Your weight has been important since the moment you were born. Maybe you even know what your birth weight was. Most newborns weigh between 6 and 9 pounds, but some may weigh more and some less. But very quickly, a baby gains weight and everyone is glad about that because it means the child is growing bigger and stronger.

 As you get older, your weight is still important. It's something your parents and doctor will probably keep an eye on. When you go for a checkup, the doctor often will record your height and weight and compare it with what it was the last time you came in. The doctor wants to check whether you have a healthy weight because weighing too much or too little can be a problem.

   But these days, being overweight is more common than being underweight. In the last 30 years, a growing number of kids and teenagers have developed weight problems. Today, 1 out of 3 kids and teens between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight. Many grown-ups understand what it’s like to have weight problems, since 2 out of every 3 adults (成年人) are overweight.

Can one person make a difference? Just ask Greg Mortenson—former mountaineer, nurse, doctor, co-founder of Central Asia Institute, humanitarian (人道主义者) and author of The New York Times’ bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace.

Mortenson was born in Minnesota in 1957. He grew up in a village near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania where his father co-founded a local hospital and his mother founded the International School Moshi. Mortenson carried on his parents’ professions and worked as a nurse and then as co-founder and executive director of the Central Asia Institute.

Mortenson’s change from nursing to building schools began in 1993 during a journey to Pakistan to climb K2, the world’s second highest mountain in the Karakoram Range. Mortenson was climbing the mountain in honor of his sister, Christa, who died in 1992.

On his way back from the climb, Mortenson took a wrong turn and ended up in the remote village of Korphe. The villagers took good care of him until he recovered completely. Before leaving, Mortenson promised the villagers that he would build a school for their children.

When Mortenson returned to the US, he co-founded the Central Asia Institute with Dr. Jean Hoerni. In his role as executive director of the CAI, Mortenson has now built over 130 schools and brought education to over 58,000 children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In 2009, Mortenson received Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan (“Star of Pakistan”), for his devotion and humanitarian effort to promote education and literacy (读写能力) in rural areas for 15 years.

Ever since Amelia Earhart vanished while flying over the South Pacific in 1937, scientists and historians have searched for the remains(残骸) of her plane. On July 3, a group of researchers set out to look for the plane using the latest technology. On Monday, the team announced that they collected a great deal of evidence but did not find the plane.

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) did the $2.2 million research. The group still believes that the plane crashed into a reef(暗礁) somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and is already planning a voyage next year. Patricia Thrasher, the president of TIGHA, explained that a complicated search like this one could take a long time. “It’s not like an Indiana Jones flick where you go through a door and there it is,” she said.

   Amelia Earhart was a pioneer for women pilots. She bought her first plane in 1992. In May, 1932, she became the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip took 14 hours and 56 minutes—a new record. In 1937, Earhart set out to fly around the world with her navigator(航海员)，Fredrik Noonan, in her Lockheed Electra plane. The pilot and navigator never returned. The US Navy searched for the pair, but they were never found.

The TIGHAR search began after the group spotted a clue in an old photograph. There appeared to be a piece of landing equipment in a reef near the remote island of Nikomoro. The explorers wondered if the equipment in the photo might be from Earhart’s missing plane. The researchers planned to stay 10 days, but could only stay five because of equipment problems. The uneven land created shadows that made it difficult to see, but the researchers were able to collect evidence, and they took hours of video footage. When they reach Hawaii, they will examine the evidence.

TIGHAR will continue to search for Earhart’s plane. Even though the plane was not found, Tharsher considers the search a success. He believes the evidence collected by his team could contain valuable clues.

Just at the Eve of my sixth Christmas, I was shocked by my elder brother's words and rushed to Grandma. She was angry. "No Santa Claus (圣诞老人)? That's joking! Santa Claus is alive, and we are all his assistants (助手)."

   Then she led me into Kerby's General Store and gave me ten dollars, asking me to buy something for someone who needed it. For a few moments I just held that ten - dollar bill, considering what to buy, and who to buy it for. Then I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He sat behind me in my class. He didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to play during the class break this winter. His mother always said that he had a cough, but we knew that Bobbie didn't have a cough, but he didn't have a coat. I would buy him a coat. I chose a red one with a hat.

   "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" Mrs. Kerby behind the counter (柜台) asked me kindly, when I laid my ten dollars down. When I told her shyly it was for Bobbie, the nice lady put the coat in a bag and smiled at me. When Grandma learned how little I paid for the coat, she said something I didn't understand, "Santa Claus has already had an assistant."

   Today I still remember Bobbie's excitement and his mother's tears on receiving the coat. That night, Grandma made me realize that Santa was alive and we were all on his team.

Last Friday，6-year-old Landon Johnson went to the RiverTown Crossings Mall in Grandville with his family. While there, the boy and his cousins took turns chatting with Santa, sharing their Christmas desires.

After telling the man in red he wanted a Wii, a toy dinosaur and a remote control car, Landon hopped off Santa’s lap to rejoin his family. But a few moments later, he raced back to Santa’s side: he’d forgotten to tell him something important. Specifically, Landon shared his worry with Santa that his autism（自闭症）would land him on the “naughty list”.

His mom, Naomi Johnson, explained to WOOD-TV this week that Landon is often told he's “naughty” by people who mistake his autism for bad behavior. “You get the stares when you're at the grocery store if he's too loud,” Johnson said. “He's been told by other people before, 'You don't need to be so naughty,' or 'Why are you naughty? '."

Johnson says Santa took the time to listen to Landon's worries，and held the boy's hands all the while.“Santa sat him next to him and took Landon's hands in his and started rubbing them, calming them down. Santa asked Landon if it bothered him, having Autism? Landon said yes, sometimes. Then Santa told him it shouldn't. It shouldn’t bother him to be who he is,” Johnson said.

Landon told Santa that he sometimes “gets in trouble at school and it's hard for people to understand that he has autism"，but that he's “not a naughty boy”.

“You know I love you and the reindeer（驯鹿）love you and it's OK. You're a good boy"，Santa told WOOD-TV about the chat with Landon. ''You're a good boy, you know.”

Johnson said she was incredibly moved by Santa's thoughtful words. “This stranger in a red suit told my son the same message I’ve been trying to get through to him for a while now一that he's special and I love him just the way he was made", the mom told Today.com.“Seeing Landon's face light up in that moment was just incredible. I couldn't stop crying. He was the real Santa Claus.”

When she moved the covering cloth to look upon his tiny face, she was shocked. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be full of heart-breaks for his imperfect appearance.

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune and popular with his fellow students. He might have been class monitor, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. 

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person turned up. His talents blossomed into genius, and his school and college became a series of success. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.

One day, he urged his father, “Who gave so much for me? I must know! I could never do enough for him.”

“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”

The years kept their secret, but the day did come--- one of the darkest days that a son must endure. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket (棺材). Slowly, tenderly, the father reached out a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to show that the mother had no outer ears.

  “Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut, ” he whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”

Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what can be seen, but in what cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what is done and not known.

I like watching butterflies. Sometimes I think I’m the only girl who notices these quiet but beautiful things. But if it hadn’t been for a crowded restaurant, I wouldn’t have ever noticed Valeri.

Valeri was a new student. She walked to class with her books against her chest and her head down. She talked only when the teacher asked her a question. After a month at our school, she hadn’t made any friend.

One day at lunch, most tables being full, I had nowhere to sit. Valeri sat alone, book in hand. I walked over to her, “Is that a good book?” Valeri gave a small nod and went back to reading. “What’s it about?” I asked. After seconds of silence, she looked at me, her eyes shining, “Well, it’s about a dragon! This boy, Eragon, finds this dragon egg when he goes playing one day. He thinks it’s a rock! The egg hatches（孵化）and Eragon hides the dragon from his cousin and uncle until it gets too big .”

Two weeks later, I was sitting in the auditorium（礼堂）enjoying the talent show. Then a shy girl walked on stage. I recognized her immediately. Valeri held a violin in one hand and a bow in the other. She started to play. The notes formed a soft, sweet tune. The auditorium fell completely silent until we realized the music was finished. I smiled to myself. Valeri wasn’t just “a quiet girl”. She knew about wonderful books and could play the violin like nothing I’d ever heard. Like a butterfly, she was beautiful and amazing when you looked closely.

This summer I volunteered at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan and had a once in a lifetime chance to get within three feet .Born and raised in America, very rarely had I ever seen a panda. I had expected this moment ever since my mother told me that we would be volunteering at the Center.

When my cousin and I arrived at the Center and received our uniforms and gloves, any nervousness I had felt during the car ride quickly faded and changed into excitement. Our first task was to clean up the panda’s cage. Although it was a boring job，it was interesting to be in the panda's living area and see how big the animals really are. Pandas actually fear heat, so the Center provides each animal with an ice block to keep it comfortable.

When it was time to feed the pandas，the keeper gave us five pieces of food each, which consisted of bamboo，carrots, or bread to feed to a one-year-old male. Never having dreamed of being so close to a panda，I was delighted by the action and after listening to it munch (用力嚼) on the food, hurriedly offered a piece more.

Next, we watched a video on China’s goal to help giant pandas back into the wild. It explained China's efforts to raise them to increase the population, and detailed measures taken to train the pandas to enter their nature reserve once again.

The workers had to spend lots of time teaching the animals how to live in nature and guaranteeing their safety at all times. I am grateful to have been able to volunteer for a day and will treasure the experience for the rest of my life.

Whether you will be a doctor or a police officer in the future, there’s a teacher in your life. They teach you and help you know who you are? Of course, you want to thank them.

Teachers’ Day is the perfect chance for students around the world to thank their teachers. The festival falls on different days in different countries.

In China, Teachers’ Day is on September 10. But in the US, teachers have a whole week to celebrate. Teacher Appreciation Week is in the first full week of May every year. Kids used to bring apples for their teachers because apples are healthy. Now, they bring gifts with pictures of apples, such as cups, picture frames（框架） and teddy bears. Some students also make DIY gifts for their teachers. During the week, school clubs often offer teachers a free breakfast of coffee and pastries.

The South Korean Teachers’ Day is on May 15. Many students offer flowers to their teachers. Another traditional gift is a card. Thousands of students prepare personalized cards and give them to their favorite teachers.

Although different countries have different Teachers’ Days, there’s one day for the whole world to honor teachers. On October 5 of every year, over 100 countries, such as Canada and the Philippines, express their thanks by celebrating World Teachers’ Day. UNESCO started the day in 1994. It wants to remind people of the importance of teaching.

Only you can make a card like this one

A fingerprint (指纹) card is a good gift on Teachers’ Day

You will need:

●Card

●Pen

●Colorful ink

Press your ink-covered finger on a clean card.

Use a pen to make your fingerprint into an animal or a robot.

Write words like “you are a wonderful teacher,” or “thank you for teaching me” on the card.

Some thank-you notes for great teachers

I am lucky to have the best teacher in this world. Wherever I may go in my life, I will always remember that I had an excellent guide...You.

You are not only my teacher; you are my friend. I will always be grateful to you for your support and kindness.

Like most elementary schools, it was typical to have students in and out of the health clinic throughout the day. As the principal, my office was right next door to the clinic, so I often dropped in to lend a hand and help out with the hugs.

   One morning I was putting a Band-Aid on a little girl's scraped knee, who had beautiful blonde hair. I found her a warm sweatshirt and helped her pull it on. "Thanks for taking care of me," she whispered to me.

   It wasn't long after that when I ran across an unfamiliar lump under my arm, a very bad kind. I wondered whether or not to tell the students about my disease. The word cancer seemed so frightening, when it became evident that the children were going to find out one way or another, I decided to tell them myself, when I gave them a chance to ask questions, they mostly wanted to know how they could help. I told them that what I would like best would be their letters, pictures and prayers.

   Suddenly, my little blonde friend walked to me and threw herself into my arms. "Don't be afraid, Dr. Perry," she said earnestly. "I know you'll be back, because it's our turn to take care of you."

   When I was in hospital, the letters and pictures kept coming until they covered every wall of my room. Then the kids traced their hands onto colored paper, cut them out and glued them together to make a rainbow of helping hands.

   At last I was well enough to return to work. As I headed up the road to the school, I was suddenly overcome by doubts. Then I noticed a big sign hanging in front of the main door of the school. "Welcome Back, Dr. Perry," it read: As I drew closer, everywhere I looked there were pink ribbons. My blonde friend was first in line to greet me. "You're back, Dr. Perry, you're back!" she called. "See, I told you we'd take care of you!"