1 . Teachers work hard to care equally about each of the students they teach. For most of us, however, some students stand out because they have greatly influenced our lives. Years ago, I had a young boy named Juan in my first-year class who I will never forget. Our experiences together impressed upon me the huge influence that just a few minutes of kindness can have on a young life.

Juan came from a very poor, single parent home. His mother showed little interest in his education and in his life in general. Throughout the year, I noticed that Juan had an unusual ability to solve questions and he picked up new ideas fast. I was surprised when he approached me to tell me that he did not think he was smart enough to attend college.

I explained to Juan that he was one of my best students. His face lit up with excitement, and he looked at me delightedly. I went on to explain to him that he could apply for scholarships (奖学金) to pay for college. I continued by telling Juan that it would be a waste of talent if he did not go to college. Juan looked as though he would need to re-think his whole life. It was not surprising that he was finally awarded enough scholarship that he was able to attend the local university.

My love for my students and for the subject I teach has continued to grow over the years. I consider myself lucky to be a teacher, and to have been a part of so many young lives, hopes, and dreams! I may not drive the nicest car on the block, but I am very rich in the things that count the most.

2 . Benefits of Keeping a Budget (预算)

A budget allows you to spend money on things you really need or want.

A budget requires you to keep track of your expenses. You see where your money actually goes and plan where to cut back on spending. The money you used to spend daily on little things like coffee or taxis can go toward something more important.

A budget can keep you out of debt.

With a budget, you know whether or not you’re living within your means. If you use credit cards, this may not be obvious. You might have extra cash at the end of each month and think that you’re OK. But, if you’re not paying your credit card bills in full, you’re probably living beyond your means.

A budget can make you better prepared for emergencies (紧急情况).

A budge requires you to put your money away in savings. So, if you find yourself in a difficult situation or faced with unexpected expenses, you’ll have some extra money you can fall back on.

A budget gives you peace of mind.

Because it allows you to stop worrying about how you’re going to make ends meet.

One of the reasons     1     Tanghulu’s (糖葫芦) recent popularity is the social media trend among South Korean millennials of posting videos feathering the treat     2     (eat) and how to make Tanghulu on Instagram, Facebook and Kakao Story. Sold by the stick, the dessert-to-go tastes great and     3     (look) greater.

A Chongqing-born international student studying in the UK     4     (recent) entranced the public by sharing traditional Chinese candied haws,     5     (know) as “糖葫芦” (Sugar-coated haws), on the streets of Edinburgh. The accompanying video swiftly won widespread praise on social media. In the video, dressed in     6     (tradition) Chinese clothes known as Hanfu, the student offered her homemade candied haws to passersby. She not only introduced them to the snack’s preparation and various flavors but also excited curiosity     7     delight among the foreign onlookers.

Upon coming across the candied haws, one British girl excitedly cried “Tanghulu” in fear, much to the student’s joy. The student quickly     8     (offer) the treat to the child, who eagerly expressed a desire     9     (taste) it, having seen the sweet treat in Chinese TV series.

Another child, born in the UK, was unexpectedly nicknamed “Tanghulu”, despite never having visited China. At that moment, he discovered     10     origin of his name and enjoyed the flavor of the traditional Chinese snack.

8 . Third grade was the worst year ever. My parents split up that year, and my dad moved out. I know that every divorce is different, and I’m told that not all of them are as painful as ours was. Ours was cruel.

There were other difficult things happening, too. I was epileptic and had a brain tumor. So I had to leave he classroom sometimes, to go to the nurse’s office to take pills or to head to the hospital for blood work, an EEG, or a CAT scan. Not fun.

And I turned, as kids often do, to books. Books were doorways out of my cold house, to imagined ands, full of magical creatures and wishes-come-true. I read from sunup to sundown. I read at breakfast, and I read late into the night. I devoured books.

Originally, in that terrible year, I sought out books that distracted me from my pain. I loved Half Magic; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Mary Poppins, books where regular kids encountered magic in the world around them. I was eager for something unexpected to happen and radically alter my world, so those books were many of my favorites. But they were not my only favorites.

The other books I loved were the books that made me cry. My brain is still full of so many perfect painful moments. Beth, dying in Little Women. I read Oscar Wilde stories in which all hearts were broken. The Nightingale, dead from love.

I’ve thought a lot about why these books mattered so much. And I think it was because I was very alone in my sadness. Lonely, I sought company, the best way I could. Books were company. And though Half Magic was one kind of company, a distracting, cheerful friend — that wasn’t enough.

So sometimes you need a friend who is also struggling, a friend who is sad in the very way that you are sad, and so makes you feel normal. For me, sad books were that friend. After a sad book, I slept easier.

9 . The Ouray Ice Park sits at the mouth of a narrow box canyon sculpted by the Uncompahgre River. As we picked our way up the canyon, Davis, operations manager at the park, pointed out the various projects his staff were rushing to complete before opening day. There was signage to build, a new bridge to check, and of course, lots of ice to grow.

He showed. me the lines of water pipes and sprinklers (洒水器) located along the cliff edge. There are more than 200 of these sprinklers, which spray water directly onto the rock, creating walls of ice containing 100-plus climbs. Starting in November when the temperature drops, the ice farmers wet the rock with water to cool it, essentially building a canvas for the waterfalls. They use existing features on the rock to grow a variety of routes for all skill levels. Though the job involves much labour in freezing weather, Davis described growing ice as a kind of art form. If half an ice farmer’s job is creation, the other half is upkeep. Exposed water pipes in the mountains are easy to freeze and break and it is up to those farmers to fix them.

This winter has been unusually warm and temperatures, even in December, were not cold enough to make sufficient ice. It even rained a day before the park was set to open, destroying 30% of the ice farmers’ efforts. “Winter climate is less certain due to the warming of our planet,” said Heidi Steltzer, a professor of environment and sustainability. “Human-made ice may not be possible every year, but in years when it is, the ice park offers joy, a gathering place and opportunities of earning money to sustain rural mountain life.”