It began one night, last September. We were getting ready to go to bed when it started raining. It was really windy. When weren't worried because it rains often here.

    At 2 a.m., my dad woke me up and said ,"There's a storm coming. We have to go to the basement(地下室）." I got up quickly. "Lin, find the candles, please!" my mom said."...And Chen, bring bottles of water from the kitchen." She said to my brother . "... and Huan, don't forget the radio," she continued.

    Dad asked us not to be worried. Then he told us to go down to the basement. The four of us went down to the basement and only a few minutes later we heard the storm. The noise was huge. We could hear the wind breaking glass and other terrible sounds. I remember we just hugged each other all night. I don't want to live through that again. The storm died out the next day. Our house was completely broken down. But we were happy because we were alive.

    One day, Mr. Smith is going to take a train to his hometown. When the train starts, one of his shoes falls to the ground. The train is running faster and faster and he can't pick it up. Then he quickly takes off(脱下) the other one and throws it on the ground near the fallen shoe. A little boy on the train asks him, "Why do you do that?" "I've already lost one shoe." Mr. Smith answers. "If a man picks them up, he may get a pair of shoes."

    One day an American was in Africa. He wanted to go to a small village in the hill. He got on a bus and the driver said: "The yellow ticket is one dollar. I have two other tickets. The red one is fifty cents, and the green, ten cents." "A green one, please "said the man. The bus started to get up the hill. Suddenly it stopped. "Red ticket passengers, get out and walk. Green ticket passengers, get out, close the door, and push the bus." shouted the driver.

    There were many plants in a forest. When spring came, a pine tree saw a red rose nearby and said, "What a beautiful flower! I wish I were that lovely."

    The rose proudly said, "It seems that I am the most beautiful flower in this forest." Then the rose looked at a cactus (仙人掌) and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns(刺)!"

    "What a proud flower!" thought the trees.

    As the days passed, the red rose often looked at the cactus and said bad words about it, like "This plant is useless. How sorry I am to be his neighbor!"

    The cactus never got angry and even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

    Spring passed, and the weather became very hot. As there was no rain, the red rose began to wilt(枯萎).

    One day the rose saw birds put their beaks (喙) into the cactus and then fly away. The red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds were getting water from the cactus.

    "The cactus has water?" asked the rose.

    Yes, you can also drink some from it. The birds can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

    The red rose felt too ashamed to ask for water from the cactus. But finally it did ask for help. The cactus kindly agreed.

    The rose learned a lesson and never judged (评价) anyone by their appearance again.

    Two men are walking in the park. One is Jack, a worker. The other is Henry. Jack is going to a chair. It is next to the street. Henry is after him. Jack finds Henry walking after him. He walks faster(更快), because he wants to get to the chair before Henry. Now, Henry begins to walk faster because he also wants to get to the chair first. Then he gets to the chair first and sits down on it. When Jack gets to the chair, he sees Henry sitting on it. He is sorry to show a notice(告示) with the words "Wet Paint"(油漆未干) to Henry. Now Henry knows why Jack is going to the chair.