When I was in Primary school, our class decided to make “May Day baskets” for our mothers anonymously (匿名). For days, we worked on creating paper baskets, following a magic design shared by our teacher Miss Cosmos.

We finished right on time. Miss Cosmos brought some bright flowers for us to fill our baskets with. We had to wait until the day was nearly over. When the bell rang, we picked our schoolbags, carefully held our offerings of love and ran back home!

I was so excited! I ran as fast as I could down the hill and across the street. After arrival, when deciding to hang the basket lovingly on our door, I was surprised that my flowers were gone! There was only an empty basket! I stood in front of the door and began to cry.

Soon, my mom came to the door to discover the source of the sadness. While she helped me off with my coat and school things, I tried to talk about my terrible situation. As she listened, she wiped (擦拭) my face and touched my hair with the other hand. I fell weakly into her arms.

Then Mom did what I would never forget. She took a knife from the kitchen and my poor little empty basket from the table. We went to our garden where there were some beautiful flowers. She cut one, placed it in my basket, handed me the knife, and then went to the house to prepare dinner. Slowly, as I cut the flowers and arranged them in my paper basket, my gift was ready to be offered. Suddenly, I realized the surprise, so important to my deed, was now totally gone. But at least, I had my May Day basket with flowers.

I hung the basket on our door, knocked, and hid.

2 . As seabird biologist Bonnie Slaton slides off a small boat and walks through high water, the brown pelicans (鹈鹕) spread their wings overhead until she reaches Raccoon Island. The narrow island is a small piece of land separating the American state of Louisiana from the Gulf of Mexico. During the seabird breeding (繁殖) season, the placer, one of the few remaining places of safety for the pelicans, is full of noise.

Twelve years ago, there were 15 low-lying islands with breeding areas for Louisiana’s state bird. However, today, only about six islands in southeastern Louisiana have brown pelican nests and the rest have disappeared underwater.

Slaton and other scientists set u cameras to observe pelican nests on the island. The cameras show that in recent years the pelicans have faced some natural disasters. The main killer of them is flooding, which can wash away all the nests, as happened in April 2021. The disappearing islands are the location of a story of successful conservation. For many years, scientists have worked to bring the pelicans beck from tally dying off.

Mike Carloss is a state wildlife biologist in Louisiana. He said he never saw brown pelicans as a child in the 1960s. Their populations had been killed by the use of DDT, a kind of farm chemical. It thinned eggshells and prevented pelicans from giving birth to young birds. The beloved birds were completely gone from Louisiana, only appearing on the state flag. But a long-running effort to save them led to the birds’ return. After DDT was stopped in the U.S. in 1972, biologists brought young pelicans from nearby Florida to let them inhabit empty islands across the Gull of Mexico again. More than 1,200 pelicans have been set free in southeastern Louisiana over 13 years.

The brown pelicans can live more than 20 years. So, the final effect of disappearing breeding areas is uncertain and it will sill take time to become clear. And the future for pelicans is uncertain on the islands.

As Christmas was coming, girls were seen huddling (聚集) in the classroom and cheerfully whispering about what gifts to give to their friends. Giving and sharing is always the topic at this time of year. Everyone's face glowed with hope, expecting surprises. At lunchtime, Lisa and her friend Jasmine were talking about where they were going to spend the holiday. Jasmine blurted out, "Lisa, I've got a great idea. When I comeback from New York, I am going to bring you the best chocolate in the world." Lisa was greatly moved but embarrassed, "Um, I will just stay at home because my family cannot afford to go anywhere. But I promise I will give you the best gift I have ever had."

Lisa went back home for Christmas and told her mother about the talk with her best friend at school. "But I can't give you extra money because the Christmas food has already cost us a lot. You can buy a gift with the coins in your piggy bank," Mom suggested. Lisa thought it was a great idea and went to a gift shop and bought a pair of gloves with roses and golden silk with all the money she had. She had never worn such beautiful gloves. All she had was a pair of old ones knitted by her mother. She admired the glistening new gloves with smiley eyes, believing Jasmine would be very happy when she handed them to her.

When the holiday was over, Lisa happily went back to school and waited at the table for Jasmine to join her for lunch.

A few minutes later, Jasmine walked towards her with nothing in her hands.