The cold wind blew strongly outside. Amaya was warm in her house, thinking about an article she'd read at school. The article was about kids who helped out their communities, and she thought it would be really cool to help her own town, Harvard.

   The only problem was that she wasn't sure how to help. In the article, the kids had grown food for people who needed food, but it was winter. She couldn't start a garden. Amaya was deep in thought when her mom said it was time to go shopping.

   As they drove along the road, Amaya saw a family walking on the sidewalk(人行道), wearing only light jackets. How could they must be! That gave her an idea! She could collect winter coats, hats and gloves for people who needed them.

   She shared her idea with her mom, who thought it was great. But how would they spread the idea to get plenty of winter clothing? Amaya decided to talk to her teacher, because then she could share her idea with her classmates at least.

   Ms. Monroe agreed when Amaya talked about her idea. They decided to call the project Hats in Harvard. Then they wrote a letter explaining the project. Ms. Monroe even said she could help Amaya talk to the headmaster aboutit, so they could get the whole school to join in it. They met with the headmaster during lunch time. He was excited about the idea, and said he would make sure copies(复印件) of the letter went home with all the students.

   They collected enough winter clothing in only one week. Then they left the clothes around two parks, so families who needed clothes could get them there. Three days later, Amaya and her mom went shopping again. She saw the same family that had given her the idea for Hats in Harvard. This time, though, the family looked nice and warm in some new coats, hats and gloves. Amaya felt warm in her heart, and was very glad she could help others.

I had my first chocolate bar(巧克力条) at five years old. I'll never forget the delicious, comforting taste. It was World War Ⅱ. I lived with my family in the Lithuanian town of Taurage.

One day, I ran away from Taurage and took a train to Hamburg alone. I lived on the streets, like thousands of other children in the city. I stole(偷)food for a living. Still, there was never enough.

Then the American army arrived. They looked so big and healthy. Stealing food from them wasn't easy. I'd go into the dining hall quietly, hide under a table and leave with some fresh bread.

One afternoon as I waited around a dining hall secretly to look for food, a huge hand lifted me up.by the collar. An American soldier. "Got you!" he shouted.

I was scared, and I could see it upset him. "It's okay, kid," he said. He reached into his jacket and handed me a chocolate bar. "Here, have some of this." I just took a small bite of it. I thought I'd gone to heaven.

The soldier took me and some other homeless children to an orphanage (孤儿院) run by the Red Cross. Four years later I was sent to an orphanage in Seattle, America. Soon after, I lived with an American family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Again, as with that first taste of chocolate, it was as if I'd gone to heaven. Later, I joined the army, and then attended college. Finally, I got a master's degree in clinical(临床的) social work. I want to pay back all the people who were so good to me.

In 1983 I went to work for the Department of Veteran Affairs as a clinical counselor(顾问),treating the troubled soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder(创伤后精神紧张性障碍).

The troubled soldiers sit in my office and wonder how I can possibly understand them or help ease their pain. That is when I tell them my story, and about the soldier who saved my life.

"I never did learn his name, but I remember his kindness," I say. And then I open a drawer in my desk that is always full and offer them some chocolate.

Yao Jian has been teaching in the Sandun Primary School in Datong, Shanxi Province for more than 20 years. In 1998, he chose to teach village children after graduation. At that time,the conditions of the village school were terrible. Some students had to bring chairs from home to school because there weren't enough chairs. The number of students became smaller and smaller because many villagers took their children to cities. Some teachers left the school to search for better jobs too. The teachers who stayed there had to teach all the subjects.

"I come from the poor countryside and know how important education is for village children.I will continue teaching in the school till the last student leaves."Yao said.

Because of his great work, Yao was made the headmaster of the school in 2004. In the same year, his wife started working as a teacher there too. They took good care of the students as if they were their own children. Yao used to have a heart-to-heart talk with other teachers so that they could feel at home in the school and like their work.

Many of the school's graduates have entered college. Jiao Shufeng, one of them, said,"Yao was my favourite teacher. He helped me form good study habits. I was lucky to have him as my teacher when I was young. Inspired by him, I plan to be a teacher and help more left-behind children to get better education."

If you ask people of different countries" Could you tell me the way to the post office?", you will get 1 answers. 

 In Japan, people 2 landmarks(路标) instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to 3 , " Go straight down to the corner, 4 left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop. "

 In Kansas, America, there are no 5 or buildings within(在…之内) miles. So instead of landmarks, people will tell you 6 and distance(距离). 7 , people will say, " Go north two miles(英里). Turn 8 , and then go another mile. "

 People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors 9 the Greek language. They will often say, "10 me. " Then he or she will take you through the streets of the city to the post office. Sometimes 11 a person doesn't know the answer to your question he or she, like a New Yorker, might say, " Sorry, I have no 12 . " But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one13 "I don't know. " People there think"I don't know" is not 14 . They usually give an answer but often a 15 one. A visitor can often get lost in Yucatan!

I have trouble learning English grammar. Yesterday when my friend told me there would be a lecture on English learning this afternoon, I couldn't wait to go. Professor Chen was i{#blank#}1{#/blank#} to give us students the lecture. It was held in our school hall. I set off early to a{#blank#}2{#/blank#} being late. After arriving there, I found a s{#blank#}3{#/blank#} and sat down. In the lecture, Professor Chen s{#blank#}4{#/blank#} his learning experience with us. In addition, he introduced some methods of learning English. I learnt a great deal from this lecture . I am c{#blank#}5{#/blank#} that if I learn English grammar with his methods, my English will be better and better.

Have you ever heard of the Silk Road? Do you know what an important role it plays in the whole world? Did you visit any famous places along the road? The Silk Road went through Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It was 6,500 km from Xi'an to Rome.

My dad is very interested in the Silk Road and he has told me many things about it. Last summer, my family got away for a holiday and went to some places on the road.

We started at Lanzhou and went on to Wuwei. Wuwei was a very important city on the Silk Road. It connected(连接) three main cities in the area. In ancient times, it was also a capital. It's now a modern city, but you can still get a feeling of history when you visit it.

The next stop was Jiayuguan. It was also an important place on the Silk Road. It was a busy city with a lot of people coming and going. Even today, it's a city that many business people travel through. An important part of the Great Wall was also built here.

After that, we went on to Yumenguan. I first found out about Yumenguan in the famous poem written by Wang Zhihuan. It was in the Gobi Desert and was the only connect ion between Central Asia and China . I wonder how people ever made it through the hot desert so long ago.

This trip wasn't just a scenic(观光的) journey. It helped me understand the history of the area and see how people from different places influenced (影响) each other in many ways.