School itself wasn't my enemy. The enemy was in the crowds of kids who didn't care about me, the teachers with too many students to pay attention to me, and the students who left me to play alone on the playground. I was alone.
At the end of this year in a health class, we played a game where we taped pieces of paper onto our backs and ran around the room, writing something nice about each person in the class on the paper. When we were done, I looked at what people had said about me: "Smart" and "Nice". From then on, when I met people who would pass me by, I would often want to tell them how nice I am.
My dad once told me, "What other people do or say about you tells you more about them than yourself." I would repeat that to my friends who came to me for comfort. I hoped it comforted them the way it did with me.
The more I thought about my dad's words, the more I realized what he meant. The kids at school might call me ugly. They might ignore me, but their words and actions didn't make me into someone I was not. Instead of feeling sorry for myself or being angry at them, I could choose to forgive (原谅) them. I knew that being unkind was their way of making themselves feel better. I knew that they wounded me as a result of their own pain. Even though loving my enemy was hard, it was the right thing to do.
"The Princess（公主）and the Frog" is a warm and enjoyable cartoon by Disney. It tells the story about a girl who makes her dreams come true through hard work.
Tiana is a waitress. She has a dream of owning a restaurant. In order to realize the dream, she works hard. She knows that it is useless to wish on a star. She never sits in a castle waiting for a prince to come and save her. Tiana's plans for success go wrong when she meets a talking frog. The frog happens to be a prince named Naveen. Hoping to become human again, Naveen regards Tiana as a princess by mistake. He tells her to kiss him. Then something worse happens. Tiana turns into a frog, too. Together they look for a way to become human again.
The story is easy enough for kids to understand and it provides us with beautiful hand-drawn pictures, songs and music. Besides, there's a great lesson here: you should look for a way to make your dream come true.
If there is any problem with the movie, it's only that it doesn't feel as splendid（华丽的） as some of Disney's other films.
If you are given only 1 yuan, could you live in a city for one day? It seems that this may be a little difficult. But students from Xi'an did it.
On April 10，more than 60 students from a middle school of Xi'an took part in the One Yuan Metropolis Survival. Students not only have to live, but also have to deal with a lot of hard tasks in this charitable (慈善的) activity. It has happened in eight cities and is going to happen in four others, including Beijing, in May.
To make money, many students looked for part-time jobs and experienced how hard life was. Zhang Qiyue, 14, asked more than 10 restaurants for a job and finally got one chance." We were upset when they said no. But gradually, we got used to it," he said. After being a waiter for an hour, he got 25 yuan.
Some made use of their talents by singing and dancing in parks or shopping malls. Many people who walked by took notice of them and helped them. Zhao Jiacheng, 14, drew pictures and made paper crafts(手工)."This showed it's important to learn a special skill," he said.
Living was hard, but finishing the tasks wasn't any easier. They went to different places to finish tasks in a short time. The most amazing one was when they had to exchange things worth thousands of yuan with only a piece of paper in half an hour. "We learned how to explain to others. From a balloon to a cake to a bottle of yogurt... after almost 20 tries, we succeeded," he said. They will give all of the money they made to poor schools in Tibet.
a. Living was hard.
b. It was much easier to finish the tasks.
c. It is important to learn a special skill.
d. Success comes from many tries.
We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.
Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China
"It'll soon be Chinese New Year. Before it, we'll clean the house and decorate(装饰) it for good luck. Every shop is going to be closed for a few days and we'll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival."
Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia
"Australia Day is on 26th January and it's an important holiday here. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there is lots of music and dancing. What fun!"
Amy, 14, New York, the US.
"The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It's still a very important day for families to be together. This year we're going to visit my grandparents and we'll eat delicious turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year. "
My teacher asked me to give a piano performance at our school's culture festival. That made me both excited and nervous. I was worried about stage fright (怯场). Though I had been practicing the music I was going to play many times, I was afraid something bad might happen. As the day went by, I grew more and more nervous. I couldn't pay attention to anything until the moment of my performance finally arrived.
There I was, on stage. My mouth was dry. I felt as if there had been some butterflies flying in my stomach. My fingers were resting on the black and white keys. The audience (观众) waited patiently, with smiles on their faces. I looked at my mother and she smiled back at me. I could not move at all. I couldn't remember how the music began!
I was so nervous on the stage. I had to do something to change the situation. After sitting for what seemed like five minutes, I suddenly thought of an idea. I stood up, bowed, and said, "That was the song of silence. Thank you." At first, all my friends and their parents looked confused (困惑的) , but slowly they kept quiet. After that, I sat back down and began to play the music. I played it better than I ever had before. Still, I think I'm better suited to be a comedian than a musician.
When I was in the fourth grade, my mom brought back a girl named Faith from the local Social Services. The girl had just1three years old. She had big blue eyes and brown hair. I sat down to talk with her, but she was very2. I was sure that she must have been scared.3I loved the young sister at once.
To have a sister wasn't as4as I thought it would be at first. Faith cried every night. She5cried when she just had to tell me that she had to go to the bathroom. Faith was always getting into6, too. She would break my toys, color on my homework. She was always in someone else's conversation and doing things just to get people to7her. She wanted attention, and it was not cute at all.
After a very long time, Faith finally learned how to8trouble, and I learned how to share. I also learned how to put my things9so that she would not break them. We10had to learn. She still forgets sometimes. So do I.
Now Faith is five years old. She is very smart and11. She follows me everywhere I go—even when I don't want her to. We are also12ballet and acting classes. It is so much more fun to go with my sister.
It's funny. I can't even remember Faith not being here. When I13, the first thing I see is my sister, and when I go to sleep, the last thing I see is my sister. I'm14I have Faith as a sister because she is fun and she makes me laugh. How15I am to have the gift of Faith.
