Do you enjoy walking? If your answer is “Yes”, please join us for our walk for charity. Starting in Central Park, you and your friends can choose to walk for 10, 20 or 30 kilometers. Please read the information below carefully.

The elderly people in care homes in London are given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely. The project was started by a local charity. It also helps them to be healthier. Workers in care homes have reported old people use less medicine after hens are in use.

Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said, “I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school. I like the project a lot. I am waiting there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and waiting there again at night to see they’ve gone to bed. It’s good to have a different interest. People have been bringing their children to see the hens and they come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and I feel great to have a sense of achievement*.”

There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given money to start it all over the country. Wendy Wilson, a care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said, “Elderly people really welcome the idea of the project and the creative way. We are looking forward to the good result and the fun the project can bring to people here.” Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said, “we are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect old people through a shared interest and creative activities.”

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her few times. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

“What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked. My mother is the type of woman who thinks that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,” I answered. “Just the two of us.”

She thought about it for a moment, and agreed.

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous.

When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. “I told my friends I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

We went to a nice and comfortable restaurant. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. During the dinner, we had an enjoyable conversation. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a serious heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have time to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received a note with a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. The note said:

“I have paid this bill. I wasn’t sure that I could be there. I paid for two plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ‘I LOVE YOU!’ and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family.

Sammie learned about Buddy Benches from a video at the age of eight. It showed how these benches were used on the playground in schools. “To stop feeling lonely sometimes, a student can choose to sit on the bench if he     37     (经受) a lot. Another person can come up to him and invite him to play,” explained Sammie. Sammie thought it was     38     (必要) for her school to use a Buddy Bench, so she and her mom made a     39     (决定) to have a meeting with the head teacher. With the teachers’ support Sammie then created a cartoon to show how a Buddy Bench worked. She and her mom posted it on social media to ask friends,     40     (邻居) and families to save caps.

As words     41     (传播), collecting bins began to fill up both at school and around the community. People     42     (在国外) even shipped their caps to Sammie. In just two months, she collected more than 1,200 pounds—enough to make three Buddy Benches! After reaching her goal, Sammie set a new one—“Buddy Benches everywhere”!

    43     (无论什么) she does, she never gives up! So far, she has provided schools and organizations with 100 benches. She also plans to make videos to encourage others to start their own projects. That’s an     44     (惊人的) thing!

What she did made a lot of     45     (意义) to others. People took     46     (骄傲) in her. “You are not an adult, but you can still make a difference,” says Sammie, “it all starts with you. Don’t stop. You’ll get there, one cap at a time.

57. 假如你是李明，你是校英语报《成长的烦恼》栏目的编辑，最近你收到九年级读者Sally的一封邮件，她在邮件中讲述了她在新学校的情况。请你给Sally回一封邮件，针对邮件中的问题，提些合理的建议。

It’s great to hear from you. I’m sorry to know that _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you have a great time in your new school.

Yours,

Li Ming