! I opened my mouth to say something, but words failed me and I just sat down quietly on the chair like a mouse in its trap. I thought “Here we go again.” I truly love my family and I would do anything for them. I also know that they would do anything for me as well. However, there are moments that make me feel like they are just stuck with me. They all agree on one thing: technology is wrecking me.

    If I am going to be treated like a child or completely ignored, I will most likely not enjoy your company, and I feel like this applies to (适用于） the majority of the people. So I sometimes simply shut myself in my room and listened to the voices coming from the living room, thinking: They all grew up in a world so different that it amazes me how they have actually gotten this far. They did not have phones or any type of advanced technology, which is both good and bad. Bad because they had almost no type of fast communication, and good because they were forced to interact (互动) with one another, which is something today's society is lacking in. However, maybe if they made an effort to be aware of how things work nowadays, they would not be so against everything.

    Montreal, Quebec is a great vacation destination with a number of annual and on-going activities and events in the area. Find a variety of area activities and attractions, lodging options and complete vacation packages conveniently online!

    Winter in Montreal: Ice Skating

    The skating experience starts with a guide who will bring your group to a rink (溜冰场) that is best for learning. You can rent skates, and you will be taught how to skate comfortably whether you are a beginner or an expert. The skating experience lasts 3 hours and an extra hour when you are allowed to take pictures and truly enjoy the rink experience.

    Montreal Tower Observatory

    This 4-hour tour will take guests to the tallest inclined tower in the world, complete with an added tour of the botanical garden. You'll notice that the city is actually quite beautiful especially from such a tall building. If you are bringing children along they will get a kick out of how unique the structure of the building is in the skyline of this big city. The trip to the top takes only approximately 2 minutes.

    Flavors of Old Montreal Walking Tour

    This is a 1.5-hour food walking tour. You'll basically explore all of old Montréal and you will see a place that has a rich culture and rich history. You will see what it was like in the olden days. You will see the life of the first and only French province in Canada. You will eat delicious foods like cheese, macaroons, and even more.

    Montreal Half-Day Bike Tour

    Montreal half-day bike tour is family friendly which lasts almost 3 hours. This ride is acceptable for any skill level and any age. There are three routes to choose from including the city tour, the Vista architecture tour and the city of contrast tour. Each course will have a tour guide who will introduce the sightseeing during the trip.

    Most of us feel very tired after working for eight hours a day, five days a week. When we get home, we watch at least one film because it's well-deserved and the only time we get to "relax" before going to sleep. Wake up and repeat. No wonder you feel tired. So how do you get out of this vicious circle? How do you restart your life?

    ⒈YOUR MINDSET

    "Oh man, another one of these self-improvement things. I hope I can do it, but I've tried these things before, and I just never stick to it."

    This was something I used to say to myself every time I try to start something new for myself. There's a fear-driven side of your brain which tells you, "You can't do this."

    What can you do? Well, the tip here is to talk to yourself like you're talking to a friend, or a coworker. So the next time you try something new, be kind to yourself like you would be kind to others. You are your own worst critic. But you can also be your firm defender.

    ⒉YOUR DIET

    If you are looking at what you eat for the reason to feel energized, then the general rules are:

    1) Eat when you're hungry. Don't eat when you're not.

    2) Be mindful when you eat. Chew at least 20 times. Let yourself taste and digest your food.

    3) Don't do three things at once when you're eating. Your body wasn't made for that.

    4) Preferably, eat "real" food. Eat what your great-grandmother would recognize as food.

    Don't let your days pass by in a boring way. Start by re-examining these key habits in your life to build a body that can start doing things you want.

    ⒊YOUR SLEEP

    Without enough sleep, we're basically going through the day drunk. This means tiredness, difficulty to respond quickly and smartly to anything that comes up. The sleeping hours needed for an average adult ranges from 7 to 9 hours.

The world has been extremely impressed by China's high-speed trains that cross the country by the hundreds in all directions every day, but in one corner of this vast land is a gentle reminder that life was not always this fast.

Those fortunate enough to travel to Jiayang in Sichuan province will find railway carriages dragged by steam locomotives(火车头), among the last steam trains operating in China and still running every day. First used to transport coal from Jiayang Coal Mine 62 years ago, today they transport local farmers and their produce to market and serve as a tourist attraction.

"In the early days of the railway, farmers headed for the farm produce market sitting beside coal," said Liu Chengxi, the Jiayang official in charge of the trains. "As coal production has stopped, the trains are now exclusively(专门地)for farmers and tourists."

The narrow railway, only 76.2 cm instead of the standard 144 cm, stretches for 19. 84 km, with the trains reaching a top speed of 20 km/h.

A one-way ticket costs 5 yuan for seated passengers and 3 yuan for standing passengers on the ordinary trains regardless of whether they are travelling empty-handed or with animals or vegetables. But Li Cuirong, who has worked as a train dispatcher(调度员)for more than 20 years, recommends tourists pay 80 yuan for a sightseeing train, as the carriages, which have 37 seats, are more comfortable and air-conditioned. A one-way trip takes about one and a half hours.

The scenery is dramatic as the train winds through the mountain, passengers can view chickens and geese wandering among the orange trees and butterflies dancing over the fields and ponds.

Rob Dickinson, a steam train lover from the United Kingdom, has ridden the trains twice. He hopes the narrow line can last long enough for him to find the time to get back again.