You may not realize (意识) it, but you are doing much more than just studying when you are at school. School is also the place where you learn to get on well with (相处融洽) people. But this is not always easy. What can you do if you just don’t like one of your classmates?

If you find that you have problems getting on with your classmates or friends, the most important thing to learn is tolerance. Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect (尊敬) the differences in others. We cannot change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.

Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other. Getting to know someone may help you understand why they do things differently. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep a temperate and open mind.

You need to remember an old saying, "Treat others how you want to be treated". If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. Tolerance just means that you should respect differences in others and not try to make them change.

It is important to practise tolerance because it will make everyone’s life easier. Learn to accept (接受) people for their different abilities and interests. The world is very different, and practising tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference.

Mr. Ma, a famous mental (心理的) doctor from Beijing once said at an important meeting, “Now many young students can have many problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people around them like their parents and classmates. Parents and teachers should care more about this problem.”

Then Mr. Ma gave some examples. One patient, a middle school student from Xi’an was doing badly in his lessons. He thought his teachers and friends often laughed at him, and he became so nervous and worried that one night he left his home without telling parents. Another student, a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Shanghai, was very afraid of exams. While she was reading the exam paper, she couldn’t think of anything to write.

A recent report from Jie fang Daily says about 18% of the young students in Shanghai have mental problems. They often feel worried and very unhappy. Unluckily, many of them won’t go and ask for help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others won’t talk about their own secrets (秘密).

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Ma offered some good ideas to young people:

◆Talk to your parents or teachers often.

◆Take part in group activities.

◆Try to get along well with the people around you.

◆Go to see a doctor if you often feel unhappy.

Many people have only seen bacteria(细菌) in biology books. However, a group of middle school students used these chilling microbes(吓人的微生物) to create paintings!

At Taiyuan Lingde Middle School, students used bacteria to paint on culture plates(培养皿). They painted flowers, the Great Wall, pandas and other things.

Wang Da teaches biology. She said: “Students set up the patterns(图案) with bacteria. Then they put them into an incubator(恒温箱) at 37 ℃. After three days, the bacteria grow in the pre-designed patterns.”

“It sounds easy, but it’s not,” said student Li Baohao” When we drew the shapes with the bacteria solution(溶液), we often made mistakes. After many failures, we finally drew our ideal patterns.”

But there was still a pity, said Li. “Different bacteria have different colors, and they grow with different nutrients(营养物质). It’s difficult for us to put them all together on one culture plate, so our patterns ended up in just one color.”

“The project is so fun!” said another student. “It shows us that scientific experiments are not boring. Art and science can work together!”

There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to know the value (价值) of hard work.

One day, he told his son, “Today, I want you to earn (赚) something. If you fail, you won’t have your meal tonight.”

The boy didn’t want to find a job, so he asked his mother for help. She gave him a gold coin. In the evening, when the father asked his son what he had earned, the son showed him the gold coin. The father then asked him to throw it into the well (水井). The son did as he was told.

The father guessed that the gold was from the boy’s mother. The next day, he sent his wife to her parents’ home and asked his son to earn something. Since no one helped him, the son had to go to the market to look for a job. A shopkeeper told him that he would pay him a coin if he carried heavy tools for him. The son did so. As he returned home and gave the coin to his father, he was asked to throw it into the well. The boy cried, “Dad! My body pains (疼痛). I’m tired. How are you asking me to throw my hard-earned coin into a well?”

The businessman smiled. He told his son that one feels pain only when the fruits of labor are wasted (浪费). The son realized the value of hard work. He decided not to be lazy any more.