No one knew Prince Edward Street as well as Pierre Dupin. He had delivered milk to the families on the street for thirty years. For the past fifteen years a large white horse named Joseph pulled his milk wagon. Joseph was a gentle horse with beautiful spirit shining out of its eyes, so Pierre named him after Saint Joseph.

    Every morning at five, Pierre arrived at the milk company's stables to find Joseph waiting for him, Pierre would call, “Good morning, my old friend.”, as he climbed into his seat, while Joseph turned his head toward the driver. And the two would go proudly down the street. Without any order from Pierre, the wagon would roll down three streets. Then it turned right for two streets, before turning left to Saint Catherine Street. The horse finally stopped at the first house on Prince Edward Street. There, Joseph would wait perhaps thirty seconds for Pierre to get down off his seat and put a bottle of milk at the front door.

    Pierre knew every one of the forty families that got milk. The cooks knew that Pierre could not read or write; so, instead of leaving orders in an empty milk bottle, they simply sang out if they needed an extra bottle.

    Pierre also had a wonderful memory. When he arrived at the stable he always remembered to tell Jacques, the foreman(领班) of the stables, “The Pacquins took an extra bottle this morning; the Lemoines bought a pint of cream …” Most of the drivers had to make out the weekly bills and collect the money. But Jacques, liking Pierre, never asked him to do this.

    One day the president of the milk company came to inspect the early morning milk deliveries. Jacques pointed to Pierre and said: ”See how the horse listens and how he turns his head toward Pierre? See the look in that horse's eyes? You know, I think those two share a secret. I have often felt it. He is getting old. Maybe he ought to be given a rest, and a small pension.”

    “But of course,” the president laughed. “He has been on this job now for thirty years. All who know him love him. Tell him it is time he rested. He will get his pay every week as before.”

    But Pierre refused to leave his job. He said his life would be nothing if he could not drive Joseph every day. “We are two old men,” he said to Jacques. “Let us wear out together. When Joseph is ready to leave, then I too will do so.”

    Then one cold morning Jacques had terrible news for Pierre. Jacques said, ”Pierre, your horse, Joseph, didn't wake up. He was very old, Pierre.” Jacques said softly. “He is over in his stall, looking very peaceful. Go over and see him.” Pierre took one step forward, then turned. “No ... no ... I cannot see Joseph again. You ..., you don't understand, Jacques.”

    For years Pierre had worn a large heavy cap that came down low over his eyes. It kept out the bitter cold wind. Now, Jacques looked into Pierre's eyes and he saw something that shocked him. He saw a dead, lifeless look in them.

    “Take the day off, Pierre,” Jacques said. Pierre walked to the corner and stepped into the street. There was a warning shout from the driver of a big truck ... there was the screech(尖锐的刹车声) of rubber tires as the truck tried to stop. But Pierre heard nothing.

    Five minutes later a doctor said, “He's dead ..., killed instantly.”

    “I couldn't help it,” the truck driver said. “He walked in front of my truck. He never saw it, I guess. Why, he walked as though he were blind.”

    The doctor bent down. “Blind？Of course, this man has been blind for five years.”  He turned to Jacques, “Didn't you know he was blind？”

    “No ...no ...” Jacques said softly. “None of us knew. Only one ... only one knew－a friend of his, named Joseph ... It was a secret, I think, just between those two.”

    Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper-a little bird called a honey guide.

    The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax in the beehives(蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax(蜂蜡), always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

    Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

    This past summer I went on a journey to Canada's Arctic with Students On Ice. When I left Calgary I wondered what I would find what I would learn and who I would meet. On the trip to Ottawa I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and excitement. But when I first met the group of students, scientists and leaders, I knew that l didn't have anything to worry about. The group was amazingly receptive and I was soon part of a big family setting out on an amazing adventure—an adventure of a lifetime!

    When we reached the Arctic I saw a vast Land that appeared untouched and original. I was surprised by its great size and beauty and my senses were repeatedly shocked and amazed. I stood on the Kapitan Khlebnikov and saw twelve polar bears. They walked in search of seal holes, and patiently waited for a meal. I learned that polar bears are successful only one out of every twenty hunting attempts.

    However, I learned that the Arctic and its people are being threatened by pollution and global warming. I learned that pollutants are carried by ocean and air and have a bad effect on all Arctic people. I learned that global warming has put polar bears at risk because a warmer climate means that they have a shorter time to hunt seals on the ice.

    The trip was a feast (盛宴) for the senses. I have learned more about our environment, and particularly how alive and interesting the Arctic is and why it is so important to take care of it. I learned pollution, ignorance of individual and global problems need to be solved. The Arctic deserves to be preserved. My trip with Students On Ice has made me more determined to try to ensure that I do not leave harmful footprints on either Earth or its people.

    Diet pills, diet Coke, diet Pepsi, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word "diet" everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.

    Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing  our brains to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale (秤) instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word "diet" in food labels.

    On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.

    The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemicals that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.

    Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them.

    The Healthy Habits Survey (调查) shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.

    ①How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?

    ·Finding: A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.

    ·Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria (细菌) in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.

    ②How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?

    ·Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.

    ·Step: We touch our faces around 3, 000 times a day—often inviting germs (病菌) to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.

    ③How often do you think about fighting germs?

    ·Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.

    ·Step: Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge (海绵) that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.

    People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition(营养) and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous(有毒的). They called tomatoes "poison apples".

    President Thomas Jefferson, however, know that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact.