The trip to that city was eye opening for everyone,and near its end,all the young people
in our group began to reflect on what it had meant.We   1   the first night we had arrived.
We had all gone into the markets of the city   2   the young people could experience its
energy.But what we actually saw simply   3  us all-the rundown houses,the children in rags,
the people begging for money...Walking home,  4   under a low bridge,we came across   5  
families of homeless people seeking a bit of dry ground to sleep on   6   the night.We had to
step over bodies as we found our way through the darkness.
     The poverty (贫困) was  7   than anything my young companions had ever imagined.Back
in the hotel,an air of sadness settled over the group.Many  8   and cried.Spending time in this
  9   moves a person to care about humanity.
     That evening,our group spent hours talking about what we had   10  .Gently,I encouraged
everyone to talk about the difficult   11   that day's discoveries had inspired. Sitting together
   12   a circle as everyone had a chance to speak,we all began to realize that   13   of us was
alone in our struggle to cope with our reactions.
     Based on my   14   in poverty stricken areas,I suggested that   15   the emotions we had
were painful,they could also be important in helping us to move forward.We all   16   that we
had seen things that should never be allowed to happen.  17  ,what could we do about it?
Together,we began to brainstorm ways we could help to ease the   18   we had seen.As I
encouraged group members to focus on   19   they could do,a sense of determination   20  
the previous sadness.Instead of despair,these young people began to feel a call to action.

     The Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children.Some parents
send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England,the US or Australia,regardless
of how much this costs.Many also want their children to take extra curriculum activities where
they either learn a musical instrument or ballet,or other classes that will give them a head start
in life.The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is,the better it is,so parents
often spend unreasonable amount of money on education.Even poor couples buy a computer
for their son or daughter.
However,what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is
usually very cheap.Parents can see that their children's skills vary;they will usually be skilled in
some areas while poor in others.What most parents fail to realize though,is that today's children
lack self respect and selfconfidence.
     The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple choice
tests and how to study effectively.They are not teaching them the most important skills they need
to be confident,happy and clever.
     Parents can help achieve this by teaching their children practical skills like cooking,sewing and
other housework.
     Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life.Cooking
demands patience and time.It is an enjoyable but difficult experience.A good cook always tries
to improve his cooking,so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully.The
result,a well cooked dinner,will give a child a lot of satisfaction and confidence.
     An old machine such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child as a toy may make
him curious and arouse his interest.If he will spend hours looking at it,and try to mend it;your child
might become an engineer when he grows up.Such activities do more than teach a child to read a
book;but rather they teach them to think,and to use their minds.This is much more important than
learning by reading a book.