At thirteen, I was diagnosed（诊所） with  kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

          In my first literature class, Mrs.Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said,“Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”

          She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”

          I tried, but I didn't finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

          In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn't get much education. But Louis didn't give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots（点）, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

           Wasn't I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; Ijust needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?

           I didn't expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs.Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day- with an“A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words:“ See what you can do when you keep trying?”

Oyster

What is an Oyster card?

    Oyster is the easiest way to pay for journeys on the bus, Tube, tram, DocklandsLight Railway (DLR), London Overground and National Rail journeys in London Youcan store your travel cards, Bus & Tram Pass, season tickets and credit topay for journeys as you go.

Where to get an Oyster card?

There are a number of ways for you to get an Oyster card:

• At over 3,900 Oyster Ticket stops

• At Tube and London Overground station ticket offices

• At some National Rail stations

• At London Travel information Centres

• Online at tfl. gov. uk/oyster

How to use an Oyster card?

    To pay the correct fare on the Tube , DLR, London Overground andNational Rail services, you must always touch in on the yellow Oyster cardreader at the start of your journey, and touch out at the end. If you don't, amaximum cash Oyster fare will be charged. When using the bus or tram, you mustonly touch in at the start, but not at the end of your journey.

   What happens if I don't visit London very often?

    Don't worry. Any pay as you go credit on your card will notexpire (过期), so you cankeep it for your next visit or lend it to a friend.

Fares

Traveling by Tube from Central London (Zone l)to Heathrow (Zone6)

Adult Oyster single fare

£ 4. 20 Monday to Friday 06:30 - 09:30 and 16:00 - 19:00

£ 2. 70 at all other times including public holidays

Adult single cash fare £ 5.00

For further information，visit tfl.gov.uk /fares.

    Phyllis Ramberg,85,lives alone in Hyattsville,Maryland,in the same house for many decades.“Children keep asking me,‘When are you going to move to one of those retirement villages?'I say,‘No,no.My friends are here, my church is close,'”Ramberg said."I've got everything I need,right in this neighborhood."A year ago,Ramberg was able to take care of her backyard.This year,she just can't do it herself."When illnesses happen,you just don't have the capability that you thought you had before,"she said.

    That's where "Aging in Place",a non-profit organization,comes in.Founder Lisa Walker says she and her friends are among the seven percent of Hyattsville residents who are 65 or older."A number of my neighbors are also around my age,"Walker said."We started talking about some of the concerns we had.Several of us had had issues with parents that were getting older and they were far away from them and didn't know how to take care of them or get support."

    Seniors can call Walker's organization with a request,for example,asking for someone to shop for groceries,do small chores around the house or drive them to the doctor.Then a volunteer is assigned to provide the help.Most of the calls are for rides to the doctor."They take me to all my medical appointments,"said Louise Battiste,who is almost 90.

    Aging in Place volunteer Sally Middlebrooks says that a review of new volunteers' background,such as driving records and any criminal history is just as important as the training they receive.“We want the seniors,people we call neighbors,to be assured that they are with safe,reliable people who are also caring people,”Middlebrooks said.

    The volunteers also gain some benefits."I've learned how to stay connected to people,your family and friends," Walker said."Do I stay close to them?Do I try to keep myself devoted to the community,relating to people younger than I am?"Middlebrooks said."I'm learning a lot about this whole process of aging,and I'm learning,to my alarm,that it's very difficult.But I'm also meeting people who amaze me with their flexibility and their sense of humor and their ability to stay very much alive despite aches and pains."

    Not all volunteers are retired.Courtney Wattai,24,is a graduate student at American University in Washington who studies care giving and plans to have a career working with seniors."That's kind of what I want to do because I want to make sure I'm able to improve their lives,"Wattai said.“I want to be involved in their lives,not just sitting at a desk doing things.I thought this would be a good way to give tribute to my grandparents and what they had done for me and my brother."

    It makes Walker happy to see the younger generation stepping up.She hopes that's how residents in her neighborhood will always care for each other.

    Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores. I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.

    My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day. This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.

    A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newly found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That's all. My bags were packed and by the door.

    The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.

    Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I've gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

    When you cross deep water driving too fast, you risk splashing water up into the air box and having it get sucked into the internal engine, which is more common than you think. There are a few steps you should take to clear the water out before you try to start it:

    ⒈First, drain the fuel tank, fuel lines and the oil. While it's draining, put a fan on the wiring and dry it out. Remove and clean the carburetor (化油器).

    ⒉Take the plugs out of the engine and turn it over to force any water out. Water will come out with the oil. Add oil to the engine and turn it over again, without the plug in. Let it sit for a while, then observe the oil to tell if there's any water in it (it will look like a white milky substance if there is water mixed with the oil). If it's there, drain it again and start over until there is little or no white showing in the oil.

    ⒊Now re-install the spark plug, add gas, then try to start the engine. You should have a can of ether (乙醚) handy just in case it's stubborn, but don't use too much. If it starts, let it run for a few minutes without making it work faster.

    ⒋After it runs for several minutes, shut it off, drain the oil and change the filter(过滤网). Run it again for a few minutes then shut it off and checks again for milky colored oil. If you have none, you should be good to go.

    ⒌If you cannot start the engine, you may have already ruined it and you will probably need to seek a professional to repair it, or, more likely, you'll have to replace it.