How are you? I’m doing well. Life in China is great! Everyone here is so friendly and nice. Now I feel so comfortable (舒服的) and relaxed. My students are wonderful and the other teachers are always helpful. Please don’t be worried about me.

My school is very big. I have many students in my class. In Canada or the USA, there are usually only 35 students in a class. And they move (移动) from classroom to classroom for their classes. But in China, the teachers move!

Chinese students work very hard. They usually start school at 8:00 a.m. and finish at 5:00 p.m. Chinese teachers work very hard, too.

I’m so happy to be in China. I am learning a lot here. My students often help me with Chinese culture (文化). It’s so interesting! I visited (参观) the Great Wall last month. Look at my picture.

Wo ai Zhongguo!

I miss you so much!

Jane

Pat never did homework. “Too boring”, he said. He played baseball, basketball and computer games instead. His teachers told him, “Pat! Do your homework or you won’t learn a thing.” And it’s true. Sometimes he did feel like a fool.

But what could he do? He hated homework.

One day, Pat’s cat was playing with a little doll and he grabbed it away. To his surprise, it wasn’t a doll at all, but a little elf. He yelled, “Save me! Don’t give me back to that cat. I’ll make your wish come true. I promise you that.”

Pat couldn’t believe how lucky he was! Here was the answer to all of his problems. So he said, “Only if you do all my homework till the end of the term, that’s 35 days. If you do a good enough job, I could even get A’s.”

The little elf kicked his legs and said, “Oh, I hate that, but I’ll do it.”

And true to his word, that little elf began to do Pat’s homework except that there was one problem. The elf didn’t always know what to do and he needed help. “Help me! Help me!” he’d say. And Pat would have to help—in whatever way.

“I don’t know this word,” the elf said while reading Pat’s homework. “Get me a dictionary. Look up the word and sound it out by each letter.”

When it came to math, Pat was out of luck. “What are times tables?” the elf asked. “We elves never need that. Here, sit down beside me, you simply must guide me.”

As a matter of fact, every day in every way that little elf was asking for Pat’s help! Pat was working harder than ever! He was staying up nights! He had never felt so tired.

Finally, the last day of school arrived and the elf was free to go. As for homework, there was no more, so he quietly slipped out the back door.

Pat got his A’s. His classmates were amazed, his teachers smiled and were full of praise. And his parents? They wondered what had happened to Pat. He was now the model kid. He cleaned his room and was cheerful and never rude, like he had developed a whole new attitude.

Long-distance bicycle camping is one of the most pleasant activities I have ever experienced. I usually sleep poorly at night, but in the woods on a tour I sleep like a baby, falling asleep with the music of insects. In the morning I am waken by birds, I eat a snack before getting up and pack my sleeping bag, air mattress(垫), tent and other things and then get on with my ride. I ride more slowly in the morning. Then I can stop anywhere, such as grasslands, lakes, woods and places of interest. I can enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Near lunch I find a small grocery and buy some bread, sandwiches and fruit. Then I will find a town park or other places to wait out the mid-day sun. In the afternoon, I ride more quickly and spend less time on spots. In the late afternoon I start riding more slowly and thinking about where to stop. I finally find a place in the early evening, cook a simple meal and have a rest. As it starts to get dark, I put up my tent and fall asleep.

There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places is always exciting to me. Along the way, I meet and talk with interesting people, sometimes other travelling cyclists. Enjoying beautiful views, meeting wild animals and travelling up and down hills also stir me up. On the other hand, I may rush into a rainy or hot day. I have to repair my bike or just find myself in a bad mood. But the problems are easy to deal with. I’ll never forget my pleasures.

【推荐1】Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28^th. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people still remember and respect（尊重）him for his contribution（贡献）to the education today.

Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn't give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children fromnoblefamilies could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.

Today, people still follow Confucius' lessons. He told us that we all have something important to be learned. "When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities（品质）and follow them."

He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. "All study but no thinking makes people puzzled（困惑的）．All thinking but no study makes people lazy."

Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners." A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others." he said.

【推荐2】Look around when you're on a subway.What's the most popular time—killing activity? In China, many people play on their cell phones.But in other countries, many people enjoy reading.Chinese people read an average（平均）of 4.5 books one year, according to a recent surycy.While a US citizen reads 21a yeaar and a Japanese reads 17, according to UNESCO（联合国教科文组织）.

Reading books builds a bridge between our life and the unknown world.In many foreign countries, people read at any time.Even backpackers enjoy reading books when they're on a break at the beach, or relaxing from a hike.

In most US middle schools, teachers give students a reading list every few weeks.Most books are easy reads like youth novels.Some school then hold competitions by asking students details（细节）of a book.

Good reading habits lead you to a lifelong love of books.

In order to encourage people to read more, China's planning to foster（鼓励）the habit of reading in its law.Although this has both good and bad sides, it can be seen as a way to develop one's reading habits.What can we do to foster good reading habits?

●Read in short periods.Ten minutes on the way to and from school, 10 minutes waiting for friends, 15 minutes before going to sleep.That totals 45 minutes per day, about five hours per week.

●Make your own reading list.Your list can be the best—selling books on famous website like The New York Times or Dangdang.com, or books your teacher recommends（推荐）.

●Talk about your reading with your family or friends.

Xia Boyu, 70, is the first Chinese double amputee(被截肢者) to have reached the top of Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, Du Juan reports.

On May 14, 2018, Xia, who is the same age as the People's Republic of China, made his dream come true by reaching the top of Qomolangma(Mount Everest) seven days after leaving Base Camp on the Nepal side of the mountain.

Success didn't come easy. He had failed to reach the 8,844-meter peak four times before becoming one of the few double amputees to reach the top of the world.

The first climb by a Chinese team to the peak of Qomolangma was in 1960. Xia, who was born in Chongqing in 1949, was chosen by the Chinese mountaineering team in 1974. In 1975, the second mountaineering team set off. All the teammates finally reached the top, but Xia suffered bad frostbite(冻伤) in his legs, which had to be amputated at the knees.

"It's beyond imagination how difficult it was to accept the fact that I would suddenly become a disabled person." Xia recalls. "I could not imagine a fixture of sitting in a wheelchair, perhaps forever?"

When a doctor told him that with artificial limbs(义肢) he could live a normal life like anyone else, and he would even be able to do a lot of physical exercise, his hopes rose and he made up his mind to climb Qomolangma again.

To prepare for his fifth attempt(尝试) on Qomolangma, every day he got up at five in the morning and completed 90 minutes of strength training at home. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he would ride a bike to Fragrant Hills, 30 kilometers from his home, walk to the top and then ride back home. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, he completed 10 km of speed walking.

"Without targets, people lose direction," Xia says. "So I will keep climbing and contributing in more ways to society."