1 . On a busy Saturday, I was at the mall with my mom. The mall was alive with the chatter of people and the sound of music. Everywhere I looked, there were people dressed in nice clothes, laughing and chatting with their friends.

My mom, on the other hand, wore a simple dress and old shoes. Her clothes looked worn out compared to the others’. As we walked past store windows, I couldn’t help but notice the difference. I saw young girls in bright dresses and boys in tidy shirts. They looked so modern and confident.

Feeling a bit out of place, I tried to pull my mom towards less crowded areas. I didn’t want anyone to notice us or, more specifically, notice her. It wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of my mom. I just felt she deserved better.

As we walked around, we entered a store with beautiful clothes. The fabrics (面料) felt soft, and the designs were fashionable. My mom’s eyes lit up when she saw a lovely sweater. “This would look great on you,” she said with a smile.

I checked the price tag and was shocked. It was much too expensive for us. I knew my mom worked hard to make ends meet. Every penny was made use of in our life. Yet, here she was, willing to spend on a sweater for me.

Looking at her, I realized something. My mom might not have the beautiful clothes or the latest accessories (配饰), but she had a heart of gold. She always put me first, even if it meant giving up her own wants.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of warmth. I hugged her tightly. “Mom, I don’t need the sweater. I just need you,” I whispered. She smiled, “I know, dear. But it’s nice to have dreams sometimes, right?” We left the store, hand in hand, feeling wealthier than ever.

2 . When you get older your parents let you stay up later. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. Tired people intend (倾向) to be unhappy ones, and their schoolwork suffers, says a recent study by the US National Sleep Foundation.

“If you don’t get enough sleep at night, you tend to sleep in school. If you’re asleep, you don’t learn anything,” says Mary Carskadon, an American sleep researcher.

Sleep is important because it gives our bodies time to recover from the stress of living. Studies show that adults who sleep less than six hours a night tend to have more heart problems. They die sooner than adults who sleep seven to eight hours a night.

How much sleep do you need? That depends on how old you are. Babies spend most of the day asleep. By the time they’re 10 years old, they need an average (平均 ) of 10 hours a night. As they get older, they tend to sleep less. And the Sleep Foundation says that teenagers need 8. 5 to nine hours. But in experiments where young teens are allowed to sleep as long as they want, they tend to choose to sleep an average of 10 hours.

However, it does seem difficult for kids to get the sleep they need, given the demands (要求) made on them by education. Some schools start as early as 7 am. Some schools have late classes or self-study sessions (时段) that end as late as 10 pm.

You have to study, but here are some tips that should help you feel less tired.

Watch less television. Go to bed just 30 minutes earlier each school night, and you’ll gain two hours and a half of sleep a week.

Cutting out caffeine (咖啡因) also helps. Soda, tea and coffee help you stay wake, but they can make it harder to fall asleep.

Before you go to bed, turn off any electrical devices (电子设备) as these can make it more difficult to get to sleep.

So, switch off the TV, computer and the lights. Oh, yes, and sweet dreams!

4 . Growing up in the small town of Palmerston, Ontario, I had a dream: to work in television. However, it sounded like a dream that could never come true.

Thankfully, my parents had raised me to have a lot of confidence. With their help and encouragement, I applied to the radio and television arts program at Ryerson in Toronto. After graduating, I worked for Bell Canada for a while, writing and producing commercials. I soon decided, however, that what I really wanted was to be on camera.

I went to the CBC and CTV and applied for a job. They both turned me down because I didn’t have any experience. Luckily, Global Television had just started broadcasting in Canada that year. I found out the president was named Mr. Slaight and called him. I said, “I’ve heard that your studio facilities are amazing. I could come at eleven o’clock on Tuesday or eleven o’clock on Wednesday for a tour. What would suit you better?” He stuttered a bit, then picked a day. When I hung up, I was scared but ecstatic.

On the appointed day, I arrived at the studio. When we sat down, he looked at me and said, “What do you want?” He sounded a little angry and frustrated — but very curious. “All I want is a chance,” I said. “If something on camera comes up at Global — I don’t care what — I want a chance to audition. That’s all I’m asking.”

Three months later, his secretary called and asked me to audition for a new game show. When I arrived at the station, I went right into an audition for a new show called Wintario. The following day, I was handed an airline ticket to Sault Ste. Marie to do the very first Wintario show.

From Wintario, everything happened for me. I hosted the National Santa Claus Parade for fifteen years. I did hundreds of television commercials, a number of movies, training videos, and travel shows. And everything came from finding the courage back in 1975 to make that one phone call.

6 . Istanbul has been around for centuries. Sure, it’s changed its name a few times over the years, but the location has always been the same. And in those years, there was no need at all for wide lanes. The term “rush hour” wasn’t even invented yet. The only traffic was an occasional horse-drawn carriage. The result is that the city center consists of very narrow streets.

All the action (night­life, tourist attractions, etc.) is located in the city center, making people travel daily between their homes in the suburbs and their offices in downtown Istanbul. Besides, Istanbul is not only surrounded (环绕) by water, it’s also twice divided by it. The only way to get from one shore to the other is through bridges. And it is true of all bridges. They’ll get stuck easily.

On a normal dry day, morning rush hour starts as early as 7 a.m. and lasts until around 10 a.m.. After a short cool ­ off period, traffic again starts peaking (达到高峰) from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m..

As soon as traffic jams start building up, drivers try to find alternative roads. And once found, they race through them trying to catch up on time already lost. But it doesn’t work. So they immediately turned to plan B. Make the most use of the road at hand. Lanes painted on the surface must be for decorative purposes, since you would be surprised how easily they can change a three-lane road into a five-lane one. On highways, the emergency lanes are taken, too. And of course, horns are blown as much as possible.

Of course the city’s government is making great efforts now to deal with these problems. Extra tunnels, subways, tramways and bus ­ only lanes have been made available or are under construction. Also Electronic Detection Systems are used to detect and fine drivers who abuse the emergency lanes or drive through red traffic lights.

And although Turkish drivers are certainly not among the worst in the world, paying little attention to basic traffic rule, scrowding into the smallest space available, turning across the roads and blocking emergency lanes make traffic jams unable to be dealt with timely. They’re also part of the problem.