One day, Mr. Smith went to a dinner party. He was wearing very old clothes. He came into the room. But people in the room didn't look at him. They didn't ask him to sit at the table. He wasn't happy. But he said nothing.

    Mr. Smith went home quickly and put on （穿上） his best clothes. He went back to the party. Everyone in the room stood up and looked at him. They gave him good food to eat. Mr. Smith took off his coat, and put it on the food and said, “Eat, coat!” The other people were surprised and asked, “What are you doing? Why do you do that?”  Mr. Smith answered, “I am asking my coat to eat food. When I wore old clothes, you didn't look at me. You didn't ask me to sit down.

    Now I am wearing these nice clothes. And you give me good food. Now I see, you give the food to my coat, not to me.”

    The Kennedy Elementary school band(乐队)is special. That's because Tony Boland, a member of it, is a 79-year-old flute(长笛)player. His story tells us that you're never too old to toot the flute.

    After working at the school for more than ten years, Tony joined the fifth graders in the band. His grandchildren were at the school. He help with reading.

    He started tooting the flute many years ago, when his wire tried to throw away(扔掉)their daughter s flute.

    "You will play better if you play with others," he told a reporter.

    Brian Enabnit thought Tony would make a difference to the band. "He's great. He's helping the students around him, "Enabnit said.

    Tony practises with the students once a week and performs with them. They played at the Dubuque Community School District's Band Festival earlier this month.

    Fifth-grade student Courtney Less thought her older classmate was successful. "He's an excellent player," Courtney said. "All of us are afraid when giving a performance, but he isn't."

    Thomas Edison was born in 1847. When he was five, his father saw him sitting on some eggs, and asked what he was doing that for. He did not reply(回答). Instead he asked why he was not able to hatch(孵化)chickens while the hens could.

    Edison liked asking a lot of strange questions. His teacher did not understand him and said that he was not bright and was not worth teaching. His mother took him out of school and taught him herself.

    By the time he was ten, he had already built a small chemistry(化学) lab of his own. He planted vegetables in his garden and sold them.

    Once his mother was ill. The doctor said she needed an operation at once. But it was the night and the oil lamp in the room gave off poor light. Edison thought hard and had an idea. He put all the oil lamps he could find on a long table. Then he placed a big mirror(镜子)behind them. The room became quite bright. So the doctor could operate, and his mother was saved. At the age of twelve, Edison began selling candies, sandwiches and newspapers on the train. One day in August, 1862, Edison saw a boy playing on the tracks at a station. A train was coming near quickly, and the boy was too frightened to move. Edison rushed out and carried the boy to safety. The boy's father was the station master. He was so thankful that he taught Edison railway telegraphy(电报通讯术). This gave him a start in his life.

    Tom was walking through the forest with his axe (斧子) when a sapling (树苗).Called to him and stopped him on his way.

    "Could you please help me clear away these trees.my kind friend?  They are stealing (窃取)all of my sunshine. There is no room because of the trees .so my roots cannot grow freely. I cannot feel the wind with the trees above me."

    Tom decided he could do this favor for the poor sapling. He swung his axe and cleared the trees around the sapling.

    But after Tom made space for the sapling, the hot sunlight dried his leaves. Then there was a heavy rainstorm. The poor sapling couldn't stand(忍受)the weather.

    "Oh, foolish one." said a farmer who was passing by. "The taller trees may seem like they're taking your sunshine, space and wind form you, but they're actually helping you. They protect you from sunburns, heavy rain and other bad weather. _____.You only see them taking your space, but you don't see how they help you. One day when you grow up, you might be the one to protect other saplings."