It’s great to hear from you.

Best wishes!

Yours,

Li Hua

2 . For the past ten years, my dad and I have attended the same school — he as an administrator and I as a student. Our relationship, in and out of school, has been totally unpredictable.

When I was younger, all that my dad said was doctrine (信条) and anything he did I, ___________, copied. We played games together, and stayed up late reading bedtime stories. I could ___________ my dad taking me to school, running into him regularly during the day and riding home with him every afternoon.

As I grew older, we were not as ___________ as we used to be. He wasn’t cool any more. He wore his socks too high, listened to horrible country music and laughed too loudly in front of my friends. He became a total embarrassment.

However, the ___________ that occurred in school were even worse. The worst one happened in seventh grade. My dad came to our New Year party, dressed up as Donald Duck, guitar in hand, singing silly songs. Just kill me! I wanted to run away.

This ___________ continued into high school but we somehow began to find a balance. Things started to _________ around the time of my 10th-grade physics project. The ___________ was to build a wood bridge with the best strength-to-weight ratio (比率). All the students and physics teachers ___________. So did my dad, the only administrator! Embarrassed as usual, I ___________ the scene. However, later when I learned from my friends that my dad ______________ all competitors and won everyone’s admiration, I found that mixed in with my ______________ was a touch of pride.

I had needed someone else to show me what I ______________ in my dad. It wasn’t the fact that he’d won, it was more than that. I began to ______________ that we have many of the same values and sometimes the same opinions. No matter how much I had tried to ______________ him, he still influenced me.

I feel fortunate to have such an unusual father. The ______________ I have developed with my dad over the years has enabled me to look back and see how I’ve grown.

Yours,

Li Hua

Yours,

Li Hua

“Hurry up you guys, or you will be late for school!” called Mom. We went downstairs and had a quick breakfast. I was eating my favorite — very sweet porridge, and Sara was. having eggs. When I rose to have my bowl washed, Mom whispered, “You know you need to be cautious today when you’re walking Sara to school. It’s your job to assure (保证) me she gets there all right.” Then she cast me. a very serious look. I thought to myself, wondering why Mom was making such a big deal out of this. It was Sara’s first day of Kindergarten, but I could manage it. I wish Mom would treat me like an adult.

Then Sara ran out of the house, and I went behind her, skipping down the front walkway to the sidewalk. Along the way, I could feel Mom’s gaze on us.

I grabbed Sara’s hand. “Are you eager and excited for your first day of school?” I asked, trying to sound like a grown-up. Sara smiled and nodded her head yes. Meanwhile, my mom was staring at us through the window. “When will she treat me like an adult?” I thought. “I will show you the way.” I said. I felt proud to be the elder sister. We walked past beautiful gardens and big, leafy trees. Suddenly, I heard a growl (低吼) and saw a dog walking towards us. He was big and fierce looking with long sharp teeth. “GRRRR!!!” the dog barked. I didn’t see its owner or anyone who could help us. My hand became sweaty and Sara stopped walking. “I’m scared, Julie,” she said. I didn’t want her to be scared. I wanted to appear brave. “Everything will be okay,” I said.

“GRRRR!!!” The dog stepped closer and we could see it was the size of a small horse — with red eyes and sharp teeth.

6 . In the mad rush of day-to-day living, we can often forget to find opportunities for our families to relax and have fun together. But having fun is an essential part of growing up. It’s also critical toward building a strong family.     1    

It builds family bonds. The family that plays together stays together. Family bonds are built when you do something together that is simply fun. These bonds can last a lifetime.     2     Family board game night or a trip to the ice cream shop for Friday night dessert are excellent examples. These are the good times and memories that your children will carry with them forever and can even help them deal with more challenging times in their lives.

    3     The more time a family takes to have fun and enjoy life, the more the kids can discover. Even something as simple as going for a walk can reveal something new. Family fun provides opportunities to mix in a little learning. Consider what you can discover from a family visit to a pond or by building a Lego metropolis together in the basement.

It promotes social skills. The ability to have fun and be fun is an attractive personality trait that children can benefit from in social interactions.     4     They will pick up more quickly on necessary social cues (线索) and will aid them throughout their lives. Examples of these social cues include knowing when they’ve gone too far or when someone else is no longer having fun.     5    

Yours.

Li Hua

10 . The mom had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps (缝隙) of those ruins, the rescuers could see her last posture (姿势). It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing (叩头), but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure.

The rescuers confirmed her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again, knocked the bricks using various tools, but no reply inside.

Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back, calling “Come here.” He came to the body, put his hands under the woman, feeling and touching, then shouted loudly and gladly, “There is someone, a baby, still living.”

Through some efforts, rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby, who was covered by a small red quilt (棉被). He was about 3 or 4 months’ old. Since well protected by his mother’s body, he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out, and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor, along with the rescuing team, took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right, and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen; a written message was already there: “My dear baby if you could live, don’t forget how much I love you.” As a doctor, he experienced much of this type of separation; but at this moment, he cried. The mobile phone was passed, and every person who saw this message shed (流出) tears.