My neighbor is a doctor. He and his wife are some of the1people I have ever met. A few years ago, we started this kind of "favor war" where one of us would do something kind for the other, such as2the driveway or building a shed, and next time the other would3to top it with another favor.

    Yesterday morning, it snowed heavily and I remembered he shoveled (铲) my driveway for me. So I took out my shovel and took care of both our driveways and sidewalks because it was my turn to do a favor4. It took a while but I finished it and got into my car for work.

That night I got a5on my door, it was my neighbor. He immediately shook my hands and thanked me for shoveling his driveway and sidewalk, so that he was able to get to work earlier and6a boy.

    "As soon as I started the car early this morning, a call came through that a young boy in our neighborhood was seriously ill.7, my partner and I were only about 2 minutes away, but the closest ambulance 10 minutes," added he. "A young boy got to live his life because you did me the favor."

    It wasn't too much8to shovel a driveway, but what I did got a young boy to see his family again, go back to school again and live his life again.9favor is too small. Even the smallest favor can make the biggest10. One favor will always be followed by another.

Martin had a lot of friends at school. He 1 told his family how many friends he had. 

One day, his father called him for a bet (打赌). "Martin, I bet you for the bike you wanted."

"Really?! What's the bet? " Martin couldn't believe his 2 .

"You do not have as many friends as you think. Not everyone is 3 friend."

Martin asked, " 4 can I test whether they are my friends?"

"I have something special. 5 me."

A few minutes later, Martin saw his father walking back, looking like he was carrying something heavy. But Martin could not see anything.

"This is a magic chair. Take this to the club, and sit on it 6 . Then you can tell who are your real friends," his father said. 

The next day when Martin was in the club with the "chair", he asked everyone together and said, "Friends, you are about to see my magic here. 7 closely."

Then Martin tried sitting on the chair. But he fell. Everyone laughed. 

He made another try and fell again. The laughs 8 .

Martin kept trying and fell.

He tried again but did not fall this time. He saw John, Abram, Julie, and Terry carrying him up 9 he would not fall. The others still laughed. 

Now he 10 his real friends.

Teaching kids gently

Students discuss whether it is right for strangers to educate others' kids. 

Recently, during a flight, a toddler (刚学走路的小孩) kept crying, and two strangers took her to the bathroom and locked her in there for "education". This led to a heated discussion. Examples like South Korea's "no-kids zones (区域)" and reminders (提示语) for parents on high-speed trains show how the public reacts to crying children. How do you feel about strangers "educating" noisy young children?

I think it's not OK for strangers to educate the children of others. Sometimes, children can be naughty and might shout in public. This can be annoying and make us want to step in. But from the child's point of view, a stranger stepping in and shouting at them can be scary. It can also hurt children's feelings. Parents can also feel stressed when their children disturb (打扰) other passengers, but they might not know what to do. Sometimes children cry to draw others' attention because they can't express their needs well. So as strangers, it's best to kindly remind parents to look after their kids and check if they are hungry or unwell. 

Cui Luoyao, 14, Beijing

Instead of strangers, parents should be the ones teaching their children how to behave properly. I believe many passengers "dislike children" not because of the children's behavior, but because they really can't stand their parents' attitude. As children grow up, it is normal for them to make mistakes and disturb others without meaning to because they are too small to understand so much information. What is really scary is that parents turn a blind eye to their children's mistakes, use "he is just a kid" as an excuse and force others to tolerate (容忍) their children. If a child really does something that disturbs others, then the parents should say sorry and solve the problem. 

He Liyan, 14, Jiangsu

Have you ever been to Xitang Water Town?

Xitang Water Town is a small ancient town on water. It is in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China. Xitang is famous for its bridges. alleys(小巷) and sheltered corridors(廊). 

Nine rivers run through Xitang, dividing it into eight parts, with stone bridges, quiet streets, and corridors. The bridges of Xitang date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

Through a bird's-eye view of the whole town, green waves are everywhere and every family lives near water. In the morning, water

runs under bridges; thin mist(薄雾) is like silk: pink walls on both banks stand tall and houses are reflected(反射) in the water. In the evening, the setting sun shines softly and songs come from fishing boats. The whole old town is like a poem and a picture. It is hard to know that it's people in the picture or the picture in the heart of people. 

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Xitang enjoys convenient transportation. Visitors who travel to Xitang usually need to go to Shanghai or Hangzhou first, then go to Xitang from there. 

From Shanghai: Traveller s may take direct buses from Shanghai South Long- distance Bus Station or Shanghai Tour Bus Centre to get there. 

From Hangzhou: You may take direct buses from Hangzhou Jiubao Bus Centre Station to get there. 

It is recommended to spend a whole day to visit the water town.