I was sitting at the airport’s boarding gate with Dad, waiting for boarding. I was excited, not only because it’s my first time to Singapore, but also because we were upgraded to first class at the check-in. I had always wanted to try first class seats when passing by them on an airplane before. Passengers there seemed to get big and comfy seats. And I heard they even got better food and drinks.

Just before boarding, I saw a lady carrying a crying baby, with a toddler girl beside her. They had two carry-on suitcases with a few extra bags. The little girl was very helpful. She helped her mom with the suitcases and tried her best to make her baby brother laugh.

I looked at them, thinking if I could do anything to help them. I took out my flight ticket and my eyes fell on the seat number again. Then I looked up. The baby was still crying. The little girl was busy with the suitcases that were almost her height.

I made up my mind and talked to Dad.

“You sure? It’s the first class you’ve always wanted.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“I’m so proud of you sweetheart. Go ahead.”

“Thanks so much Dad for being supportive. I know you like first class too.”

I walked towards the lady and handed out the tickets, “Excuse me, would you like to swap tickets?” The lady took a look at them and looked surprised. “Are you sure? My seats are at the very back of the plane!”

I replied without hesitation, ”Don’t worry! I think you need these seats more than we do. Besides, the back seats are closer to the kitchen. I can always get a cup of juice whenever I want.”

“Thank you so much! You’re such a nice young lady.”

On the plane, I was sitting at the back seat with Dad, holding a cup of apple juice. The apple juice was really sweet, but my heart felt even sweeter.

On the 8^thof April, I got up at 5:35 a.m. and started countdown to 6:00a.m.—-the time I was born eleven years ago. “Fifty-nine, sixty! Happy birthday to me……” I sang softly to myself, trying not to wake my little sister Anna beside me. However, I couldn’t hide the happiness inside. I had been looking forward to this day since my last birthday.                                                                                              
After breakfast, Mum, Anna and I went to the bus stop excitedly. I was thrilled, not just because we were going hiking, also because we were meeting my friends Mulan and her little sister Tinglan. We hadn’t met them since the pandemic.

When we got off the bus, Mulan, Tinglan and their mum, Aunt April were already waiting for us. We set off to the mountain near Mulan and Tinglan’s house. At first, we walked the paths which were people-built. Later, we found a ladder leading to “nowhere”. Aunt April recommended wisely, “Maybe an adventurer left this ladder. Let’s climb up and have a REAL adventure!” Everyone liked this idea. Therefore, one by one, we climbed up the ladder.

On top of the ladder, the roads were “wild”—-there were no people-built roads. First, I thought it was easy, but the “wild” roads were slippery. We need to be very careful and held tightly to the branches beside us and stepped on the rocks below us cautiously. Luckily, on the roads which were most difficult to hike, there were ropes attaching to the trees. We held on to the ropes nervously. I was afraid that I would fall. Mum was always the unlucky one. At the end of the “wild” path which was steep, Aunt April carried Anna down. But no one carried Mum. She slipped and slid down the path to the ground! 

We finally got back to the people-built roads safely. I was so relieved. Next, we went to Mulan and Tinglan’s house to have lunch. Mulan’s domestic helper cooked delicious food! I liked the chicken wings best.

After playing with Mulan and Tinglan for a while, Aunt April brought out a homemade lemon cheesecake with a little teddy bear on it. Everyone sang “happy birthday” to me. Anna couldn’t wait to taste the cake. But after the first bite, she cried out,” I don’t like it!” It was so embarrassing! I loved the cake. So I said, “I love it.” But the more embarrassing moment was still waiting for me. “Sis, do you really like it? Are you lying?”

After that, Mulan and Tinglan even gave me a pretty little mirror as a gift.

What a memorable birthday! On the coming twelfth birthday, I want to visit an old cave with Mulan’s and my family!

「哇！」經過玩具店的櫥窗時，我不禁驚嘆。那是一個精巧的玩具房子。廚房的桌子擺放著誘人的食物；客廳的沙發看上去十分鬆軟，茶桌上還擺放著棋盤；睡房裡的窗簾印著精細的條紋⋯⋯我看得呆了。

「媽媽，你不是說在商場會給我買些玩具的嗎？我好想要這個⋯⋯」

媽媽看了看價格，說：「這個玩具屋太貴了，你真的想要的話，得用自己的零花錢買。」說完，媽媽拉了我便走。

我每個月只能拿二十五元零花錢，那要等到一年後我才能夠錢買那個玩具房子！可我好想現在就擁有它。看著在廚房忙碌的媽媽，我想起，我可以幫媽媽做家務賺錢！

暑假中，我每天都幫媽媽做家務。早上，我一起床就去做早餐、洗衣服；家人吃完飯後，我負責洗碗筷；傍晚，我把垃圾扔在垃圾箱裡⋯⋯每天，看著手中自己辛苦賺回來的錢，我很有成功感。

一個月後，我數了數錢，剛好賺了三百元。我興沖沖地到商場買玩具房子。路上，鳥兒輕快地唱著歌，樹木隨風輕舞，好像整個世界都在為我慶祝。想到不久後，我就會跟妹妹一起玩那個玩具房子，我的心像開了一朵花。

途中，一個「奧比斯」慈善機構的義工招呼我去看一些關於患有眼疾人士的影片。我不好推辭，只好跟著義工走過去。影片中，一個從小患有眼疾卻因為貧窮而得不到醫治的小孩讓我的心揪緊了。我從小因為遺傳而要戴眼鏡。沒了眼鏡，我的生活會很艱難。看東西時，我得使盡全力，眯起雙眼，還不一定看得清楚。若我像她一樣幾乎失去全部視力，我簡直不敢想像。

看完影片，我輕輕摸了摸口袋裡的錢。想著這一個月賺錢的辛勞，又想到唾手可得的玩具房子，我把手從口袋裡拿出來。我不敢看那個孩子的臉，艱難地站起身，向玩具店走去。

邁著沈重的步子走到玩具店，我再次望著那個讓我辛苦了一個月的玩具房子。一個月前，我也是這樣望著它，可是這次，我眼前浮動著的，卻是那個患有眼疾的小孩無神的目光，揮之不去。我終於作出了決定。

幾個星期後，我收到了奧比斯寄給我的信和刊物，多謝我成為他們的每月捐款者。看著刊物上重見光明的孩子的笑臉，我的心像開滿鮮花的山谷。我終於體會到“助人為快樂之本”的真正含義。得到玩具帶來的快樂是短暫的，幫助孩子重見光明帶給我的，是持久的、無與倫比的幸福。

One day, Rachel and her family went on a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. On their way back home on the MTR, everybody was exhausted. But the train was too crowded to find a seat.

After a while, Rachel felt like she couldn’t stand any longer, so she crouched down beside her mom.

“Stand up Rachel!” Mom whispered.

“Why?” Rachel whispered back impatiently.

“Because it’s inappropriate. And it’ll be inconvenient to other passengers.” Mommy explained.

“I don’t care! I’m too tired.” Rachel said.

Just then, Rachel heard a voice, “You look tired little girl. I’ll give my seat to you.” An office lady said to Rachel as she took her bag from her lap and stood aside.

“No need Mam. But thanks anyway.” Mom said politely.

Rachel was very disappointed to hear Mom’s reply.

“It’s okay. I’m getting off soon.” The lady responded.

Hearing her words, Rachel ran as fast as she could toward the seat.

“Much better!” thought Rachel, taking a book out without even saying thank you to that lady. Mom kept thanking the lady while Rachel was reading her book.

Forty-five minutes later, at the last stop, when Rachel finally raised her head from the book, she saw the lady who offered the seat to her, still standing in the crowd!

Rachel said in a soft voice to Mom, “Isn’t that the lady who offered me her seat? But she said she’s going to get off the train forty-five minutes earlier!”

“Oh, she must have wanted you to accept her seat without feeling guilty. That is so kind of her.” Mom answered guiltily.

Rachel was totally shocked. That lady must have been tired too after a day of work. How can she offer her seat to a stranger, knowing that she herself might have to stand for a long time, and expect no appreciation at all? But Rachel herself didn’t even offer the seat to her own family member.

Rachel suddenly realized that she should think more about others, not just think of herself.

From that day on, Rachel would always offer her seat to others in need. More importantly, she would think more about others.

She started to appreciate her family for what they have done for her. And she helped more with the housework.

At the same time, she started to work as a volunteer at her community centre, such as visiting the single elderly. She would also donate her pocket money to the charity whenever possible.

Whenever she did these good deeds, Rachel would think of the lady who offered her seat. She really wished she could see her again, and say, “Thank you for your seat, and thank you for making me a better person!”

我平常不會做連自己也認為是愚蠢的事。不過，有一天，在幼兒園裡……

有一天，我和同學們在幼兒園裡畫畫。

「啊！」坐在旁邊的同學艾麗叫。「……弄一些綠色在你的畫紙上……能原諒我嗎？」

正在畫畫的我心不在焉，艾麗說的話只聽了一點點，還以為她是想弄一些綠色在我的畫紙上。想著，我便連連搖頭。

「只是一點點呀！」

我還是搖頭。每當艾麗問一次，我就搖一次頭。我不明白為什麼她一直想在我的畫紙上加點綠色。

艾麗終於又說：「但我真的只弄了一點點，你看！」說著，她指著我的畫紙上的一個小綠點。

這下我恍然大悟！一定是她不小心弄了一點綠色在我的畫上。

「原諒我吧！」艾麗還在說。這次我一直點頭。

我真傻！下次我一定會專心聽人家說完話再回答。

中國有很多又有名又好吃的中國菜。不過，我最喜歡的中國菜是既健康又美味的包子。

包子很容易製作，這是我喜歡它的第一個原因。首先，將麵粉、水和酵母混合，揉成面團。等它發酵後，取一小塊面團搓圓壓扁，一個包子皮就完成了。將喜歡的餡料切碎攪匀，放入包子皮，裹好後捏成花樣，隔水蒸十五分鐘左右，熱騰騰的包子就出爐了。

我喜歡包子的第二個原因是它種類繁多，用不同的餡料就有不同的味道。例如上海的小籠包、廣東的叉燒包和奶黃包，北方的菜肉包等。它們各有特色，令人食指大動。

我喜歡包子的第三個原因是它容易消化和原汁原味，因爲“蒸”比中國菜常用的煎炒等方法健康很多，而且餡料切的很碎，很適合老人家和小朋友。

我的外婆常常做包子，剛出爐的包子我可以吃兩個。希望大家都來嘗試自己做包子，連我都會做呢，外婆還誇我包的包子很漂亮！

It’s Mid-Autumn festival again. It’s on October 1^st this year, so we can celebrate it with National Day together.

We had mooncakes at breakfast time! Mom and I bought them from my favorite restaurant—Green Common. They were called “milk and egg yolk mooncakes”, but were actually vegetarian food. It’s my favorite flavor of mooncakes.

We had an early dinner at 5 o’clock because my little sister Anna and I couldn’t wait to go to Tuen Mun Park.  And because of the virus, we didn’t have a reunion dinner with our relatives. We just had a simple one with some chicken and vegetables. Dad was on a diet to lose weight. But he said as we were celebrating two festivals together, he would risk it all and drink two bowls of chicken soup.

On our way to the Park, we saw some stands selling lanterns, toys and decorations. I chose two fan clips for me and Anna. I also bought a toy sword which was retractable. Dad pretended to spit blood when I “stabbed” him in the belly, just like in a martial arts film.

When we arrived at Tuen Mun Park, I changed into roller skate shoes and protective gear. Daddy found a place specially for roller skaters. It’s my first time to skate uphill and downhill. When I went uphill, I almost rolled backwards. And it’s so scary to go downhill that I held both Mom and Dad firmly, and we three went so fast that Anna got scared as she thought we were leaving her alone.

After that Anna and I played at the playground. It’s our first time to play there since July.  We rode the double swing which both of us could sit on. I swung us so high that Anna almost fell at the top.

As usual, we didn’t do anything very special today, but I was still delighted.

今年我五年級了。得知班主任還是何老師時，我的思緒回到了三年前。。。

         那天，我心事重重地走到二乙班的門外。離開了熟悉的一甲班的老師和同學，我很緊張。走進課室，一張年輕秀麗的臉龐出現在我面前。原來她就是我的新班主任何老師。我覺得她很嚴肅，我更緊張了。

         不過不久後我就看見她的笑容了。那天上課時，周俊答對了問題，何老師的臉上露出了優雅的笑容，我頓時覺得她親切了許多。

         漸漸的，何老師跟我們熟悉了，變得越來越愛笑。我們就算做錯了事，她也不生氣，而是耐心地講道理。

         她還經常犧牲自己的午飯時間，在教室和有興趣的同學玩英文串字。圍著何老師串字的同學越來越多，我們班學英文的興趣也越來越濃。而且何老師特別擅於總結，她講過的知識點我很容易就記住了。

         學校秋遊來了，何老師帶著我和一些沒有家長陪同的同學去“冒險”，她和我們一起吹泡泡，一起吃東西，一起玩各種遊戲，我覺得她就像一個大姐姐。

          這天，我對同學寶兒說：“你想何老師教我們到小學六年級嗎？”寶兒說：“我不想。”我瞪大眼睛。寶兒接著說：“我想何老師教到我們大學六年級！”“是大學四年級啦！”

         是的，何老師一直都會是我們學習路上的明燈。

我今日介紹Magic Tree House系列書裏其中一本，叫做Lions at Lunchtime.入面的主角是一對兄妹：John和Annie。他們去到一個神奇的樹屋，向樹屋的主人借了一本書 ，叫The Plains of Africa.他們想去非洲冒險。Annie指了指書上面的非洲圖畫，然後說我想去那裏，樹屋就開始旋轉， 他們再睜開眼的時候，樹屋已經停留在一顆非洲的樹上。接下來就講他們怎麽在非洲冒險，例如Annie跌進了泥坑，大象用鼻子幫他們冲涼，最後還不小心驚醒了獅子！這本書讓我們學到一些非洲草原和動物的知識，譬如非洲狗狼原來很膽小，John和Annie大聲叫喊就嚇走了他們，而且狗狼的叫聲很像人類的笑聲。書裏的主角也很幽默搞笑，看的時候很開心。我誠意推薦給大家，希望你們可以去看。

Chinese Day in our school was on the Seventeenth of January this year. On that day, we could wear Chinese traditional uniform.

First, we had a quiz competition in the Hall. I didn’t join the quiz competition, but I could watch my friends do it. There were three parts of the competition, including required questions, quick response questions and charades. The questions mainly asked about traditional Chinese culture, for example, on which day at the end of the Chinese year we would clean the house. I really enjoyed watching the charades. The phrases to guess included the names of our class teacher and one of our classmates, the most famous Chinese poets, the official names of our country and our city, etc.

After the quiz competition, we went down to the ground floor to play booth games. The first game I played was walking on the high stilts. I almost fell from the stilts. But it was fun. Next I made dumplings in Room 9. The dumplings were tasty, especially since I made them by myself. Then I went to a booth where I used chopsticks to pick up some food. And all the food you could pick up in a limited time would be yours. I also wrote some lucky spring couplets, and made some art craft by papercutting. I was also one of the students to oversee the puzzle booth. Many students liked our booth. There were always long queues at our booth, especially the P4-P6 line.

I got a prize at the end. It was a Pokémon soft toy key chain. I enjoyed this Chinese Day very much. I am looking forward to it next year.