A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive (潜水) in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs (礁). The weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent sight of the beautiful ocean and the bright, vivid corals. Even with their masks on, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.

The dive couldn’t have gone better. However, things changed as we made our way back to the boat. As we swam back along the reef, I noticed the current (水流) changing. As it did, huge quantities of trash and plastic began to flood the area. I saw small reef fish swimming amongst the straws, plastic bags and other bits of rubbish. I noticed that some of the fish were pecking away (啄) at the plastic. By the time we got back onboard the boat, there were bits of plastic floating all around us. It looked more like a trash site than the ocean.

When I got home, the first thing I did was to go online and research plastic pollution in the ocean. I was surprised to find out that over the past decade, divers and beach lovers have seen a lot of changes in the oceans. Even very remote locations were suddenly filled with plastic and other chemicals. Plastics were entering our oceans at an alarming rate—up to 12 million tons each year. This huge amount of plastic was wreaking havoc (破坏) not only on the environment, but also on the marine animals that lived in the ocean, such as sea turtles and sea birds. Some of them were sadly mistaking the pieces of plastic for food. Pollution has brought our oceans to the point of disaster, and unless we make a great change, then our oceans and all of its living things, will be at risk.

Since that unforgettable plastic-polluted dive, I have become an ocean supporter and spend my days trying to get the message out there about just how harmful ocean pollution is, not only to marine life, but also to mankind.

Then the idea came to me: I could appeal to my fellow divers to take action.

I decided to take it a step further to try and stop those companies producing single-use plastics.

One of my best friends is named Lisa. If you’d told us a month ago that there would come a point when we would need space from each other, we would have said “Not a chance!”

But then Lisa’s family won a five-day stay in a mountain cabin(小屋). Because Lisa’s sister, Alana, was spending the week with her grandparents, Lisa’s mom and dad said I could come along instead.

When I told my parents about the awesome invitation, my mom said, “That sounds fun, but keep in mind that five days is a long time to spend with a friend.” I shook my head. “Lisa and I are just like fish and water. We’re happy sticking together. Plus, the cabin is near paths where we can try snowshoeing and other outdoor stuff.”

A few weeks later, Lisa and her parents and I arrived at an adorable cabin surrounded by snow-covered pine trees. “What a great place!” Lisa’s dad said.

“It’s looking a little cloudy,” said Lisa’s mom, glancing at the sky. “Let’s hope it means snow and not rain.”

As you might have guessed, the clouds did mean rain. Lots of rain. And since our major plans involved snowshoeing and watching winter wildlife, we were stuck. “I guess we’ll have to find something else to do,” said Lisa.

We found a couple of board games and a pack of cards and sat down. At first, it was fun, but we ended up playing those games for about 100 hours, stopping only to eat and sleep!

“I can’t play anymore,” I said on the third day. “How about we just read by ourselves for a while?”

“I have a better idea,” said Lisa. “How about singing instead?”

“I think a little quiet time would be nice,” I said, opening a book I had brought.

“Oh, come on! Don’t be boring. I’ll pick the first song.” Lisa started singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

“Could you please leave me alone?” I shouted.

The fourth day was fine, and we went out to play sometimes together and sometimes apart, just as her father had said.

How far can a penny go? Right now, one can quickly say that it wouldn’t get you that much. Or, to be more specific, it’s more of a novelty item now than a currency.

But Ryan Trahan, who is an online media content creator, wanted to prove that a penny can turn into something much more valuable and that the spirit of bartering (以物易物) is still alive and well. His goal will surprise anyone.

In his video, he shared that he would turn his penny into a house. Yes, you’ve read that right. He will barter his way to a house.

The challenge started as tough as you’d expect it to be because who would trade anything for a penny? The first thing he got was a pen. Then, he traded off his pen for a small dinosaur toy. Luckily, he met a dinosaur fan who was more than willing enough to trade it for a tin of mints (薄荷糖) —or at least what’s left of it.

It was a dead end from then on until he met two interesting strangers. Apparently, his campaign of “penny-to-a-house” is gaining attention. It gave him a chance to trade the mints for something of value—gas station earphones.

It snowballed from there. After the earphones, the value of his trade just got bigger when he decided to be creative. He called at a local garage sale and traded the earphones for a vintage Polaroid (老式拍立得) camera. He also gave a shirt, just so he wouldn’t feel bad.

However, it wasn’t as easy as he thought. Trahan thought he struck gold and that it was easy to exchange the camera into something much more valuable. After all, who doesn’t love a vintage camera?

The answer, surprisingly, is “not a lot of people”.

He got an amazing deal out of the camera for an item that’s three times its value, a piece of land.

Amy loved drawing, but her grandmother Bonnie was opposed to it, who thought those strange things Amy drew were not going to help her in the future. One day, when they were eating dinner at the table, the doorbell rang.

Amy answered the door to see a well-dressed man standing at the door. “Oh my God, I know you! Mr Henderson?” Amy said gladly. “You are my favorite cartoonist (漫画家)! Wow! Hello, sir!” Then she led Mr Henderson into her house.

Mr Henderson was a famous New York-based cartoonist. He worked for an art magazine.

“I received a letter with some samples (样本) of your artwork, Amy. And I must say I was so impressed by your talent. In fact, I wrote you letters, but In ever got a reply,” Mr Henderson said to Amy. “If I hadn’t visited you today, you might have missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“You sent me letters?” Amy wondered aloud. Amy noticed Bonnie sat uneasily in her seat, and she realized why the letters had never reached her. Her grandmother kept them hidden from her. Mr Henderson continued, “We are accepting applications for our arts training program this summer. I would personally teach the students the art of cartoons and everything related. For that, you need to pass a drawing test. If everything goes well, you will be able to learn from me later and pursue your dream for art.”

Amy was excited about the news, but Bonnie refused and said angrily, “You are wasting our time, sir. Please leave.”

“But ma’am, this can really shape your granddaughter’s career,” Mr Henderson sad. “And if you’re concerned about the money, please don’t be. The committee will cover all the costs. A gifted childlike Amy can greatly benefit from the program.” Then Mr Henderson pulled out a file from his document case and gave it to Amy. “It’s a test assignment I know your grandmother is against it and things are tough, but I hope you’ll be able to do it,” he added as he left the house.

Amy couldn’t contain her excitement after Mr Henderson’s visit.

Amy’s strong love for drawing deeply touched Bonnie.

In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.

Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.

Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.

The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.

Half a year later, the changes were significant.

Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.