Ben Jones was walking home from school one day when he saw a black cat. It was walking across the srteet in front of him. Ben stopped, turned around, and walked down a different srteet to go home. Why did he do that?
    "It's unlucky when a black cat crosses the street in front of you,”says Ben,“I did not want to walk down that street!”
     Many people think that some things bring bad luck. For example, some people think that 13 is an unlucky number. They never invite 13 people to a party.
    "I never walk under a ladder(梯子),”says Ben.“And I never open an umbrella inside the house. They both bring bad luck.”And what brings good luck?“We have a horseshoe over the front door of our house for good luck,”says Ben.
 “And when I find a peney on the ground, I always pick it up. That brings me good luck all day!”

B

    Tom has tried many ways to be ill. He doesn't wear a sweater when he should, and two days ago he walked in the rain without his shoes. But nothing happened.

    Yesterday Millie told Tom about a boy in her class who liked being away from school. The boy would rub(摩擦) the end of the thermometer(温度计) until it went up to 39℃. Then he put it in his mouth and his mother would think he was really ill.

    This morning Tom was trying doing that but it never went above 35℃ and he rubbed it for ten minutes. So he held the thermometer next to the light on his desk and it went up to 40℃. He thought he'd put it in his mouth and walk downstairs like that. Then his mother would take it out and she would be worried when she saw that he was rather ill.

    The only trouble was that he didn't know the thermometer would be so hot. As soon as he put it into his mouth it burnt his tongue(舌头) ! He spit(吐) the thermometer out. It fell on the floor but it didn't break.Then ,Tom will have to think a better way to get his mother and father back together.

    Mr. Hunt came from a poor family. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father worked hard but wasn't paid much. And his mother did all the housework at home. They were both able but they couldn't get enough money for their family.

    Mr. Hunt was in school for only three years and he had to stop to help his parents though he was good at his lessons. When he was sixteen, he came to the city and began to work in a small factory. He learned from an old worker and became a skilled worker. The old worker liked him and married his daughter to him. The young man did not have his own house and had to live with his parents-in-law(岳父母). His mother-in-law always thought he was poor and often chattered(唠叨). So the young man tried to save everything and hoped to have his own house.

    It was one fine Sunday. The old woman wanted to have a picnic on the top of the hill. She told Mr. Hunt to drive her car. But sometimes she told him to turn left and sometimes to turn right. The young man had to listen to her. At a crossing the lights were red but she made him turn left. The policeman stopped them and told the young man to give his license to him.

    “If I did wrong, sir,” said Mr. Hunt, “It was my mother-in-law's fault(过错). She was driving the car though she sat behind me!”

    Calabash brothers(葫芦娃兄弟) live in the Calabash Mountain with their grandfather. They are all very brave. They wear different clothes. The red calabash is the other six brothers 'elder brother. He is powerful. His body can be bigger or smaller. But he doesn't have his own ideas. The orange calabash has enhanced hearing and sight. He can see and hear far places clearly. The yellow calabash's body is very strong. Nothing can injure(伤害)him, but he is arrogant(傲慢的). The green calabash is the god of fire. He can eat fire and make fire. The cyan(青色的) calabash can drink water and make flood. The blue calabash is the cleverest of all. Nobody can find him when he makes himself invisible. And the purple calabash has a magic gourd(葫芦). The gourd can absorb(吸收) everything.

    One day a pangolin(穿山甲) broke the cave and two monsters came out.

    They were Monster Scorpion(蝎子精) and Monster Snake. The calabash brothers must fight with them and save the world. Unluckily, their grandfather who helped them beat the monster, was killed by the monsters finally.

    Devon Gallagher, a college graduate from Philadelphia, wants the world to know exactly where she's been during her worldwide vacation in a special way.

    The traveler, who was born with a congenital bone disease (先天性骨病),lost her right leg at the age of four. Although she had a hard time at first, she now thinks that nothing can stop her living her best life.

    To spread that message, Gallagher shares photos of her travels around the world online, and writes her location across her artificial leg (假肢)before taking a picture. Now she has been taking pictures across Europe, all with the well—known locations written on her artificial leg.

    "I get a new leg every two years and I can choose the design (设计)on it. One day I had a sudden idea to get a chalkboard," Gallagher said, "My mum and grandmother didn't like the idea, but my friends liked it and told me to go for it, so I did."

    Gallagher said people often stared when she was writing on her leg, but once she shared the photos, she received only positive feedback (正面的反馈). "My leg hasn't stopped me doing anything I've wanted to do, and I've been able to keep up with my peers (同龄人)and lead a pretty great life."

    Gallagher shows us that you should never let anything stand in the way of your dreams. And if you run into difficulties, get creative with it because if life gives you an artificial leg, make art.