Dick was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and wasn't found. Dick's mother left her three-year-old son without saying goodbye. His aunt had to look after him. Twenty years passed, Dick became a tall, strong man. He found a job on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money. He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. The woman was very happy but one day she died in a traffic accident. The young man was very sad. After he buried her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone(墓碑)for her. He went to the town and came into a shop, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, "Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?" "Yes, we do, sir," answered the shopkeeper. "Is it as expensive as the new one?" "No, it's much cheaper," said the man. "But another name was engraved(刻)in it." "It doesn't matter," said Dick. "My aunt couldn't read."
If you love reading books, you must know about the book The Little Prince. It's a famous novel written by a French writer. As one of the best-selling books in history, it has been sold as many as 200 million copies in 253 languages and dialects(方言).Now, around seventy years after the birth of the book, an American director has found a way to make it into a 3D animated film(动画片).
The book tells the story of a pilot, called The Aviator, who crashes(撞击)into the desert and meets a young prince there. However, in the film, the story starts years after the crash when The Aviator is much older. He has got a new neighbour called The Little Girl, whose mother wants her to get ready to enter the grow-up world. Slowly The Aviator shares his story with The Little Girl by writing it down and sending her a page at a time. The pages are complete with the pictures in the book, speaking about his time in the desert and taking The Little Girl to an amazing world where anything is possible.
China is the first country in the world to see the film in two versions-in Chinese and English. The film shows The Little Girl's life and tells The Little Prince's story at the same time in a beautiful way.
Huang Lei, who dubbed the film together with his daughter, says the film is like a childhood dream which is lost by most adults in this stressed-out society.
"The most touching part is that every one of us was a good-natured kid like the Little Prince, and it's a pity that this good characteristic(品质)goes away as time flies," he says.
A lesson in “heart” is my little 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a muscle(肌肉)missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home on a beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in “field day” 一 that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events.
Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of words of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down-things I have heard many famous coaches tell the players when they were faced with defeat(失败)—but before I could get a word out, she looked up and said, “Daddy, I won two of the races.”
I couldn't believe it! Then Sarah said. “I had an advantage.”
Ah. I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start……some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn't get a head start…My advantage was I had to try harder!”
B
Mark Twain tells a boy's story in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is a poor child without a mother and a home. His father drinks too much alcohol(酒精) and always beats him.
Huck's situation frees him from the restriction of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He also smokes. Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped (逃脱) from slavery(奴隶制). They travel together on a raft (木筏) made of wood down the Mississippi River. Mark Twain started writing “Huckleberry Finn” as a children's story. But it soon became serious. The story tells about the social evil of slavery,which is seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Huck's ideas about people are formed by the white society in which he lives. So, at first, he does not question slavery. Huck knows that important people believe slavery is natural and this is the law of God. So, he thinks it is his duty to tell Jim's owners where to find him.
Later, Huck comes to understand that Jim is a good man. He finds he cannot carry out his plan to inform Jim's owners of his whereabouts (下落). Instead, he decides to help Jim escape. He decides to do this, even if God punishes him.
Do you know what Oscar is? When did it start? Maybe you can find the background of the awards in the following passage.
The awards started in 1929. Their full title is “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards”. The Academy is a group of people who have worked in the film industry for many years. They decide who will receive the awards. The awards are often referred to as the “Oscar”. This is a nick name given to the awards by a lady called Margaret Herrick. She was once the director of the Academy and she once said that the little gold statue reminded her of her uncle Oscar!
The Oscar is always an exciting event. Each year, at least one unusual thing happens. When the Italian actor and director Roberto Benigni won an Oscar for best foreign film, he danced on stage! When Gwyneth Paltrow,the star of Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best actress, she could not make her acceptance speech because she was crying so much with happiness!
In 1987, Roberto Benigni won the award for best director for a film about the last emperor of China. Since then, Chinese film and actors have started to make an impact at the awards. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge success and it won the award for best foreign language film in 2001.It also won several technical awards for its amazing “flying” people. We expect to see more awards for Chinese film in the near future.
It's time for the Oscar again. Once more, the stars will dress up in their finest and go to Kodar Theater. There, they will find out who have won the awards for best actor, best actress and best director. Millions of people watch the awards every year to find out who the winners are. Some people watch it to see the stars crying and laughing as they receive their awards.
