As I was leaving to meet Lynne, my roommate told me that I'd better take some money. But I didn't listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me. I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I'd been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of restaurant and a waitress came and took our order.

    The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours, the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said, “Oh! I forgot my wallet! Can I call my roommate, please?” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate. In a few minutes, he arrived with some money, but he couldn't hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home. Now, I think it's funny too, but at that time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner in the United States meant the same thing as that in China. I guess you have to understand that your customs are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country, you have to learn about their customs, too.

D

    "My dear lady," says Holmes. "You're shivering. Are you cold? Do you want a cup of hot tea?"

    "I'm not cold," the woman replies, "I fear for my life!"

    "We are here to help you. Don't worry about anything. I don't know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车)."

    "Why, yes. You're right. But how do you know these things?"

    "I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem."

    "My name is Helen Stoner," she states, "My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother's money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages."

    Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen's story. He hears every detail(细节).

    Helen continues. "My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him."

    "He has no friends at all?" asks Holmes.

    "No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now."

    "Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?"

    "My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room."

    You may have heard of people who are allergic (过敏) to seafood, smoke or pets. But did you know that some people were allergic to Wi-Fi signals(信号)?

    Rose White, a 44-year-old woman from Britain, first found herself being allergic to Wi-Fi signals in 2015. She had a cough, heart trouble and great pains in her head when she stayed at the places covered with Wi-Fi signals.

    Rose has tried many ways to keep away from Wi-Fi signals. In the past six months, she either slept in her car or in tent which she had put up in the woodland and in the fields. She even tried sleeping in a shed(棚子). Being completely tired, Rose had no choice but to quit her job and moved 370 kilometers away from her home to avoid Wi-Fi signals, but failed. Because of the hard life, she got a stomach problem.

    She is now living in a small house in the rural (乡下的) area in England. There is far fewer Wi-Fi signals. However, the house, which belongs to her friend, will be sold to others, so she has to move again soon.

    Rose is planning to move to a more rural area. She is also planning to buy a camper van (野营车) so that she can drive away from Wi-Fi signals whenever she is feeling uncomfortable. As she can not work to make money, she has to raise money online. She is hoping to raise 15, 000 pounds. So far, she has raised over 1, 600 pounds. She still has a long way to go.

    Perhaps the only test score that I remember is the 55 I got when I was in high school.

    The test was the last one of the term. I remember waiting nervously as my teacher Mr. Right gave out our papers one after another. It was a rather difficult test. I heard my classmates groaning(叹息),and I could guess by the groans that the scores were not looking good.

    Mr Right put my paper on my desk. There in big red numbers, circled to catch attention, was my score, 55! I let my head go down, and covered the score up quickly. A 55 is not something that you wanted your classmates to see. "The scores were not very good, none of you passed," Mr Right said. "The highest score in the class was a 55."

    A 55. That's me! Suddenly I didn't feel so bad. I had the highest score. I was getting a little better.

    I walked home alone that day with the low but high score. My mother knew that I had a big test that day and asked me as soon as I got home, "How did you do in your test? ""I got 55, "I said. A frown (皱眉) appeared on my mother's face I knew I had to explain at once. "But Mum, I had the highest score in the class," I said proudly. "You failed, Dave!" my mother replied. "But it's the highest!" I insisted (坚持). "I don't care what scores others had, you failed. The important thing is what you do!" my mother said in a strong way.

    For years, my mother was always in that way. She didn't care what others did, only cared what I did and that I did it excellently. My mother's words have made a big difference to my life.

    Today is Sunday. It's fine today. Jenny goes to the zoo with her mother. They can see many animals. There are tigers, lions, pandas, snakes and other animals. Look! The pandas are over there. They're from Sichuan, China. Look at the baby panda! It's climbing the tree. How cute it is!

    Next, they go to see the lions. The lions are so strong. Their mouths are too big. The tigers are next to them. They are from Asia. They are yellow and black. At last, Jenny and her mother go to see the monkeys. Some are climbing mountains, and some are eating bananas. The monkey is Jenny's favourite animal. It's so fun!

    Jenny sees a lot of animals at the zoo and she is so happy today!