阅读理解

    One day I got in a taxi, and we left for the airport. We were driving in the right lane（车道）when, suddenly, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver stopped his car at once. The tire（轮胎） made a very loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the back of the other car.

    I was frightened. But then I couldn't believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head and started yelling at us. I couldn't believe it! But my taxi driver just smiled at the guy. So I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost sent us to hospital.”

    This is when my taxi driver taught my what I now call, “The Law of the Rubbush Truck（垃圾车法则）.” He explained that many people are like rubbish trucks. They run around full of rubbish, full of anger and full of bad feelings. As their rubbish piles up, they look for a place to throw it away and sometimes they'll throw it at you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their rubbish and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

    Successful people never let rubbish trucks change their moods. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love those who love you and pray（祈祷）for those who don't.

    In 1989, an 8.2 earthquake killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. A father rushed to his son's school, only to discover the building was as flat as a pancake.

    But he remembered that promise he had made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of debris(瓦砾)that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his words. He rushed there and started digging.

    Other parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school. They tried saying many different things: "It's too late!" "They're all dead!" "Come on, face reality, there's nothing you can do!"

    A firefighter also tried to pull him away, saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions(爆炸) are happening everywhere. You're in danger."

    The police came and said, "You're endangering(危及)others. Go home."

    To which he replied, "Are you going to help me?" And then he went back to his digging, stone by stone.

    He went on because he needed to know, "Is my boy alive or is he dead?"

    He dug for eight hours ...12 hours…then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad? It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You did it, Dad!"

    "What's going on there?" the father asked.

    "There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad," his son replied. "We're afraid, hungry, thirsty, but thankful you're here."

    "Come on out, boy!"

    "Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what, I know you'll always be there for me!"

    Several days ago, I was walking home from school and saw some writing on the fence of a house I was passing by. It said, “Happiness is a direction, not a destination (终点).” I had been having a bad day and just reading this brightened my day a little. I also took out a pen and wrote one of my favorite quotes (格言) down.

    When I came back to the fence, I saw another quote under mine in the handwriting as the first one. I added another, and we kept at this pattern for quite a while. One day, I was writing another quote on the fence and the old man, one of my neighbors, who owned the fence, saw me. He came out and I was afraid he would be mad at me for writing on his fence; he was not known to be very friendly. He gave me a sharp glance and then read the quotes on the fence. Without saying a word, he said something to himself and then went back inside. I was a bit terrified for a while, afraid to go back to the fence, but when I did, I noticed not more quotes but two words in entirely different handwriting had been added, “Thank you.”

    Later, I saw the old man in his front yard. He beckoned (召唤) me over and told me how my quotes had been inspiring him, how he thanked me and how he was glad to see young people still have “values”. We are now good friend and I talk to him a lot. This experience has changed my life. I still don't know who wrote that very first quote, but if he is out there, I'd like to say “thanks” to that unknown friend.

    I volunteered at the vet's (兽医诊所) last summer vacation. Minnie was the most interesting dog that I saw there. Long hair covered her body. And her tail looked like a mouse's tail.

    She was brought to the vet's because her owner didn't want her any more. Minnie was well-behaved(行为端正). "No one should judge(评判) her by her appearance," I thought. So the people of the vet's looked after her. Finally, I advertised Minnie in the local newspaper. "Funny-looking dog, well-behaved, needs a loving family." When a young man called, I told him that Minnie looked a little strange. The boy on the phone told me that his grandfather's old dog had just died. They wanted to bring Minnie to him. I gave Minnie a good bath. At last, an old car drove up in front of the vet's. Two kids brought Minnie to their grandfather who was waiting in the car. Then the grandfather held Minnie in his arms and touched her soft hair. Minnie kissed his face. She waved her tail so quickly. "She's great!" the old man said.

    I was glad that Minnie found a good family. That's when I saw that the grandfather was blind.

    Hi, everyone! My name is Guo Ailun. And my English name is Allen. I come from Liaoning, China. I'm 22 years old, and I look really tall and strong. I'm a basketball player. I love basketball very much and I play it quite well.

    My uncle was a great basketball player in the national team (国家队) in the past and my father loves basketball too. So I started to play basketball early. And I began to play for our country as a player when I was only 14. Basketball is my favourite sport. I play it every day. It makes me happy.

    Tony Parker is my favourite basketball player in NBA. I want to be a member of NBA and play with Parker some day. I hope my dream comes true.

    Do you want to be a basketball player like me? Then you must play it hard.