About a month ago, my husband and I found kindness in an unlikely place: standing in line at a Subway sandwich shop to pick up a quick dinner.

It was extremely busy on this particular night, and I noticed a dad behind us with his little girl, who looked to be around four. The man seemed as tired as my husband, but the little girl was cheerful and excited as she waited for her sandwich and cookie.

I watched as the man behind us got closer to the front of the line. He started to look worried. Right before we checked out, I heard the man say to the woman who had made his sandwiches that he was sorry to just leave his out because he didn’t have enough money to pay for them all. He looked very embarrassed. His little girl continued jumping around excitedly.

I quietly asked the cashier to add the man’s whole order to ours. I paid the $ 87.73, and we got out of there before the man behind us knew what had happened.

Like many others since COVID-19 hit, our family of five was living on one income. I was holding our debit card (借记卡) and knew that we only had $ 90.16 in our account. That was all we would have until payday three days later. But still, it felt great to be able to help that family, even though we would be out of money for a few days.

What happened next was amazing. My husband went back to that Subway the next week to pick up five sandwiches that I thought would cost $ 44.58. There was $ 47 in our account.

But it turned out that the dinner cost more than we had on the card. My husband told them to put his sandwich back because he couldn’t afford it. Then he paid for the four sandwiches and headed to our car.

As he opened the door, one of the female workers ran to him.

The two men nodded at one another and went on their way.

It is a special cross-country race. The competitors’ vehicles are made     1     fruits and vegetables like carrots, eggplants, grapefruits, pumpkins and oranges. They are the creations of pupils from the Shanghai World Foreign Language Primary School.

According to Chen You, the science class teacher,     2     (base) knowledge had been taught within 6 classes to students before they drew sketches and     3     (choose) vegetables to make a food car.

Although students were encouraged     4     (design) their cars together with parents, all the cars should be made in the class. After     5     (bring) piles of ingredients as well as tools the children began their innovation. Some cut the carrot slices to make them round, and some others assembled (组装) their car components together.

In addition to the     6     (compete), students are required to reflect on the     7     (difficulty) they encountered making their vehicles,     8     things they have learned from the activity and the improvements they think the course can make.

    9     touched the teachers most was the unity and friendship among the children. For example, although the contest was fierce (激烈的), students felt     10     (excite) for the champion car as if they themselves had stood out, and when a girl’s car fell apart their friends comforted her and helped reassemble the car.

6 . Best Parks to See Wildlife

A recent report from a vacation site listed the total number of species and sizes of several well-known national parks. Here are some of them to see the widest variety of animals.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Number of species per square meter: 317

Located 20 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a mixed ecosystem of forest and wetlands sheltering a variety of animals. From the boardwalk at Beaver Marsh, watch for water-loving mammals or snapping turtles (鳄龟) that can weigh as much as 55 pounds each. More than 200 bird species live in the park.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Number of species per square meter: 286

The representative for Carlsbad Caverns is the Brazilian free-tailed bat. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of the furry, big-eared creatures live in these caves in southeastern New Mexico, attracting crowds at sunset with their spectacular out flight. The Brazilians are one of the 17 bat species that nest at Carlsbad. You might also encounter wild pigs and cave swallows.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Number of species per square meter: 242

The Atlantic Ocean meets the Maine coast at this popular park on Mount Desert Island, providing habitat for wildlife with feet and flippers (鳍状肢). From the shore, scan the water for the heads of harbor porpoises (鼠海豚) and gray seals.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Number of species per square meter: 219

In western Colorado, the 2, 722 feet between this park s canyon edge and the Gunnison River below support numerous wildlife habitats. Experienced climbers and hikers who adventure into the inner canyon find collared lizards and mule deer.

9 . If you want to improve your relationship with Mom or Dad, try listening to them, just like you would listen to a friend.

Now, it may seem kind of strange to treat your parents as if they were normal people and all, but it’s worth trying. We’re always saying to our parents, “    1    ” But have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you don’t understand them?

They have pressures, too, you know? While you’re worrying about your friends and your upcoming history test, they’re worrying about their bosses and how they’re going to pay for your education. Like you, sometimes they get offended at work and go in the restroom to cry.     2     Your mom may have too much work stress to just sit down and relax at night. Your dad may get laughed at by the neighbours because of the car he drives. They may have unfulfilled dreams they’ve had to sacrifice so that you can reach yours.     3     They laugh, they cry, they get their feelings hurt, and they don’t always get their act together, just like me and you.

    4     First, you’ll gain a greater respect for them. Second, if you take time to understand your parents, you’ll get your way much more often. If they feel that you understand them, they’ll be more willing to listen to you, they’ll be more flexible, and they’ll trust you more.

    5     Start by asking them some questions. When’s the last time you asked your mom or dad, “How was your day today?” or “Tell me what you like and don’t like about your job” or “Is there anything I could do to help around the house?”

10 . This summer has brought extreme heat and droughts to places around the world. The droughts are leading to serious problems, including shortages of food and energy, problems with transportation, and food price increases. The effects of the droughts are likely to be felt for years.

From Africa to Europe to the US to China, record temperatures and low rainfall have been causing problems. Droughts aren’t new, but Earth’s rising temperatures because of global warming are making them much harder to avoid.

The drought in the Horn of Africa may be the most serious situation. For several years, the area has had very little rain during the rainy seasons. Now the area, which includes Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, is suffering from its worst drought in 40 years.

Almost two-thirds of Europe is threatened (威胁) by what may be the worst drought there in 500 years. With temperatures reaching 40℃ and hotter, many crops have been damaged. In France, Spain, Portugal, and even Britain, firefighters have struggled to control wildfires.

In the US, many states that use water from the Colorado River are struggling with low water levels. Farmers in California and Arizona have been hit particularly hard. In California water use is being limited now and farmers aren’t able to grow as many crops. That can drive up food prices, and that affects everyone.

China is facing similar problems. It has been attacked by a terrible drought this summer, with temperatures as high as 45℃. The drought has dried up much of the water in the Yangtze, China’s longest river. That has cut the amount of energy produced by the world’s largest dam by 40%.

There are no easy solutions for any of these droughts. It took years to create the climate crisis, and it will take a long time to get it under control. For now, governments and people will need to carefully manage water supplies and other resources to limit the damage as much as possible.