“Mommy, don’t go,” my three­year­old son screamed as I walked to the door. My fifteen­year­old leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms folded across his chest, not screaming, but glaring at me as I pulled his little brother off my legs.

“Are you mad at me too?”

“You spend all your time taking care of other people’s kids, but what about us?” Dylan left angrily.

“Get dressed. You are going with me,” I said.

I went on to explain that it took a team of volunteer medical staff to get Hector to the hospital from his remote village and care for him while he was there. Still, Dylan seemed unimpressed.

We stopped at a convenience store for water and snacks. Dylan had one large and one small Slurpee (思乐冰饮料). He said the small one was for Hector. I doubted whether the little guy would be able to drink it, but remained silent. This was the first interest Dylan had shown in being there. I wasn’t about to ruin it.

I stopped at the nurses’ station to check on Hector’s progress while Dylan went to his room. Our patient was recovering physically, but the nurse was concerned that Hector was struggling emotionally. She said, “Kids usually bounce back fast, but he hardly speaks and never smiles.”

Imagine my surprise when I heard laughter from Hector’s room

On the way home that night, Dylan asked me several times whether Hector would be okay.

When I adopted him, he had been rescued from death inside a tightly tied black trash bag abandoned right beside a garbage truck on the road. An alert garbage man noticed the bag moving and used a metal rake (耙子) to tear open the bag to look inside. There was my shaking puppy dog. The rake damaged the nerves in his back so he limped a little, but he could run as fast as lightning.

For my dog’s first birthday, I entered him in a fun run sponsored by our local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). I’m not much of a runner, but the run was only 3 kilometers, so I thought it would be fun for both of us.

We practiced for weeks. On our practice runs, he was always eager to go and usually dragged me along behind him. I worked on his leash (拴狗链) manners so that he wouldn’t trip me on the big day. I felt we were ready for anything.

The fun run was downtown among the big buildings, so the noise of barking dogs all around us rose to a deafening pitch at the start of the race. My dog was frightened when the starting tone went off. He had trouble running in the right direction with all the confusion around us. Soon the runners began to thin out, and my dog was running straight and fast. We were passing people and making great time. I was dreaming of a gold-medal finish.

However, when we were six blocks from the finish, my dog suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I almost dislocated my shoulder from the sudden stop as I was pulled backward by the leash.

He was lying flat on his belly with his head down in the middle of the crossroads. At first I thought something bad had happened to him. He was shaking and sobbing. I did a quick check and couldn’t see anything wrong. I tried to get him up, but he refused. The police officer doing traffic control impatiently signed me to move away so he could release the cars.

It was Friday, and I was at my daughter’s place in Manhattan. My husband and I had gone out for breakfast with my daughter and son-in-law and their child. After breakfast, we took a taxi to Central Park. The plan was to take my 2-year-old grandson on his first horse and buggy(小马车)ride，pick up our bags from my daughter’s house and drive to my friend’s home in Flatbush, Brooklyn, for a visit.

The horse ride went well, and we all had a great time. My grandson was filled with joy and excitement all the time. We arrived back at my daughter’s apartment, picked up our bags and then I said to my husband, Moishe, “Where is your phone?” Usually, I will check everything before we leave a taxi since things can fall out, but this time, I guess I didn’t, and we could not seem to find it.

Maybe we left it in the buggy, or it might have fallen out in the taxi? I wondered. Or perhaps we left it in the restaurant at breakfast? I was in a state of panic, wondering what the one with the phone could do with it. Moishe was evidently at a loss as to what to do. My sensible son-in-law, Leon, had a clever idea of calling the phone to see if anyone would answer it.

With butterflies in my stomach, I watched as Leon dialed and got through. He turned the loudspeaker of his phone on so that we all could hear but what we heard was a lady’s poor, broken English. The person on the other side of the phone obviously had difficulty communicating with Leon. Leon was very patient and was speaking very slowly but I could see that he didn’t get much useful information before he had to hang up.

After some discussion, we decided to send a text message to the lost phone saying, “We will pay money to get our phone back, please tell us where you are.” This idea worked out well. Soon we got a reply message saying “119 Ocean Parkway, Mrs. Hichens”.

In no time, we all got into our car and headed for the address.

With Laura’s help, Mrs. Hichens was able to explain to us what had happened.

Mai Lin wasn’t doing well enough at school, or at least she wasn’t satisfied with herself. She wished she could do better.

“Let’s review the material we learned in the last unit,” the history teacher said. “Who can tell us what caused the War of 1812?” Mai Lin sat at her desk, staring ahead. She hoped the teacher wouldn’t call her name. They hadn’t studied the War of 1812 at her old school and she didn’t know the answer.

“Alison?” the teacher asked instead. Oh, perfect, Mai Lin thought. Of course Alison would have the answer. She seemed to have all the answers. Alison was the most popular girl in school – always surrounded by millions of boyfriends, best friends, and others. She was like a brilliant sun.

Mai Lin hadn’t made one or two friends of her own so far. Her old school was small and low-key, but a shy person like Mai Lin had a chance there. This new school, however, seemed as big as an airport to Mai Lin, and it seemed very hard to get around in it. She still got lost sometimes in the school.

Mai Lin frowned (皱眉) as Alison answered the teacher’s question. Alison probably never got lost, Mai Lin thought to herself. You could probably put Alison down in the middle of a desert, and within five minutes she’d be able to tell you the best way to get home.

History class finally ended, and Mai Lin headed for the gym. The class had been playing basketball. Alison, who was as tall and thin and attractive as a tree, was very good at it. Beside her, Mai Lin felt like a very small and foolish ant. Today, however, the gym teacher pointed to a thick rope hanging from the ceiling and said, “Everybody! You’re going to climb this rope today.”

注意：

Hearing the teacher’s words, Mai Lin smiled.

Mai Lin stepped forward and got close to the rope.

My Intelligent Robot for the Elderly

I picked out Misty at a pound. “He’s going to be put to sleep in two days,” the assistant told me, sighing. “Nobody wants him — everyone says he’s ugly.” I looked into Misty’s eyes. “I’ll take him,” I said, and Misty came to live with me.

Misty was a very adorable cat - my lap was his favorite spot in the world. “How’s my boy this morning?” I asked him every day, and he’d meow back.

When I noticed he was having problems chewing, I took him to the vet (兽医). He had to have two teeth out. The bill rocked me — my income was pitiful. “Please don’t get sick anymore, Misty,” I begged.

But just six months later, Misty began meowing in pain. My heart sank. “Misty’s got bladder (膀胱) stones”, the vet said. “The surgery for that is ＄1000.” “Is there any alternative?” I asked desperately. “You could have him put down”, she said. I took Misty home. I couldn’t put him to sleep. But the vet bills had ruined my savings.

That afternoon, I let Misty out for a few minutes as always. Hearing him meow in pain, I felt terrible. “I have to do something,” I scolded myself. But when I called him, he didn’t come. “Oh no!” I searched the streets but couldn’t find him. I printed out Missing Cat posters and I cried each time I taped one to a tree. But nobody called. Misty had disappeared.

Three months witnessed my countless tears. I just had to assume Misty was dead. If he hadn’t been run over or died of starvation, those bladder stones would have taken their toll. The few extra dollars in my bank account didn’t compensate for the sadness I felt.

Then one day, I received a call from an elderly woman saying she had one cat seeming to match my poster. I rushed to her place.

From her glossy (有光泽的) coat, I was sure Misty had had far better medical care.

“Is that really Misty?” she asked again, a slim of sadness flashing over her face.

It was Christmas Eve morning, and I awoke with a mission: to find my lost cat, Baby-Girl. As I got ready, I could hear icy rain pelting the windows. Baby-Girl was out there somewhere in the storm; I could just feel it. Sure, it had been a couple of weeks since she’d gone missing, but I still had faith. This was the season for miracles, after all.

About two weeks ago, my sweet kitty disappeared from my parents’ house in my hometown. Baby-Gil had been staying with them while I was between apartments. At the time, I lived and worked in another city. I was staying with friends until I rented my own house. Baby-Girl had gotten out of my parents’ house the day before I was set to drive back home to pick her up.

My dad and I had spent that entire visit searching for her. Dad was a “realist”, which meant he spent a whole lot of time trying to prepare me for the worst. “She’s either been hit by a car or been taken in by someone who found her,” he said. I rolled my eyes. He could do with a little more faith!

Besides, though I couldn’t explain it, I knew I’d see Baby-Girl again. She could survive all on her own. If any cat could do the impossible, it was my Baby-Girl. Even after I returned to my house without her, deep down I had this undeniable feeling that we would be reunited one day.

Now, home again for the holidays, I was determined to pick up my search right where I’d left off. I grabbed Baby-Girl’s cat carrier and loaded it into the car, and then asked my dad to drive me to the shelter.

At the shelter, a staff member took us to see the cats. We walked through rows of cages. My eyes scanned cats of all colors and sizes. None of them was my Baby-Girl. Then I noticed a room farther back. I pushed ahead. “Sweetheart, that’s where they keep the cats that just came in,” Dad said. “Your cat wouldn’t be in there.”

Alex sat quietly at the back of his Chinese class, his eyes fixed on the textbook before him. As a shy and unnoticed student, he felt like a lone wolf, struggling against the complexities of high school life. Ms Lau, his Chinese teacher, was a light in his otherwise dark world. Her warm smile and gentle behavior made her stand out among the sea of teachers. She was the only one who seemed to understand his conservative nature, always encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone.

One day, after class, Ms Lau approached Alex with excitement shining in her eyes. “Alex, I have an offer for you,” she said, her voice filled with enthusiasm. “I am organizing a cultural exchange program to China, and I believe it would be a great opportunity for you to explore a new world.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat, the prospect of traveling to a foreign country both exciting and terrifying. He hesitated, unsure if he had the courage to start such an adventure. But Ms Lau’s firm belief in him gave him the push he needed to take a leap of faith.

Under Ms Lau’s guidance, Alex began preparing for the trip. He got really interested in Chinese culture and learned about its long history and traditions. Ms Lau became his mentor(导师), teaching him not only the language but also invaluable life lessons. She taught him the importance of being confident and not giving up, reminding him that growth only happens outside one’s comfort zone.

The day of departure arrived, and Alex found himself on a plane headed for China. He couldn’t help but feel amazed as he stepped off the plane and into a world so different from his own. The busy streets, bright colors, and unfamiliar sounds flooded his senses. Yet, Ms Lau’s comforting presence by his side provided him with the strength to face the unknown.

During their time in China, Alex wholeheartedly enjoyed the experience.

Back in the United States, Alex was a changed person.