Today is the beginning of the next stage in your life. We head off to your new home at Stanford. Where do I start in telling you how proud I feel to be called Mummy by you? We've laughed at how you burst into this world with a scowl on your face, how determined you have always been right from feeding yourself to making big decisions for your life. There were days during your illness that I wasn't sure you had the will to make it. Telling you that you needed to want to get better was the hardest and yet the greatest day. From that day you took responsibility and decided you wanted to beat anorexia (厌食症).

I don't think I've ever felt so proud of you as when you came home to say that you wanted to go to West Africa between school and university. You chose to go alone, and to raise the money yourself.You have such strength of character and determination. It is at times hard to believe that you are only 18. You experienced something in that month that few dare experience in a lifetime.

So, Viv, here are my words of wisdom to you as you start your next big adventure. The world is a beautiful place but often a few things can make it seem difficult. God's temple is made of love. It's man's temple that is built of stones. Open your heart to goodness and never ever let negative people or thoughts take hold of you. As Minor Myers put it, “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”

It is true that with every passing day, I will grow older and weaker. A day may come when I will become forgetful. But even then, you with your bright smile, will light up my heart.

Your

Alo

【推荐2】Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited (心胸狭窄的) at times, loving them is a normal part of life.     1     Here are some ways to love your parents.

Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world.     2    

Respect them more and value the moments with them. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you’re off on your own. It’s OK to get angry but angry actions don’t help you or your parents.     3     After this, share your feelings with your parents.

Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem as if you are going through hell when you don’t get what you want. However, you should remember it is your parents who love you and protect you.     4     Forgiveness is the key. Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

    5     Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.

【推荐3】John Reid lost his son Dakota following a deadly car crash last year. The 16-year-old had been a passenger in a car when it was struck by another vehicle and John took the decision to donate his son’s organs to help save others.

Dakota's family had no idea where his organs would be going, but recently a box turned up at their door addressed to John. Opening it, John discovered a toy bear sent from a man named Robert who had received his son's heart, with a note reading, “I would have preferred to give this to you in person, but not sure when that would happen.”

The bear was dressed in a “Best Dad Ever” T-shirt and John pressed the bear's paw to hear the tear-jerking(催人泪下的) audio recording, his son's heart beating inside the man he had saved, John's wife Stephanie recorded the moving moment the dad was left in tears by the unbelievable gesture, sharing the video on a social platform with the caption: “The gentleman who received Dakota's heart sent John a bear with Dakota’s heartbeat, Thank you!”

Robert wasn't the only person the Virginia family’s selfless decision helped, John said he had also been contacted by a farmer who received his son's kidney, and a 21-year-old man who can now see thanks to Dakota’s eyes.

“When I got the bear, my heart was filled with joy. I did not expect any of this,” John said. “Thanks to Bob, I can listen to his heartbeat again,” John hopes the moving video helps spread the word of the importance of organ donation, adding: “It was so comforting and satisfying to know he lives on. It has helped us so much to know he helped save lives. It is the best cure and comfort I could ever ask for.”

【推荐1】I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled(贴标签)everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, "Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!" Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it.

From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled(爬)under her covers, sobbing.

Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't noticed Kate had sat up.

She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me "Thanks."

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together, giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

【推荐2】Wearing a protective suit, Jiang Aiqin waited for the arrival of the garbage trucks.

She was about to start her voluntary work: garbage classification. But once she’d been working for a while, the 17-year-old of Chongqing Nankai Middle School realized that sorting out garbage by hand is a torturous(折磨人的) and time-consuming process.

From the 2,000 replies to an online questionnaire she designed, Jiang found that only half of the residents were able to sort out their garbage and many blamed their difficulties on the poor classification system.

Jiang wondered what she could do to help out with the problem. It was her mother that gave her the hint: She suggested that Jiang introduce artificial intelligence(人工智能) into garbage classification.

Inspiration struck, leading her to design a new app.

When users come to the front of a bin, they describe the garbage on their smartphones and create a QR code sticker(二维码标签). Using a machine beside the dustbin, they scan the code, which then tells them the correct bin to use.

With the app, you can track(追踪) the progress of your trash. “It would save residents troubles and inform them about garbage classification,” said Jiang. “As the method spread from household to household, the efficient disposal of garbage in cities would be established.”

Although the teenager had a blueprint in mind, she didn’t know how to program an app. To this end, Jiang visited an environmental protection company for help. She told the company about her app idea, and as a result won recognition for her innovation(发明) from the company’s experts.

Finally, Jiang did a further duty as a citizen: She wrote to local government about her idea. Replying, the government told her that “The design is creative and workable” and that “a clean environment needs the help of citizens like you.”

【推荐3】In the winter of 1664-65, a bitter cold fell on London in the days before Christmas. Above the city, an unusually bright comet (彗星) shot across the sky, exciting much prediction of a snow storm. Outside the city wall, a woman was announced dead of a disease that was spreading in that area. Her house was locked up and the phrase “Lord Have Mercy On Us” was painted on the door in red.

By the following Christmas, the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London — almost a third of those who did not flee.

In The Great Plague (瘟疫), historian A．Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C．Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year. Reading the book, readers are taken from the palaces of the city’s wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living, and to the surrounding countryside with those who fled. The Mootes point out that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not fall into chaos. Doctors, nurses and the church staff remained in the city to care for the sick; city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools; and commerce continued even as businesses shut down.

To describe life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals. Through their letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical, religious, and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources supporting those who remained. Based on humanity (人性), the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants attacked by — and daringly resisting — unimaginable horror.