A man was walking along the street when he saw a woman carrying a large box. It was half in and half out of her car. So the man went up and said, “The box looks very heavy. Let me give you a hand.”

 “That's very kind of you,” the woman said, “I'm having a lot of trouble with it. Maybe it sticks (卡住) in the car door.”

 “Together we'll soon move it,” the man said. “I'll get in and take the other end.” And he got in the car.

 “Right,” the man said. “I'm ready,” and he began to push the box hard. For several minutes, the man and the woman tried to move the box. Soon they felt very tired.

    They rested for a moment. Then the woman said, “Let's try again. One, two, three!” They went on moving the box.

    At last, when they were exhausted, the man said, “I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any way to get it out of your car.”

 “Get it out?” the woman cried. “I'm trying to get it in! You know?”

    Once there was an apple tree which a little boy always played around. When the little boy grew up, he no longer played around the tree.

    One day the tree said, “Come and play with me.” The boy answered, “I need money.” “Sorry, you can sell the apples for some money.” The boy did that and left happily.

    After a few years, the boy came back. The tree said, “Come and play with me.” The boy said, “I don't have time. I need a house.” “You can cut off my branches (树枝) and trunk (树干) for a house,” answered the tree. The boy did so.

    Twenty years later, the boy came back again. “My boy, the only thing left is my dying roots (根),” said the tree. “I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am too tired,” answered the boy. The tree then smiled with tears.

    This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. No matter what we need, parents will always be there and give everything they have to make us happy.

A

    Jim, with his father, goes to see his grandfather. In the train Jim often puts his head out of the window. His father says, "Jim! Don't put your head out of the window!" But Jim goes on putting his head out of the window.

    So his father takes Jim's cap quietly (悄悄地), hides (藏) it behind his back and says, "You see your cap is gone." Jim is afraid.

    His father says, "Well, whistle (吹口哨) once. Maybe your cap will come back." Jim whistles. His father puts quickly the cap on Jim's head.

    Oh! It is wonderful. Jim laughs. He quickly takes his father's cap and throws (扔) it out of the window. "Now it is your turn to whistle, Dad!" He says happily.

    Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One early morning, I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a. m. When I arrived to collect my passenger, I saw a small woman in her eighties standing before me. I took her suitcase to the car and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car.

    She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way l would want my mother treated."

    "Oh, you're such a good man," she said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive me throughout the downtown (市中心)?"

    "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

    "Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to hospice (末期病人安养所). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long time." I quietly shut off the meter (计价器). For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, and the neighborhood where she had lived. Sometimes she asked me to slow down in front of a special building and she would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

    As the day broke, she suddenly said. "I'm tired. Let's go now."

    We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

    "How much shall I give you?" she asked.

    "Nothing," I answered.

    "You have to make a living," she said.

    "Oh, there are other passengers," I said.

    Almost without thinking, I bent down and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly and said, "You gave an old woman a little moment of happiness."

    There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it. A Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were resting their arms on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse, "thought Alice;" only, as it's asleep, I believe it doesn't mind."

    The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. "No room! No room!" they cried out when they saw Alice coming. "There's plenty of room!" said Alice angrily, and she sat down in a large armchair at one end of the table.

    "Have some wine, "the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

    Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine, "she said.

    "There isn't any, "said the March Hare.

    "Then it was impolite of you not to offer it, "said Alice angrily.

    "It wasn't very civil of you to take your seat without invitation, "said the March Hare.

    "I didn't know it was your table, "said Alice;" it's laid for a great many more than three."

    "Your hair wants cutting, "said the Hatter. He had been watching Alice for some time.

    "You should learn not to give your personal ideas, "Alice said seriously;" it's very rude."

    The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, "Why is a raven(乌鸦) like a writing-desk?"

    "Come, we shall have some fun now!" said Alice. "I'm glad they've begun asking riddles(谜语). I believe I can guess that, "she said loudly.

    "Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?" said the March Hare.

    "Exactly so, "said Alice.

    "Then you should say what you mean, "the March Hare went on.

    "I do, "Alice quickly replied;" at least-at least I mean what I say-that's the same thing, you know. "

    …

    Finally, they all began to laugh at Alice.

——From Alice in Wonderland

    Kaitlin Riffle's dream of ending poverty (贫困) started when she was visiting her father, who worked for the homeless.

    "I never realized there were people in the world who didn't have a house or food before," said Kaitlin, who is now seventeen. "I knew there was something I had to do about that.

    At age eight, she started raising money to build a playground. "It took me two years," Kaitlin said. "We started small. We wanted to do something to make a difference. "

    In 2014, when Kaitlin was thirteen, she visited Central America, and saw people going hungry and families living in houses made of cardboard. That year, she set up Kids on a Mission, which has helped hundreds of people there.

    "The rooms were smaller than my bedroom, but there would be eight people living in each one," Kaitlin said. "We also got to see the dirty rivers that those people were drinking out of."

    Providing clean drinking water, food and clothes for people living in poverty is now an important task for Kids on a Mission. "This young lady is changing the hearts of people, and also changing the world,"" said the headmaster of Kaitlin's school.