Last Thursday, I traveled on the 8:00 a.m. train from Glasgow to London King's Cross and I was quite angry with the service of your company.

The train didn't come on time and it was forty minutes late when it left Glasgow. A man at the station said sorry to us, but he didn't give us any reasons for the delay(误点). We then had further delays on the way and had to wait another thirty minutes. As a result, I missed my plane from London to Frankfurt and had to wait for several hours.

What's more, the service on the train was also very poor. The trip took more than five hours. Unluckily, we could buy nothing but some soft drinks on the train. Worst of all, something was wrong with the air conditioning(空调系统) and it got hotter and hotter in the train. Before we reached King's Cross, the temperature was over 40℃.

Because of your poor service, I feel you should pay me compensation(赔偿).

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

David Roberson

It’s the Chinese New Year today. Grace gets a red packet from her grandma. That’s her favorite part of the festival. She gets four dollars and goes shopping in Chinatown (唐人街).

There are lots of interesting things in the streets—lion dances and nice food. Then Grace sees an old man. The man sleeps in the street. He doesn’t wear shoes. “He doesn’t have a home. What a poor man!” she thinks.

At a toy (玩具) store, Grace wants to buy a toy Monkey King. But it’s six dollars. Grace wants to go back home and get more money. On the way, she sees the old man again. “Why not give (给) the four dollars to him? He can use the lucky money to buy some hot food and drinks,” she thinks.

She gives the money to the old man and goes back home. Her grandma knows her story and gives her a big hug (拥抱). What a nice girl!

Strawberries look nice, but a light pressure can make them out of shape. Nowadays, there are many young people who are just like strawberries. They easily break down when they face difficulties. They don’t know what to do when they are in trouble. They have a common name—strawberry kids.

Why are many students so easy to break down? Parents and schools are a main reason. Parents do almost everything for them in their daily life, while schools care more about their grades instead of developing their personality (个性).

Liu Yue, 13, is from Fujian. His mum hardly criticizes (批评) him and he always feels good about himself. When a teacher criticized him strictly, he felt surprised and sad. He began to doubt (怀疑) his ability.

Students should do something to make themselves mentally (精神上) strong. An expert said, “When you are in trouble, don’t ask for help too quickly. You should try to deal with problems first by yourself. I also advise you to take an active part in sports and social activities. That can make you mentally strong.”

Growing up is not just a happy process (过程). Pains also go along with it. The most important thing is to face the pains bravely and learn from them.

Tom and Fred are talking about the year 2050. “What will our world be like in the year 2050?” “I don’t know,” says Fred. “What do you think?” “Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess.’’ “In the year 2050 everyone will carry a pocket computer. The computer will give people the answers to all their problems.We shall all have telephones in our pockets, too. And we’ll be able to talk to our friends all over the world. Perhaps we’ll be able to see them at the same time.” “A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Perhaps there will be big towns, factories and farms under the sea, too.” “Robots will do most of the work, so people will have more holidays, perhaps they’ll work only two or three days a week. They’ll be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there. I’m looking forward (期待) to the year 2050. I hope to go to the moon! And I hope I’ll be able to live under the sea.” says Fred. “Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish!”