People often said Thomas Edison was the greatest genius(天才) of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be pleased only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such a thing as genius,” Edison said. He thought what people called genius was mostly hard work.

     But Edison was a thinker as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. He tried to understand them, and then he tried to learn what he could usefully do with them.

     Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people would do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking could give men enjoyment and pleasure.

     Edison could not understand why anyone could not be interested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what idea he had about life. “Work,” he answered, “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.

We all know it's important to encourage children's interests. But Maryland mom Charmaine Britt took support to a whole new level when she gave her daughter Breana Britt the green light to start her own baking business five years ago—- when "Bree" was just 12 years old. "She kept asking me, so I finally said, 'Well, you can start it online with you baking and me doing deliveries(运送)and we'll see how it goes,'" Charmaine, 38, said.

    Things went well. The now 17-year-old Bree's Sweet Treats had grown from a little online cupcake-and-cookie business became a full-service bakery plus café that delivers to the entire Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. "She makes great baked goods so I just thought it could be a good way to help her become financially responsible," says Charmaine. "I never thought it would become this."

    Bree, on the other hand, said she never had any doubts. "I love doing this," says the junior. "And I just think, if I'm doing something I love, I may as well make money." Bree makes about $1,500 a month.

    "When we opened the store I took some time and thought: Is this what I want?" Bree says. "And it was." She admits there have been rough patches (困难时期). There have been times where we get frustrated（受挫）. Am I willing to give up a bit of time with friends for this?" She says. "But I never regretted having this business. It's been a part of me for so long."

    Charmaine is already thrilled with what her daughter has accomplished. "over the years I've seen her become a leader and I'm so impressed with her dedication (奉献), especially for someone her age." says the mom.

    Kaitlin Riffle's dream of ending poverty (贫困) started when she was visiting her father, who worked for the homeless.

    "I never realized there were people in the world who didn't have a house or food before," said Kaitlin, who is now seventeen. "I knew there was something I had to do about that.

    At age eight, she started raising money to build a playground. "It took me two years," Kaitlin said. "We started small. We wanted to do something to make a difference. "

    In 2014, when Kaitlin was thirteen, she visited Central America, and saw people going hungry and families living in houses made of cardboard. That year, she set up Kids on a Mission, which has helped hundreds of people there.

    "The rooms were smaller than my bedroom, but there would be eight people living in each one," Kaitlin said. "We also got to see the dirty rivers that those people were drinking out of."

    Providing clean drinking water, food and clothes for people living in poverty is now an important task for Kids on a Mission. "This young lady is changing the hearts of people, and also changing the world,"" said the headmaster of Kaitlin's school.

    Blue Ocean Aquarium is a great place for families to take a holiday. Children love to see the sea animals and watch movies about sharks in it.

    Last Saturday morning, Mr. Black took his wife and two little sons to the aquarium. At the ticket office, he asked, "How much shall I pay to get in?" The woman at the ticket office answered, "The price is 20 dollars for each adult(成年人) or any kid older than five. We let kids in free(免费) if they are five or younger. How old are your kids?" Mr. Black said, "The older one is six and the younger one is three. I think I must buy three tickets." The woman was surprised. She said, "Sir, don't you want to save 20 dollars? If you tell me your older son is five, I won't know the difference." Mr. Black said with a smile, "Yes, that sounds right, but my kids will know the difference."

    From Mr. Black's story, we know honesty is very important in the modern society. We should tell the truth to the people around us, especially to the kids.

    Mr White works in an office. He is very 1 and has no time to have a good rest. Every evening, when he comes back from his office, he's always tired and wants to go to bed early, 2 his wife often has a lot of interesting things to tell him after supper. She doesn't stop talking until he falls 3. But it's usually too late and Mr White has to 4 early in the morning when she is asleep.

    One day the man felt terrible and couldn't go to work. He decided to go to 5. And Mrs White went with him. Before her husband said 6 was the matter with him, the woman had told the doctor all and the doctor said to her, "The bottle of medicine is for your husband and the pills are for you." "For me?" the woman said in surprise, "I'm fine. I don't need 7 medicine."

     "I don't think so, madam," said the doctor. "They are sleeping pills. Your husband will soon be all right if you take them."

Do you know Roma people? They were called Gypsies (吉普赛人) by Europeans because they thought they came from Egypt (a country in Africa). About a thousand years ago, the Roma people left their homeland. They are known as nomads because for hundreds of years many of them have lived in large groups that travel from place to place. They have no real homeland.

Today, the Roma are now living all over the world. They have kept their language and many customs. For example, it's important for Roma to marry other Roma. It's also a custom for parents to choose the person their children will marry. Roma people get married when they are young, sometimes even as young as 14.

Romany is the language of the Roma people, which was written down only recently. Because the Roma are nomadic and have moved all over the world, their language has developed in many different ways. It is sometimes hard for Roma in one part of the world to communicate with Roma from another part.

Roma music is famous all over the world because many Roma throughout history have been musicians. Their music has influenced many other kinds of music, like classical and jazz.

Roma don't usually assimilate (同化) into host countries. Over many centuries, governments have forbidden them to marry each other, travel or wear their traditional bright clothes. They have their gold taken away from them—treasures from their parents and grandparents. They have been taken as slaves (奴隶), and have been forced to change their names.

 But today, the Roma are finding ways to live in peace with others while keeping the treasures of their culture. "There's a will within us to continue to live as a people." says George Kaslov, whose family arrived in New York from Russia a hundred years ago. "All the other ethnic (种族) groups who came to America assimilate gradually with time going; they lose their customs and language. But not the Roma. We hold out."