Nearly eight hundred million people in this world cannot read or write, most of them in developing countries. Two-thirds are women and girls.

    John Wood who started the Room to Read campaign （运动）, has opened 1650 schools and 15000 libraries in some of the world's poorest communities（社区）. He said that from the beginning, Room to Read'sgoal was to reach 10 million children around the world in the poorest countries.

    In 1998, on athree-week vacation journey in Nepal, Wood met a local headmaster who invited him to visit his schoolin a far mountain village. The experience changed Wood's life.

    "This headmaster had 450 students at the school, but he didn't have any books," Wood said. "He had a library that was empty."

    Wood promised to fill the library shelves and returned to the village one year later with some of his friends with 3000 books. And that was just the start. Later, Wood used some of his personal money to start Room to Read.  He believes that world change begins with educated children. Today, the programme can be found in 10 countries across Asia and Africa.

    Wood believes the key to the program's success is local support. While Room to Read gives away money and provides books, communities offer land and parents help build the school. Agnes, a Room to Read teacher in Zambia who also runs the library, is proud to say the literacy' at her school has improved.  Room to Read's biggest challenge is the huge need.  Hundreds of communities have asked for literacy prograrnmes. One way of Room to Read's success is that it will achieve Wood's goal of reaching 10 million kids by 2015, five years earlier than it is planned.

    Mike found a job in a bookstore after he finished middle school. He wouldn't do anything but wanted to get rich.   It was a cold morning. It snowed and there was thin ice on the streets. Few people went to buy books and the young man had nothing to do. He hated to read, so he watched the traffic. Suddenly he saw a bag fall off a truck and it landed by the other side of the street.

    “It is full of expensive things.” Mike said to himself. “I have to get it right now, or others will take it away.”He went out of the bookstore and ran across the street. A driver saw him and began to whistle (鸣笛), but he didn't hear it and went on running. The man drove to the side, hit a big tree and hurt himself in the accident. Two weeks later, Mike was taken to the court (法庭). A judge asked if he heard the whistle when he was running across the street. He said that something was wrong with his ears and he could hear nothing.“But you heard me this time,” said the judge.“Oh, I'm sorry. Now I can hear with one ear.”“Cover (盖住) the ear with your hand and listen to me with your deaf (聋的) one. Well, can you hear me?”“No, I can't , sir.”“You told a lie. There is nothing wrong with either of your ears,” the judge said.

It's 5 o'clock. SeanMurphy is on his way home from work. He is tired and the bus is full, but whenhe thinks of seeing his lovely family at home, his heart is full of joy again.

"I want to see mywife, my children and my mother," he thinks. "But first of all I wantto sit on the sofa. I want to relax and read a good book."

Finally Mr. Murphy isat home. He is very tired now but he is happy. He says hello to his family.Then he sits down on the sofa, stretches(伸展)hislegs and lifts up his book.

"Now I canrelax," he thinks and smiles. But Mr. Murphy is not alone in the room. Hismother is playing the guitar and his wife is playing the piano. His two youngerchildren are fighting and his two older children are arguing about thetelevision. And the pots and pans are bubbling on the cooker(炊具).

It's the same everyday. Poor Murphy is very unhappy. He talks to his friend about his problem at abus stop.

Mr. Murphy's friendlistens to him carefully. Then he says: "Go and see Linda McCormack! Sheis a very clever woman. She knows the answer to everything."

Mr. Murphy thinks itworth(值得)a try. The next day, whenhe gets home, he doesn't go into the house as usual. He goes to the garage(车库)and gets on his bike.

Colin walked out of the shopping center with his head down. There were many wonderful Mother's Day gifts there, but they were too expensive. He had only saved four{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(dollar).

"Why don't you make {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(she) something?" Colin's older sister Whitney asked. "Remember the poem I{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(write) for Mom last year? She loved it so much." Colin knew it was true. The poem hung above the fireplace. But Colin wasn't good{#blank#}4{#/blank#}writing poems.

"It doesn't need{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) a poem," Whitney said. "It could be anything that makes her think of you whenever she sees it. That's why homemade gifts are special." "But I don't know how to make anything Mom would{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) want,"Colin said.

"Yes, you do! You're always drawing those funny little comics (漫画). Why don't you do a comic of Mom? She would love it!"

Colin thought about the idea{#blank#}7{#/blank#}whole way home. He spent the next two days drawing in his room. Finally it{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(finish)!" On the morning of Mother's Day, Colin gave it to mom. He held his breath as his mom looked at it. "This is{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(good) gift you've ever given me, Colin," his mother said tearfully. "I know just where to put it," his dad said with a smile. He hung it next to Whitney's poem above the fireplace. Colin looked up at the comic. "{#blank#}10{#/blank#} a perfect work it is!" Colin said to himself.

Last year, we took a trip to New York City. When we arrived at our hotel, it was around 1:00 am. My son, Joseph, looked out at the lights of Times Square and said he {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(want) to go outside. I told him it was too late, but he kept {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(look) out of the window and said, "Just for two minutes. "

My wife and I just looked {#blank#}3{#/blank#} each other, smiled and said, "Two minutes. " We got dressed and walked to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} centre of Times Square. When we got there, my son pointed at the lights and said, "Dad, look!", and then he started to fall {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(sleep). So we had to go back to the hotel. 

It took us twenty minutes {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(get) ready for the twenty seconds we spent outside. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}, it made our son happy and that meant a lot to us. That night, I learnt a lesson about happiness. We sometimes have chances to create happy {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(moment), but we often find an excuse to do something else. We {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(we) are the biggest enemies(敌人) to our own happiness. Although happiness is a door that is always open, we are the ones to decide whether we walk through the door {#blank#}10{#/blank#} not. Happiness is just beside us.