I had spent an hour in the bank with my dad to transfer (转账) some money. I asked him, “Dad, why not use online banking?”

“Why would I do that?” he replied.

“Well, then you won’t have to spend an hour here to transfer your money. You can also do your shopping online. Everything will be easier!” I said in excitement. He asked, “If I do that, I won’t have to go out of the house?”

“Yes!” I said. I told him how groceries (杂货) can be delivered to our doors now. And we can buy everything we need by just staying at home.

However, he said, “Since I walked into this bank today, I have met four of my friends. I have much free time, so I like to come to the bank and meet different people. Two years ago, when I was in hospital, the store owner from whom I bought fruit came to see me. And when your mom fell down a few days ago, the bank manager saw her and helped her get to the hospital.”

He went on, “Why would I want to look at my computer all the time? I like to know the persons around me. Does Amazon send bonds (纽带) and relationships, too?”

I didn’t know what to say after hearing his words. My dad was right, of course. It’s better for us to spend time with real people than computers.

My mother is cool— much cooler than most people. I give her full credit(功劳) for making me the person who I am today. To thank her, I'd like to share some of the things she taught me.

【小题1】

No matter how hard things got, my mom could always joke about them. It has taught me things are never, ever, end-of-the-world kind of bad. I'm sure this has made me a more relaxed person.

【小题2】

My mother made her own clothes she felt like wearing. Soon enough, people asked her to make clothes, and it turned into a full-time business. That shows me how you can set up your own business by expressing yourself truthfully.

【小题3】

As a creative, my mother always encouraged us to do imaginative things for enjoyment and discouraged TV . We dressed up in costurnes（戏服）, drew pictures, and sang alt the top of our lungs（肺）. Today, I am a very fun person to be with.

【小题4】

【小题5】

Growing up, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. Instead of saying “I told you so”, my mom always let me work things out myself. She was also there to help me pick up the pieces, if I ever needed help.

For all that you’ve done and everything that you are——thank you, mom!

A man was walking through the woods with his axe（斧头）when a little tree called to him. It said, “Hello friend. Can you cut down those bigger trees? They’re blocking the sun. It is so crowded here that I have no room to spread my roots. I can’t feel the wind.”

The little tree held out its tiny leaves. It looked so sad. It continued. “If those trees were gone, I’d be able to grow. A year from now, I’d be the biggest tree here. But for now, I’m just a little tree.”

The man thought for a while and agreed. He walked over to the bigger trees and started cutting them down. Soon, he cleared lots of space around the little tree. Now it wound be able to feel the sun and wind. It would grow bigger and become the biggest tree in that area.

But something else happened instead. The sun’s heat came first, burning the little tree, which wasn’t used to so much sunlight. Heavy wind and rain came—without the bigger trees to protect it, the little tree was hit by the storm. Soon, the little tree was nearly dead.

“You’ve been quite foolish,” said a snake that saw what had happened. “You brought this on yourself. If you’d left the bigger trees alone, the sun and storm wouldn’t have hurt you so badly. They protected you. If you had just waited longer, you would have grown to be just as big as them. You’d be strong. But now, you’re nearly gone.”