Once a king got two nice falcons(猎鹰)from his son. He had never seen such beautiful falcons before. He loved them so much and he ordered the best falconer to train them to fly.

   After several months, the king came to see how the training was going on. He found that one falcon had already been able to fly high in the sky, while the other was staying on the branch(树枝) of a tree quietly, just keeping still.

   The king called all his falcons together and ordered them to try every way they could to make the other falcon fly. But none of them succeeded. One day, while the king was taking a walk in the forest, an idea came to his mind. Maybe someone who knew the natural environment well could solve this problem. He spent for a farmer who lived in the forest into his palace to train it at once.

   The next morning, the king saw the other falcon flying above in the sky freely. “ it is unbelievable !” shouted the king. How could you make it happen?”

   The farmer replied,“It's very easy. I just cut off the branch where the falcon rested.”

 It is always the same to human beings. We all have “two flying wings” in our hearts as well, but we often seem not to notice them and stay where we just for safety and comfort. We won't realize we can fly so high and freely until the “branch” we are resting on breaks.

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   Stuffy Pete sat down on a bench in the New York City Park. It was the third bench to the left as you enter the park from the east.

    Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, an Old Gentleman had come to find Stuffy there at one in the afternoon. He led Stuffy to a restaurant and watched him eat a big dinner. He was trying to make it a tradition.  

    Stuffy had just come from a dinner so big that he had almost no power to move. How he expected that gentleman would not come this year! Then his eyes grew wider and his breath stopped.

    The Old Gendeman was thin and tall, dressed all in black. He wore eye-glasses. His hair was whiter and thinner than it was last year. His legs did not seem as strong as they had seemed the year before, but he moved, straight and proud, to Stuffy and toward the tradition that he was building.

    "I am glad to see everything's fine with you. For that blessing you and I can give thanks on this day of thanksgiving. If you will come with me, my man, I will give you a dinner that will surely make your body feel as thankful as your mind," said the gentleman. The words themselves were almost a tradition

    Stuffy was very full, but he understood that his desire for food on Thanksgiving Day was not his own. It belonged to this kind gentlemam.

    The gentleman led Stuffy to the restaurant and to the same table where they had always gone. He sat at the table, watching.

    The turkey and all the other food were gone almost as quickly as they appeared Stuffy saw the look of happiness on the gentleman's face. He continued to eat to keepit there.

    In an hour the battle was finished.  

    "Thank you for my Thanksgiving dinner," Stuffy stood up heavily.

    They said goodbye, as they did each year, at the door.

    Stuffy went around the first corner, stood for one minute, and fell. He was picked up and taken to a hospital.

    An hour later , the Old Gentleman was brought to the same hospital.

    "That nice old gentleman over there," a doctor was talking to another. "Do you know what's wrong with him? He's almost dead for the need of food. A very proud old man, I think, He told me he hadn't eaten anything for three days."

Mr and Mrs Albina, with 64 children, have the world's largest family. Not one of their children is adopted（领养）.
When people hear about the Albinas' large family, the first question they ask is, "How is it possible? How can one woman give birth to 64 children in her lifetime?" The answer is simple: Every time Mrs Albina gave birth, she had twins or triplets.
Soon after the Albinas got married the children came quickly, in twos and threes. The first 21 children were boys. Mrs Albina loved her sons, but she wanted a daughter very much.
The Albinas spent the early years in Argentina. Then they decided to move to Chile. To travel from Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the Andes Mountains. Mr and Mrs Albina and their 21 sons made the difficult, two-week joumey on mules. One night there was a terrible snowstorm in the mountains. During the snowstorm, Mrs Albina gave birth to triplets, a boy and-two girls!
The oldest Albina children are in their thirties and forties. They are on their own now, but 18 of the Albina children still live with their parents The family lives in a two-room shack in Colina Chile. The shack has electricity but no toilet or running water. The children wash in a small bowl in the dusty backyard.
At times there is very little food in the Albinas' small house. When there is not enough food for everyone, Mrs Albina makes sure the youngest children do not go hungry. "The smallest eat first, and then the bigger ones. We've always done it that way," she says. Obviously, the Albinas do not have enough money for their big family. Why, then, do they continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control because it is against their religion (宗教）.They could let other people take care of their children, but Mrs. Albina will not allow it. "When my two brothers and I were babies," she says，"our mother left us at an orphanage（孤儿院）and never returned. We lived there together until we were five. Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I was left behind. I was heartbroken. I promised myself that when I became a mother, I would never give my children away. Even if I didn't have much money, I would always take care of my children myself." Mrs Albina has kept her promise.

    Zach has a stepson， Bradley. One day， Zach drove over to meet Bradley. Bradley was a student in a high school. He neither liked nor disliked Zach， even though he had known Zach for three years. Zach was still trying to get along with Bradley. He told Bradley that he was coming over. Bradley said OK. When Zach got there， he asked if Bradley wanted to drive his car. Bradley had a driver's license. Bradley said all right. Zach told him not to drive too fast， but he could drive anywhere he wanted. Bradley got on the 210 Road and headed northwest. Zach gave Bradley a few driving tips： Don't drive next to big cars； don't drive behind trucks with goods...

    On their way back， Zach suggested that they stop at the golf course(高尔夫球场). He wanted to show Bradley how to play golf. But Bradley didn't like it； he liked his video games. However， Bradley soon found that playing golf was fun and he did very well. The next day， Bradley， for the first time， called Zach. Bradley asked if Zach would come the next Saturday， so they could take a drive and go to the golf course again. Zach said yes， with a happy feeling in his heart.

    Two frogs lived in a village. One day they wanted to go and see the big 1 that was about ten miles away.

    They talked about it 2 a long time, and 3 they decided to see the city.

    It was a hot day, and they soon 4 to feel tired. They 5 went a little way when one said to the other, “We must be nearly there. Can you 6 the city?”

    “No, ”said the other frog, “but if I climb on your 7 I might be able to see it.”

    8 he climbed up on the back of 9frog to see the city.

When the frog 10 his head, his eyes could only see what was 11 , and not what was in front. “Can you see the city ?” asked the other frog. “Yes,” answered the frog that climbed up. “I 12 see it. It looks just 13 our village. ”

    So the frogs decided 14 the city, and went back home.

The two frogs 15 the others in village, “The city was just like our village.”