Several recent cases of violence（暴力）against students at U.S. colleges have made global headlines，arousing questions about the safety of America’s campuses. Yet government data show that the number of violent assaults（袭击）at colleges actually has decreased in recent years. And most schools have worked to increase safety through technology and student behavior.

It’s also important for students to take responsibility for their own safety. Being familiar with local neighborhoods and campus services is key. Personal-safety expert David Nance says the most important thing students can do is be attentive-which means not being distracted by smartphones or other devices.

The website for the group PEACE OUTSIDE CAMPUS，formed in response to the murder of a student from the University of Delaware in her off-campus apartment in 2005，lists additional measures students can take：

1. Don’t walk alone after dark or while drunk. Contact a friend to take you where you need to go.

2. When driving，keep your doors locked，and park in well-lit areas.

3. Don’t wear earphones or play music so loudly that you are unaware of your surroundings.

4. Trust your instinct（本能）and don’t worry about overreacting. You’re better safe than sorry.

5. Avoid entering elevators with strangers. When this is unavoidable，stand by the control panel and，if faced with a threatening way，push the emergency alarm and all the floor buttons. Don’t press the stop button.

6. Don’t hold the door open for a stranger attempting to enter the house，even if it seems rude. Ask them to identify themselves.

7. Post the police’s and fire departments’ numbers by every phone，and put them into your cellphone.

8. Label your emergency contacts as ICE（In Case of Emergency）in your cellphone so officials will know who to contact for important personal or medical information.

My new friend Tom is good at English writing. One day, I asked him how he did so well in written English. He told me that he has a habit of keep a diary every day. "You can try them, too. I'm sure you will improve your written English quickly in this way, "he said. I thought Tom was right, but I decided to follow his advices. I started to write down something interested every day. Sometimes when I didn't know why to spell a word, I would look it up in a dictionary. When I didn't know how to write a sentence correct, I would ask my teacher for the help. My written English has really improved a lot because that.

   Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited（小气的）at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part, a source of who you are. 【小题1】

Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm the coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world.

Respect them more and cherish these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for the day when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, write down your feelings, or talk to a friend. 【小题2】

Obey their requests. It will make you have a better attitude and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you are not recognized. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's raining or snowing. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes. 【小题3】 Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents？

【小题4】 Do things with your parents like watching TV, or going somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in this way or another.

Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. 【小题5】 Seek help if you are being abused（虐待）in any way. Parents do not have a right to harm you.

   Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder. The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFF SENTENCE.

Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Gumming, aged 32, laborer, last July. The jury (陪审团) reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment to the court. It was, said the Judge, a simple case. Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Gumming. When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking.

Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, “Just don’t tell my mother.”

“It happened over three years ago,” Paddy said helplessly. No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do. “Just don’t tell my mother,” said Fee numbly (麻木地). “And no one did! Oh, God! My poor, poor Frank!”

Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said. “Fee, pack your things. We’ll go to see him.”

She half-rose before sinking back, her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead. “I can't go,” she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there. “It would kill him to see me. I know him so well — his pride, his ambition. Let him bear the shame alone, it’s what he wants. We’ve got to help him keep his secret. What good will it do him to see us?”

Paddy was still weeping, not for Frank, but for the life which had gone from Fee’s face, for the dying in her eyes. Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself. He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children. Every time it looked as if there might be happiness for Fee, Frank took it away. But Paddy’s love for her was as deep and impossible to wipe out as hers was for Frank.

So he said, “Well, Fee, we won’t go. But we must make sure he is taken care of. How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?”

There was no excitement in the eyes, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks. “Yes, Paddy, do that. Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out. Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don’t know.”