When I was in elementary school, baseball was a sport we played in P.E. classes. I didn't like it, so I often watched people play. However, in my fifth grade year, I was hit by a baseball bat in P.E. class. I was standing beside the batter with lots of classmates. Unfortunately, the batter threw the bat out and it was coming toward me. I was frightened.Suddenly, it hit my left eye. The teacher as well as my classmates was shocked. My uniform was full of blood. The school informed my dad immediately. My dad quickly took me to the ophthalmology department. I was soon brought to the emergency room. Meanwhile, I could see my father's depressing face. My dad insisted on accompanying me during the operation. When the operation was progressing, my dad kept encouraging me to be brave. Thanks to his words, I was optimistic. After the surgery, I had to stay at home. My classmates and teachers visited me many times and brought me lots of gifts and food. The parents of the batter felt extremely sorry for us. They apologized again and again. Needless to say, we forgave them since they didn't do it on purpose. I spent some time at home and after a year my eye recovered. I have also gained much sympathy from others. Since then, I have become more open-minded about life.

Rolan Hsu 徐仕穎,16歲,臺北縣樹林市

I have been learning English for almost 15 years. I tried to read your magazine from Let's Talk in English to Advanced. I want to say thank you to all [the] teachers. Reading Advanced is a pleasure for me. You offer various and interesting content, and [you] also put in vivid photos.[I] just want to know if you could add some national news into the "NEWSworthy Clips" column occasionally? Sometimes I also want to learn how to express our local news in English.
Annie

Editor's Note:
Thanks, Annie! Because Advanced is your Window on the World, we try to include a variety of news stories to appeal to our worldwide audience. If you want a new
challenge, we suggest supplementing your language studies by picking up a local newspaper published in English. Congratulations on your hard work!

I've been your loyal reader for over a decade and am currently teaching at a central senior high school. I've got to express my most sincere gratitude to all of you for the quality work you've contributed through the years. Despite the variety of articles seen in Advanced magazine, maps related to such fields as Travel, People and News seem to be so scarce that it's pretty inconvenient to read through the lines if a distant area is mentioned within. Of course, there is absolutely no perfect job done in the world, but with merely a little addition of maps, I'm deeply convinced your magazine will be unparalleled locally or internationally. Thank you again for your consideration!

David Yang

Editor's Note:
We agree, David! We are working on including more and better maps, so keep looking for them in Advanced. Thank you for your encouragement!

I have been your reader since I was a senior high student. Now, I am 34 years old and a mother. I like to read when I take a walk with my baby in the park. My baby, who is eight months old, always grabs what I have in my hands. One day when I was reading Advanced, he was [not] sitting quietly. Therefore I gave him the magazine. I was surprised; he became quiet and interested in this magazine. Then I took out my camera and took this picture. I wrote to you just to share this funny picture with you. I hope I can read Studio Classroom together with my baby one day.
Best wishes,
May from Taipei