【推荐1】The world will become a better place when we realize that everyone can have bad days and that we care enough and take actions. Rachel Harder, a fourth-grade teacher from Kansas, recognized this, and she found an amazing way to help out both her students and their families.

A few years ago, Rachel attended a trauma (精神创伤) conference. She learned that some police stations worked together with schools. They could let teachers know when their students need help, patience or extra care.

A year after the conference, Rachel had a student with autism who frequently had difficult days. To support the student, Rachel told the student’s mom to simply text her “Handle with Care” to let her know when the student was experiencing difficult time. “When she would text me, I knew that her daughter needed some extra time and a quiet place to get help, not going to the playground for morning announcements (通告) , so that the rest of her daughter’s day went well,” Rachel said.

The simple method was such a success that Rachel decided to send all of her students home with a note for their parents. It explained what the “Handle with Care” system was and how they could make use of it. In no time, the parents began to show their appreciation for Rachel’s unbelievable act of kindness.

But Rachel’s kindness didn’t end with her class. News spread of the amazing system, and teachers across the country began giving it a shot in their own class. Printed materials could be found on the school website, and the feedback (反馈) has been extremely positive!

【推荐2】I first began experiencing depression (抑郁) at the age of 14 .At first depression would come and go, but later it became a continual part of my life.

I was so strongly determined to find the way to overcome my depression that I tried everything from when I was in college, special teas, yoga (瑜伽), and advice given by doctors. However, I still felt I hadn’t even come close to managing the problem.

But one afternoon, I saw an article in a magazine that talked about how dogs were able to help people with depression. The next day, I decided to get a dog—a corgi (柯基犬).

When I bought my little corgi, Buddy, home, I didn’t realize how much he would change my life. One morning, I woke up with those familiar feelings again. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I turned to pull the covers back over my head and give up. That’s when I saw Buddy. He started jumping all over me, licking (舔) my face, letting me know that it was time to go outside. It was as if he were saying, “There’s no time to be sad. The world is amazing!” And for the first time in my life, on a day when my depression were strong, I got out of bed. I put on my winter clothes and went for a walk in the snow with my new friend. I realized at that moment, walking down the street in winter, my life was changing. I really was a new person. This was my new beginning.

It’s been more than a year since that day, and I’ve never spent another morning unable to get out of bed. I’ve not cried myself to sleep or spent my days filled with fear and regret. Sure, I still have days when I feel sad or anxious. But with Buddy by my side, I’ve finally learned how to manage these feelings.

【推荐1】Once upon a time there lived a wise king who wanted to marry off his favorite daughter. He wondered how he could find the right person. The king had an idea. He decided to hold a competition to decide which gentleman would win this great honor. The king announced that anyone who wanted to marry the princess must report to the palace. To win his daughter, a man must fill up a whole room with a light thing very quickly.

The first brave competitor arrived at the palace. His name was Peter. He brought bags full of feathers. With great confidence, he started to fill the large room with feathers, but time ran out and he failed.

The next day, another young man whose name was Bob tried to quickly fill the room, this time with beautiful silk. Time ran out again, and he left the palace disappointed.

The competition went on day after day. Hundreds of competitors hoped to pass the test but no one succeeded. The king began to feel hopeless. Wasn’t anyone in the kingdom qualified to marry the beautiful princess?

One day, a young man called Mike arrived at the palace empty-handed. The king wondered how this man planned to win the competition. Entering the room, the young man put out the lights. He reached into his pocket, got a small candle and lit it. In no time, the light filled the whole room.

The king was very happy because he had found the perfect match for his lovely daughter.

【推荐2】My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of clothes that wouldn't fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautiful when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn't get any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.

Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static (静电) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial (商业广告), a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it, I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this method would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles shaking my set.

When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my fist, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the set is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble.