Grace is my pen friend. She is a 13-year-old English girl. What's her school life like? Now let's get to know something about the school life in England.

    •Study

    Most students take the school bus to school. Some go to school by train. When they arrive at their classrooms, they put their homework in a box. Then one student will take it to the teachers' office.

    •Lunch

    Students often have lunch at school. The lunch time is usually from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. They can have free school lunch. They don't have to pay for it.

    •Uniforms

    Students often wear uniforms at school. On their uniforms, you can see the school logo(校徽). They think uniforms are important. When they go on a school trip, they all look the same. So students may not get lost. What's more, students don't need to worry about what to wear every day. Their parents don't have to buy expensive clothes for them, either.

    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.

As a student，what do you think of your school life？Many students may say，"I have too much homework to do every day. I have no time to do my favourite things. I often finish doing my homework late at night. And at the weekend，and I think it's great to do some fun things like playing basketball，playing chess and listening to music after school every day. Sometimes I am really bored with my homework and my school life. 

Yes，you are very busy at school as students，but homework can really help you a lot. Doing homework can help you review what you have learned at school. And it is a very useful way to remember the contents（内容）in books. 

In fact，if you do homework in right ways，I'm sure you can have free time to do the other things you like in your daily life. When you must do your homework, please find a quiet room. Don't listen to music or do anything else when you do your homework. Remember that you can't do two things at the same time. If you meet very difficult questions, ask your parents or classmate s for help. You can also ask for help on the Internet. Make a good plan for your homework of every subject and try your best to finish it on time. 

In spring 2021, Battersea Arts Centre, a venue（地点）in southwest London, introduced "pay what you can" for all its shows. The reason is simple—they believe that everyone should be able to be a part of the great work, regardless of(不管) their ability to pay. Should all shows be "paid what you can"?

Some supporters believe it's a good idea. In the 17th century when Shakespeare was writing his plays, everyone went to the theatre. The cheapest ticket in London was one penny. This is how shows should be open to everyone, no matter how much they earn. Paying what you can is in the spirit of Shakespeare's time, and it opens the arts to all. It also shows that many art venues are a type of charity(慈善机构) that provide public benefits and spread culture. That doesn't mean the show isn't good. 

However, this idea makes some people worried and some opponents(反对者) are against it. Society expects art for free—free art shows, free music, free videos. ____ For some people "pay what you can" would mean "pay what you want to"—nothing. It is expensive to put on a show. If the audience want to see a good show, they should pay a part of what it costs to put on. A survey by Arts Professional magazine found that many people a-void shows not because they are too expensive but be-cause they don't think they will enjoy themselves. Art venues should focus on making the best shows they can, and price the tickets to reflect the quality(质量). 

Gianni Golfera is in front of a group of people. His eyes are covered, but he can still show these people something that's amazing. First, the people choose sixty numbers as they like. After that, a helper reads the numbers to Gianni. Then, after hearing them just a single time, Gianni repeats the numbers in the correct order from memory. Then, he does it again—backwards!

Gianni has a very special kind of memory. He explains in his own words, "It's a kind of memory that is connected to what I see. It means that every idea I learn, everything I read, becomes a part of me."

Memory is very difficult to understand. Scientists don't really know how it works, yet. The Golfera family genes (基因) may hold important information about Gianni's memory. A scientist called Antonic Malgaroli plans to compare the Golfera family's genes with the genes of more forgetful families. "The question," says Dr. Malgaroli. "is how much it's really because of the Golfera family genes, and how much comes from his practice."

Researchers are now studying how memory and learning change the brain. They are also trying to match those changes to genes. Some research already shows that a great memory may not depend on the right DNA only. According to Dr. Malgaroli, "If you really need to use your brain to store some kind of information, you have this ability. It's just a matter of exercise." That is, practice and exercising the brain can improve the memory!

The same idea is true for Gianni. His genes are only part of the story. Since the age of 11, he's been training his brain to remember more and more. He practices continuously to improve the power of his memory. Gianni thinks about memory, and works on it, all the time. However, Gianni's life is not all about science. He has a normal life, just like other people. So, researchers think Gianni's memory is mainly because of his very hard work. Gianni agrees.

Gianni believes if there is a memory gene, he probably has it. But the success of Gianni may be more about practice and hard work than DNA. At the same time, he might just be showing scientists that a great memory can be made and not just born!

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