Tom is ten years old. He loves watching TV. But for one year, he didn't watch TV at all. What was the reason? Tom's parents said they would give him $600 if he didn't watch TV for a year. Tom's parents thought he watched TV too much.
One day his mother read a story in a newspaper about a boy who didn't watch TV for a year. She showed the story to Tom. Tom liked the idea. He turned off the TV right away, and said," It doesn't trouble me not to watch TV. I just want the money. "At first, Tom's parents were very happy. Tom read books and newspapers, played outside, and played computer games, but soon he got bored.
Every evening, he asked his parents." What are we doing tonight?" Sometimes his mother and father wished he would watch TV just for one evening. Tom always said," No, it would cost me money!" Finally the year was over, Then Tom started watching his favorite TV shows all day again. Tom got the money from his parents. What did he plan to do with the $600?"I want to buy myself a TV set!" he said.
John Brown, an office worker, lives in Washington. He inherited $1,000,000 after his parents died. He didn't feel happy at all. His college friends were looking for their first jobs, but he didn't have to. John decided to keep living a simple life like everyone else. He didn't tell any of his friends and gave$100,000 of his money to a charity that helped poor children. Today he is 36, and he still wears cheap clothes and drives a small car only, but he is much happier.
So far, John has helped 15 children from poor countries all over the world, $200 a month for each. The child does not receive the money in cash（现金）. The money is paid for the child's education, food, medical care and clothing. John receives a report each year on the child's progress. They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English.
Once John went to meet a little girl he was helping in Africa. He said that the meeting was exciting." When I met her, I felt very happy. He said. "I saw that the money was used for a very good plan. It brought me closer to the child in a way that only giving money cannot." "I want to do everything I can. I will go on helping those children in need." he added.
Dogs may be man's best friends, but for Sisu, a stray dog, the unicom (独角兽) is his best friend.
Recently, Sisu broke into a store in North Carolina five times, trying to steal the same purple unicorn toy. But every time he got it, a salesman would find him, take the toy away and put it back on the shelf. When it turned out that Sisu wouldn't give up, the salesman had to lock the door and not let Sisu in, and then called Duplin County Animal Services for help.
Samantha Lane, the officer who answered the call, was so moved by Sisu's love for the unicorn that she bought the $10 toy for the dog.
"The only thing we can think of is that he came from a family that had a similar toy or had children who had one," said Joe Newbum, a director of Duplin County Animal Services.
"It's a nice dog," Newbum added. "He likes to play and he is very smart. He sits, stays and shakes hands. He is very polite."
And whoever is lucky enough to adopt (收养) Sisu will get two best friends for the price of one. According to the Facebook post from Duplin County Animal Services, Sisu and his stuffed animal have already had an adopter.
a. Sisu was adopted at last.
b. Sisu broke into the store.
c. The salesman called for help.
d. The officer bought Sisu the unicorn.
In a small village there was a middle-aged postman, who just tuned 20 years old and started
delivering (投递) all kinds of happy or sad stories to each home day after day for 50 kilometers. 20 years flew by, and so many changes took place, but the road from the post office to the village
always hadn't had any tree and nothing but the flying dust (尘土) could be seen.
"How long shall I go along this lonely road?"
As soon as he thought he must spend his life riding the bike on the dusty road with no flower or tree, he felt somewhat sorry.
One day when he finished delivering the letters and was ready to return, he happened to pass by a flower shop." Right, that's i!" He walked into the shop, bought a handful of wild flower seeds (种子), and from the next day on put these seeds along the roadside. Thus, after one day, two days, one month, two month... he always kept putting the wild flower seeds along the roadside.
Before long, on the lonely road, where he had come and gone for 20 years, grew up a lot of little flowers, in all seasons endlessly.
For the villages, the flowers were more enjoyable than any mail the postman delivered in all his life.
On the road without dust but full of petals (花瓣), the postman rode his bike, losing himself in the sweet smell and not feeling lonely and anxious any more.
It's half past seven on Monday morning: time to get ready for school. Jay Stone rolled out of bed. He did a couple of quick wake-up exercises and then he went over to a mirror and looked at himself.
“Not bad, Stone, not bad,” he said to himself and smiled. Maybe he wasn't ready for Hollywood, but with his dark broad eyes and his thick brown hair, he had the looks that turned girls' heads. He moved in closer to the mirror and smiled, checking his teeth.
“Perfect,” he thought, “Good enough for a toothpaste ad.”
As his eyes moved down to his strong arms and chest he smiled again. The hours he spent on the playground and doing sit-ups have paid off!
But suddenly, the smile froze(僵住)on his lips. His eyes moved from the upper part of his body down to his legs. His legs were short. Not just short, but far too short for his body. He had the upper body of a six feet boy, but because of his legs, he was much less than six feet. Sitting, he was as tall as almost anyone in his class. Standing, he had to look up at most of the boys and even many of the girls.
Why didn't his legs grow with the rest of his body? At five feet six inches(英寸), he was one of the shortest boys in his class. He was the shortest in his own family, and he was even shorter than his little sister — by three inches! Where did his legs come from?
He certainly didn't get them from his parents. They were both quite tall. Looking through old photos in the family album, he found the answer. It was his grandfather on his mother's side. His short legs were a gift from Grandpa Tuttle. Thanks a lot, Grandpa!
Can a one-armed person still play basketball? You might not think so when you The single-armed 13-year-old from Guangdong has recently become an internet sensation (引起轰动的人). Featuring his dribbling (运球) skills and powerful underarm shot, his basketball videos have been viewed by more than 50 million people. Zhang even drew the attention.
"You are an inspiration, you don 't take 'no' for an answer, you find the way to go through difficult times and get out there on the basketball court (球场) "Curry said in a video posted on Sina Weibo.
However, it wasn't easy for Zhang to step onto the court. At the age of five, Zhang lost his right arm in an accident at an oil mill. Although it was difficult at first, Zhang gradually got used to eating and getting dressed on his own. He also keeps up with his studies in school and helps his family with chores.
In the summer of 2018, Zhang first discovered his love for the sport when he attended a basketball course in his school. Soon, he was rarely seen without a ball in his hand, even dribble at home in the living room. He also practiced basketball in PE class. When the class was learning how to skip rope, which takes two hands, he asked his teacher to permit him to do basketball instead.
He's gotten a lot of attention since then. Zhang said, "With the encouragement of all these people, I feel like I have to try harder to live up to people's expectations. I will do better and become better."
a. He learned to dress himself with one arm.
b. He attended a basketball course in his school.
c. He drew much attention at home and abroad.
d. He lost his right arm in an accident at an oil mill.
e. He practiced basketball skills anytime and anywhere.
I bought a new car. My old car was still in good condition and worth $1, 500 at least at the used-car market.
I have a co-worker, Tom. He is a great worker. He has no enough money for a new car and has been looking at used cars. So I asked him how much he was looking to spend on a car. He thought about $300 to $500. So I told him I'd sell him my old one for $300.
My mom, who I work with, asked if I had any luck selling my old car. I told her I planned to sell it to our co-worker Tom for $300.
She started crying. She told me how glad she was that she had brought up a selfless (无私的) kid who would help someone out so much. She told me to give it to him for free and that she would pay me $1,500. I didn't expect her to say so at all and of course I didn't take her money either. I want to help more people like my mother does.
I love singing. But I am often laughed at for being a woman with a really deep voice. I couldn't go to the choir (合唱团) as a kid. Because of this, I never sing when people are nearby.
I only sing in the car if I'm alone or when I'm home alone. My husband knows that I have this hobby. He wants to hear me sing. However, I never feel comfortable doing so.
One day, we were driving and it was a beautiful trip. I got a bit excited and I was feeling a bit brave. I said to my husband, "Could you put on my favorite CD?" He did and my true feelings came out. I couldn't help singing.
My husband started crying. Then I started getting choked up (哽咽). It was such a fantastic day. Now I want to share it with anyone who might listen. Sing out loud, people. Don't be afraid to be laughed at. Someone might even sing along.
One day, I walked into a stranger as he walked by me. "Oh, excuse me." I said. He replied with a smile and said, "Please excuse me, too. I wasn't watching out for you." We apologized(道歉) and went our own ways.
Later that day, when I was cooking, my daughter was standing too close to me. When I turned to reach for some milk, I nearly knocked her over. "Move out of the way." I shouted. She walked away sadly. But I didn't feel like I had to apologize to her.
While I was in bed that evening, my husband said to me, "Dealing with a stranger, you were polite, but with a daughter you love, you were unkind. Your daughter brought you some flowers that she picked herself this afternoon. You'll find them in the kitchen by the door. Have you seen the tears in her eyes?"
I quietly went and knelt down by my daughter's bed. "Honey, I am so sorry." I said, "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" She said, "I found them by the tree. I picked them because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like them especially the blue ones." I tearfully replied, "Sweetie, I'm really sorry for the way I acted today. I shouldn't have shouted at you." "It's okay. I love you anyway." she said as she kissed me on my cheek.
If we can be polite to strangers, why can't we be kind to the ones we love?
a. The author shouted at the daughter.
b. The husband gave the author advice.
c. Her daughter picked flowers for the author.
d. The author apologized to the daughter.
I did not have a rich father. I tried 3 times for university, but all failed. I applied(申请)for Harvard for 10 times, but all failed. They didn't even want to see me. For the last time, I went to the teachers' college which was regarded as the third class of my city. I applied jobs for 30 times.
A lot of people said Alibaba was a terrible model. As I said, "I believe it. I think this thing could be big. I never thought it would be so big like today. "I believe that something, something is waiting for me there, and I have to work hard to prove myself. That was the tough experience. So we gathered 50 thousand US dollars from 18 founders. Little by little, we built up our business. And now, after 16 years, we have a Alibaba group; We have a T-mall group; We have a Taobao group; We have Alipay.
“You are so smart, how could you make a company like that? People asked. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the Jack Welch, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, the difference between those people and other people, they are always optimistic(乐观的)for the future. They never complain. They always try to solve the problems of the others. When you are optimistic, it's always an opportunity (机会).“Jack, Where's the opportunity? I don't have a job. I don't have this. I don't have that.” We are at the best of time of this century. The best asset(财产)you have is that you are young. Don't complain. Let the other people complain. The opportunity lies, always lies where people complain. I saw a lot of people, especially young people have fantastic ideas every evening. But the next morning, they go to the office on time again.
Tomorrow is new. Make the move. Make action. Whether investors(投资者)believe this or not, whether your friends believe it or not, whether your parents believe it or not, that's not important. You believe it. Your team believe it and work day and night on this. Everything happens. Make enough mistakes. You fall, and you stand up. Any mistake is an income and a wonderful revenue(收益). Don't worry about the money. Money follows the people. Young people should follow the dreams. If you have a dream, just to go ahead.
B
Wang Fuman is a 10-year-old student. He is now studying in Zhuanshanbao Primary School in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province. On Monday morning (January 8, 2018), he braved -9℃ weather to travel over an hour to reach his school.
When he arrived, his hair and eyebrows had been completely frozen with snowflake (雪花). This made his 16 classmates laugh a lot. Fu Heng, Wang's teacher saw this and took a picture. He uploaded (上传) Wang's picture. The picture soon has got much attention to children from poor families in the countryside. Wang, who has been nicknamed “Snowflake Boy” by netizens, became famous online overnight. By Wednesday morning, his picture had been “liked” more than 260,000 times on Sina Weibo and shared more than 40,000 times.
After hearing Wang's story, the Yunnan China Youth Development Foundation held a public donation ( 捐赠) activity for children from poor families. The Foundation has promised to give each poor child 500 yuan ($75) to help them stay warm in winter.
By 1 pm on Wednesday, the Foundation had collected about 300,000 yuan in public donations, according to their website. Wang's village now has electricity and tap water, “…and my family is getting help to build a new house close to the school”, Wang said, “I think our life will get better.”
31-year-old Rob from California USA was born without arms or legs. But like each of us, he has a dream and with the support of his parents and two sisters, Rob has made his dream come true.
His interest in football began when he was 13 and a high school football coach gave him a sports shirt. "To a 13-year-old kid, it just made me excited. I felt the need to know more about the sport," Rob said. After a full understanding of it, Rob dreamed of becoming a football coach. And he made it.
To do his job, Rob has to use a special chair he controls with his head and neck, and write by using his mouth to hold a special tool.
Last autumn, Rob worked as head coach of the Prospect High School Junior team. Under him, the team won 8 and lost 2. It gave Rob confidence(信心) and courage. Clearly, football isn't just a sport; it is his life now.
