Last summer, my older brother and I went to grow trees. At first, we thought the work was interesting and easy. When we arrived for our first day of work, a man looked at us and said, “Did you boys read the instructions(说明) you got about how to dress?” In fact, we didn’t read the instructions at all.

“Boys, you’re wearing T-shirts and shorts. Do you know who loves them?” he asked.

“Not really,” we answered.

“Mosquitoes(蚊子)!”

He laughed as he walked away. We looked around and saw that the other workers were wearing long shirts(衬衫) and hats.

Later, the man came over and gave us some long shirts and hats. But we still didn’t have trousers to cover our legs.

It was the worst day of my life. When we got home that night, my legs were covered in big red bites(叮伤). My brother’s legs were, too.

Now, when I hear the sound of a mosquito, I will think of that ▲ day. It gave me a great lesson—always read the instructions!

When I was seven years old, my family created an ant farm. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box. Then we waited for the ants to arrive. After the ants were in the glass farm, they started to make tunnels （地道）. I was amazed that each one knew exactly what they should do. Each had its own job.

On the fifth day a tragedy happened. I put my face so close to the glass farm that I knocked it over. All the tunnels fell down. Although the ants remained alive after their “earthquake”, one by one they began to die. I was scared as I watched them give up their tunnel building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm.

My mother said that the ants were dying of sadness. They simply could not stand that their tunnels were gone. Although much time passed, I still thought of that ant farm. Mum hoped it would teach me about the natural world, but it taught me much more.

Over the years, I came to realize the importance of teamwork. Working together, the ants were able to make an amazing world for themselves. I also learnt that they should be admired for their hard work.

But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently: Adversity is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, we cannot give up when we are sad. We have to realize that if a tunnel is gone, we must build another. Giving up, I say, is not a good choice.

When I was in middle school, I took a word processing class at my town’s public library.

When my mother picked me up, she asked me how it was. 【小题1】

Ethel was an old lady, who shared her first name with my grandmother. She was taking the class to learn the skills she needed to communicate with her friends and family using the computer.

During the period, we enjoyed each other’s company (陪伴). 【小题2】 And she, I imagine, felt happy that a young person took an interest in what it was like for her to be learning something new.

【小题3】 Now that I’m older, get to grow in both directions, from starting a conversation with an older person I’m sitting near on a bus, to asking my young neighbor about her after-school job.

【小题4】 Younger people in the relationship can learn from the view and experience of the older people, who have often “been there, done that”. And they might also get a more positive (积极的) idea about getting old by spending time with older people who are living their lives with energy and optimism (乐观).

Intergenerational (隔代) friendships are also helpful to older people in some way. Feeling of loneliness or sadness are common among older people. 【小题5】 Older people might enjoy telling stories that fascinate younger people. They might also get the opportunity to learn and use new skills in technology and communication.