"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the baby was lying in her arms and she moved the cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped(吃力地喘着气). The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Luckily, time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. Though the misfortune(不幸)happened to him, he grew into a handsome boy. Yet he felt ashamed when he communicated with others.
    "You should get in touch with other young people," his mother told him, with a kindness in her heart. The boy's father talked with the family doctor about his ears. "Could nothing be done?"the father asked. "I believe I could give him a pair of outer ears, if they could be got," the doctor replied.
    Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need, but it's a secret."The operation is a big success. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交的) service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her."
    "You could, my son," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet."
    The years kept their secret, but one of the darkest days did come. He stood with his father over his mother's casket(棺材). Slowly, the father stretched forth(伸出) a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.
    "Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

    An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation (手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money. When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully. She ran to a drugstore（药店）with the money in her hand.

    “And what do you want?” asked the salesman.

    “It's for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He's really， really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”

    “Pardon?” said the salesman.

    “My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

    “We don't sell a miracle here， child. I'm sorry，” the salesman said with a smile.  

    “Listen， if it isn't enough， I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

     A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

    “I don't know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it， so I have brought all my money.”

    “How much do you have?” asked the man.

    “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered.

    “Well， what luck，” smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took up the girl's hand and said， “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

    That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong， a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again

    How much did the miracle cost?

Nineteen-year-old Zara Rutherford set the world record Thursday as {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (年轻的) woman to fly alone around the world. Rutherford has travelled in small planes with her pilot parents since she was six. At the age of {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (十四), she gained her pilot's license. Then she started flying by {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (她自己).

She began her trip around the world on {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (八月) 18th. It covered 51,000 kilometers over 52 countries and five continents. On Thursday, Rutherford {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (降落，着陆) her small airplane back in western Belgium. The flight was supposed to take three months, but bad {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (天气) and visa delays kept her grounded and extended the trip by about two months. She met many {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (困难) on the way, but she dealt with them {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (成功).

On her website, Rutherford wrote, "Boys learn through toys, street names, history classes and movies that they can be scientists, astronauts, CEOs or presidents." She added, "Usually girls {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (鼓励) to be beautiful, kind, helpful and sweet. With my actions, I want to show women that they can be bold and brave {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (实现) their dreams."

I was in my room, slowly getting ready to head to the theatre with the rest of my family.

I don't want to put on the show in the theatre that day. "Kirstie, come here!" Mum called from down the hall.

"What is it?"I called back and found my mum outside the bathroom, holding a wet book.

Mum gave the book a shake. "Henry's book was in the bathroom. Did you put it there?"

"Not on purpose," I said disinterestedly,"It was already on the corner, and it happened to fall in when I stepped out." Mum looked at

me angrily,"You could have picked it up. That would be the kind thing to do."

Mum never acted like this before. Being kind wasn't actually that hard. But after Henry and his dad moved in, everything felt different. As Henry walked ahead of us to the car, Mum took me aside.

"This is our corner of the world now, Kirstie,"she said. "Let's try to make it a good one. "

I nodded unwillingly.

The theatre was busy as usual. One play a year in the theatre used to be what Mum and I did together most excitedly. But now, with Henry here, it won't be special any more.

Soon, it was my turn. I forgot my anger at Henry when I went on the stage.

As we kids lined up on the stage, I realised how poorly I had tied(系) the drawstring on my skirt —my bow(蝴蝶结) suddenly came untied and my skirt began to drop — in front of hundreds of people!

It was not a dream! It was terribly real! People soon began laughing, and I could feel my face burning.

Then Henry, beside me, came to my aid! He tidied up my clothes, tying the drawstring with a beautiful knot (结). He made a joke about me"not"knowing knots, and most of the people laughed again! This time, the laughter felt OK!

At the end of the show, I found Henry and touched him on the shoulder. "Thanks!"

He smiled, "Knot a problem!"

I smiled guiltily (惭愧地 ). Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a new person in my corner of the world after all.

Once or twice, there was crying and sighing (叹息) from a little leaf, as leaves often do when the wind is blowing. The tree said, "What's the matter, little leaf ?"

"The wind, " said the leaf, "just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me on the ground. "

" Don't be afraid, " the tree said. "Hold on , and you shall not go off until you are ready. "

So the leaf stopped sighing and went on singing. It grew all summer long until October. When the bright days of autumn came, the leaf saw all the leaves around growing very beautiful. Some were yellow, some were brown, and many were colorful. Then the leaf asked the tree what this meant (意味着).

The tree said, " All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these colors because of their joy (快乐). "

The little leaf started to want to go and grew colorful thinking of it. Then it saw that the branches (树枝) of the tree had no bright colors on them and asked why.

"We must keep on our working clothes because we don't finish our work, " said the tree, "but your clothes are for holidays because your work is now over. "

Just then, the wind came, and the leaf let go (放手) without thinking. The wind took it up and turned it over and over. Then it fell slowly down on the ground, among hundreds of leaves.

A good king needs honest ministers (大臣) to help him manage the country. However, one king believed that his most important minister was a bit too honest!

The Valuer's job was to say what the price of everything in the country should be. He did his best to set fair prices, so that buyers and sellers would be happy. 

This did not please the king! "A good Valuer should set the prices that I want-then I can buy things cheaply and sell them expensively. " he said. "What's the point of having a Valuer if he doesn't set the prices I want?"

Soon, the king invited a foolish man to be the Valuer and fired (解雇) the honest Valuer. People brought all kinds of goods-rocks and fruit, fans and potatoes, fish and elephants. The foolish man had no idea how much anything was worth, so he just said whatever price came into his head. People were angry about many of the prices he set, but what could they do? He was the king's Valuer, after all!

One day, a horse trader came, leading five hundred fine horses. He bowed to the king and the Valuer, and said, "How much are my horses worth?" The king wanted the horses, so he told the Valuer to set a very low price. The Valuer thought for a moment and said, "Your horses are worth. . . a cup of rice!" The horse trader was speechless! But he had no choice but to accept the Valuer's price. 

However, the next day, the horse trader went back, carrying the cup of rice he had been given. "Yesterday, you said that my five hundred horses were worth a cup of rice, " the horse trader said to the Valuer. "____"

The foolish Valuer was surprised by this question. He said, "Your cup of rice is worth, er. . . this big city, and everything in it!" There was silence. . and then everybody started shouting at once. 

"That is silly!" shouted the king. "This city is worth far more than a cup of rice!"

. . .