My dog and I take walk down the street，

And we say "hello" to people we meet．

There's Mike the baker， outside of his shop．

As we get closer he tells us to stop．

He gives me a piece of freshly baked cake，

And out of his pocket a biscuit for Jake．

There's Mrs． McGinn， a teacher from school．

She has two children， a dog and a pool．

Say "hi" to Rory， who works on his truck．

It won't get started so we wish him luck．

Along comes Bridget who just learned to drive．

She gives Jake a pat and me a high﹣five．

We're back from our walk， the mail truck now parks．

I know that it's there since Jake always barks．

It's Bill the mailman who never comes late．

Arriving at noon， he opens the gate．

"Here's your mail now for house number three．"

"Does Jake save that bark for when he sees me？"

It is often said that elderly people don’t understand youngsters, while many believe that children are too young to fully appreciate the wisdom(智慧) of their elders. But in truth, both groups have a lot to learn from each other.

Sister Geraldine Tan runs the St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged and Hospice in Singapore. It’s mainly a facility (机构) for serving the elderly. But not all of its visitors are the elderly.

The home also includes a childcare center for about 50 kids between the ages of 2 months and 6 years old. At the center of the home’s courtyard, there’s a playground where the elderly can play with the kids. By doing so, they can learn more about each other and gain respect and understanding each other.

I think this is quite an interesting idea. For one thing, we live in a world where aging societies are becoming more common. China itself is facing this problem as its population ages. It will be important for young people to be able to understand and care for the elderly in the coming decades (数十年).

Sadly, my own grandparents weren’t around when I was little, as they had already passed away. I never learned what the world was like through their eyes, or what kinds of challenges they might’ve faced when they were my age. Their lives will always be a mystery to me.

But I suppose I can still learn from other people of older generations. I might find some of their ideas old-fashioned, and they might believe that my generation’s way of thinking is strange or incorrect. But we can still learn from each other anyway.

Everyone likes polite people and being polite is very important. As the old saying goes, “Politeness costs nothing and gains everything.” To know how to be a polite person, one must know the answers to the following two questions.

What is politeness? 【小题1】 It is simply treating people the way you would want to be treated. Whenever you talk with others, please remember to be polite.

How to be polite? It is really easy. If you want to know the answer, think about the people you love dearly. How do they talk? What do they say that makes you feel good? 【小题2】

● Always say words like “thank you” and “please”. It is a good example of politeness and a way to speak politely to others. 【小题3】 It doesn’t matter whether the person helps you or not.

● Appreciation (欣赏) is an important part of politeness. Whenever someone does something nice for you, no matter how small, always be ready with a smile. 【小题4】

Do not do or say anything that might offend (冒犯) someone. Make sure that people feel comfortable around you. And choose your words carefully. What seems funny to you might hurt a lot of people.

● 【小题5】 We all have different opinions, and being polite means respecting everyone’s thoughts. Don’t pressure others into doing or saying something they would rather not.

Let’s be better human beings and always ask ourselves if we are being polite to others.