Mike, my cousin, and I are very close and would share any secret with each other. He is a little naught (顽皮的) sometimes although my uncle, Mike’s dad, is very strict with him.

Last summer, I went to Los Angeles to visit him. My uncle chatted with us outside while he was smoking. And then my aunt called him into the house. He left his cigarette (香烟) on one front door step so he could continue smoking it when he came back.

Mike was curious to see what smoking was really like, so he picked up the cigarette to check it out. He held it between two fingers as if he were an experienced smoker and asked me if I had ever smoked before. “No way,” I said in a loud voice. “Never let my dad know about it, or he’ll beat me up,” he said. I couldn’t believe what he did next. Mike put the cigarette into his mouth and began to smoke. The next thing you know, he was coughing his head off. It looked like he was about to throw up, but he still reached his hand out towards me to offer me the cigarette.“Come on,” he said. “It won’t hurt you. I think smoking is really cool.”

I stood there, having no idea whether I should have a try. Then I remembered the advertisement that I had seen on TV a lady was so addicted to cigarettes that she had got really sick. I did not want my cousin to be like that at all.

I decided to do something and walked towards him.

Just then my uncle came back and couldn't find his cigarette.

How far would you go to help a friend? Jeremy Savage, aged 17, and Ian Marshall, aged16, both from Canada, had their friendship tested to the limit on a recent trip to the Rocky Mountains with their parents.

On Saturday morning, the two boys decided to climb Cathedral Mountain by themselves while their parents relaxed at the campsite. After three hours, they reached the top and enjoyed the beautiful view from the mountaintop.

However, trouble began when they started the climb down. On one very dangerous part of the mountain, Ian fell three metres off the side of the path. Jeremy climbed down to where Ian was and found him badly injured and not able to move. Jeremy had to decide what to do. He needed help but he did not want to leave his friend. He cleaned the dirt and blood from Ian’s face and hands, and then tried to help Ian stand up, but Ian’s right leg was hurting too much. They had to wait and hope that help would come.

Meanwhile, as darkness started to fall, their parents back at the campsite became very worried that the boys had not returned. They got in touch with park workers and began searching for the boys. Soon more than 20 people were looking for them on Cathedral Mountain.

While they waited for help, Jeremy gave Ian his food and water and let him lie on his jacket.

At sunrise, Jeremy decided that the only way to help his friend was to carry him down the mountain.

Eight o’clock on a May morning, and Mary, my 17-year-old daughter, was in our study upstairs. It had served as her classroom ever since schools moved to remote learning due to the COVID-19.

From the kitchen, I listened to the sound of her tapping on the laptop or her communicating in their Google Meet session s with her friends and teachers. I resisted the desire to check on her. Way too often, I would find Mary texting friends and commenting on their Snapchat and Instagram posts about the fun they were having together. I felt it safer not to care. After all, we’d barely left the house for 10 weeks straight.

“Mom, everyone is hanging out today!” Mary’s voice came from upstairs. “Why can’t I?” I went up the stairs. Mary was lying on the floor, her laptop, school iPad and cell phone in front of her. “It’s unfair,” she said. “I have no one I can be with. I can’t wait until I’m 18. and can do what I want.”

We’d had this conversation before. Still, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I was sick of isolating (隔离) too. Even though Mary and I were at home together more than we had been in years, we might as well have been living in separate worlds.

“Wanna watch Netflix later?” I asked. “Bake some cookies?” “No, thanks.” Mary shook her head,   as if the idea of doing something together was quite beyond her. I was used to Mary’s rejection, but it still hurt. Teenage independence is healthy, but I worried that if I didn’t find a way to bond with my girl soon, I might never be close with her again. She’d be 18 in the fall and had already convinced herself she didn’t need me anymore. Maybe she was right. No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to reach her. That evening, I logged onto Facebook and saw a friend’s family playing with their new kitten together. My mind went back to the difficult period when I was in high school and our family moved to the new city. It was a gray tabby (虎斑猫) with which Mom surprised me that brightened my days and got me through that difficult, lonely time.

It suddenly occurred to me that having a cat in our house might help.

We immediately decided to take the cat from the shelter home.

Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.

Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.

As a sixth grader, I began noticing how other kids were separating into groups. I wasn’t sure where I belonged. I found it hard to fit in.

Our teacher had assigned “secret friends” for the coming week. She wrote each kid’s name on a piece of paper and threw them into a glass; then we each closed our eyes and catch one piece of paper from the glass on which was the name of a classmate who we were to secretly befriend and support each other over the next five school days. By the middle of the week, everyone, including me, had turned this assignment into a competition to see whose secret friend could leave the best gift. We left cards, pens and even money. It seemed that everyone was getting cool presents from their friend except me.

On the last morning of our assignment, I walked into my classroom and noticed there was a package. I opened the wrapping paper and inside was a box of powder (胭脂). The girls sitting near me laughed at the gift I had received. To make matters worse, the powder had already been opened.

I tried to forget about the embarrassing gift, but when I was in the bathroom during the break, the girls who had seen me open the powder started speaking ill of my secret friend. I quickly joined in: “How terrible”. I heard myself saying “What could my friend be thinking by giving me such a stupid gift? My grandmother wouldn’t even want it.” The girls laughed at my remarks and rushed out of the bathroom. I stayed to wash my hands and let the water run through my fingers as I thought about what I had just said. It wasn’t normal like me to say mean things like that about someone.

Then I saw my classmate Janet come out of a bathroom booth (厕所隔间), tears streaming down her face.

Along with my apologies, I explained the reason.

9 . Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited(小气的) at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling part of life. You love them for the fact that they create you, raise you, and are in part, a source of who you are.     1    

Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm the coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world.

Respect them more. It is inevitable that we may disagree with our parents or be dissatisfied with them sometimes. It’s OK to get angry but angry actions don’t help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, write down your feelings, or talk to a friend.     2    

    4     Do things with your parents like watching TV or going somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in one way or another.

Some people simply may not be able to love their parents.     5     Seek help if you are being abused(虐待) in any way. Parents do not have a right to harm you.