A long time ago, there lived a very old man. He was so old that he could not see or hear very well. He also could not walk very well, or eat very well for his hand shook. The old man's son and daughter-in-law thought he might make trouble at table. So, they had him eat his meals in the corner of the kitchen without a table.

    They gave him very little to eat. The old man would have a sad look on his face as he looked at his son and daughter-in-law's dinner table. One day the old man's hand shook so terribly that he dropped his dish on the floor. The daughter-in-law became angry and shouted at the old man. And after that, his meals were served in a broken dish.

    Not long afterwards, the family was sitting having their dinner while the four-year-old grandson was sitting on the floor carefully checking pieces of wood. The father asked, “What are you doing?” “I am making a small bowl.”

    “Why are you making it?” The son answered. “So that I can fill it with your and mother's food when I grow up.”

    The old man's son and daughter-in-law looked at one another and without saying a word started crying. The two quickly brought their old father to their dinner table. From that day on, the old man sat with the family when they had their meals. Even when the old man's food fell here and there, the son and the daughter-in-law did not say anything.

    We were on a visit to Monkey Island. Jim thought we should try water skiing(滑水).

    We can get a boat and ski at Monkey Island.

   Don't go water skiing near Monkey Island today,” said the woman standing near the boats. “There might be sharks（鲨鱼） in the water.”

    “I don't think so.” said Jim who thought he knew everything.

    “I wouldn't go water skiing in the sea near Monkey Island today,” said the man with the woman. “They saw sharks in the water yesterday.”

    “The sharks won't hurt me,” said Jim with a big smile on his face.

      Another man getting out of a boat said, “I'm sure we just saw a shark in the water a few minutes ago.”

    “Don't worry about me,” said Jim. “I don't worry about sharks.”

    Jim and his two friends, Bill and Bruce pushed the boat into the water. Jim was driving the boat. He drove very fast and sprayed water on everyone standing near the boat.

    Jim drove the boat to the middle of the sea near Monkey Island. Everyone could see him and the boat. He wanted to show everyone how well he could water ski.

    “You drive the boat, Bill,” Jim said. “Bruce, you watch me and the rope while I water ski.”

    “What about the sharks?” asked Bill.

    “Forget about the sharks,” said Jim. “I'm not afraid of sharks.”

    Jim got into the water. He was putting his feet in the water skis. Then Jim felt something large and hard touch his leg as it swam past him. Suddenly, a brown fin(鳍) moved through the water towards Jim.

    Later, when Bill and Bruce stopped laughing, they said, “We never saw anyone move so fast! You were running on top of the water to get back in the boat! You even left the water skis in the water.

    “There it is again! Shark! Shark!” cried Jim.

Everyone laughed—even the people standing on shore.

    The dolphin（海豚） came to surface again, took a deep breath, smiled at Jim and went back down into the deep water.

    Once upon a time, two young men were spending some time in the country. One day, while taking a walk together, they crossed a large field.

    "Look out!" one of the young men shouted, because a bull(公牛)suddenly appeared(出现)and began to chase(追赶)them. They were very frightened. They ran as fast as they could, but the bull kept chasing them.

    Finally, one of the men climbed up a tree. The other one jumped into a hole, but soon he came out of it. Immediately the bull chased him back into the hole.

    "Stay there!" his friend shouted, but soon the man came out again, and again the bull chased him right back. This went on five or six more times.

    At last, the man in the tree got angry and shouted to his friend in the hole, "You fool! Stay in that hole for a while; otherwise, this bull will keep us here all day! "

    "I want to, "the man shouted back, "but there's a bear in it!"

    People have told stories about Robin Hood for over 700 years. Nobody knows if he was a real person or an invented character. In the legends, Robin was extremely smart and humorous, he helped strangers, and later his kindness paid off.

    The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was just a young man, who was good at archery (射箭术). One day he was walking through Sherwood Forest, a royal hunting forest near Nottingham in England. There he got into trouble with a group of men. Among them, he killed the cousin of the Sheriff (郡长) of Nottingham. Robin became a legendary outlaw, and soon the leader of one hundred outlaws, known as his "Merry Men".

    Robin and his "Merry Men" always looked for rich people and asked them to their camp in Sherwood Forest. When they arrived, Robin gave them a good meal and played music for them. Then he took their gold away to help the poor. Robin became most famous for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor."

    The Sheriff of Nottingham was Robin's greatest enemy. He was cruel and treated the poor badly. It was his job to keep the woods safe and to make sure that nobody stole the king's deer. He hated Robin because Robin was an outlaw. But most of all, he hated Robin because everyone else loved him. The Sheriff of Nottingham kept trying to catch Robin Hood and his "Merry Men", but never succeeded.

Face—to—face with the New Me

    Jessica's mother noticed Jessica hadn't returned to the dentist waiting room just before her surgery was supposed to start. She walked to the bathroom and found Jessica in here, crying. She took her daughter into her arms. "We're going to say goodbye to the old Jessica," she said. "And hi to the new Jessica."

    Jessica, from St Louis. US, had been wishing for this day since high school, when the bullying about her started. Now that it was finally happening, she was nervous.

    It was a social—media post two months ago that got her here. Someone posted a photo of Jessica with a comment about her overbite. The post was shared many times, with many people making mean remarks about her appearance.

    The bullies didn't know the road Jessica had traveled. She underwent nine operations on her ears from age 2 to 12 years old. She was almost deaf in her right ear. Her adult teeth didn't start coining in until she was 11 or 12, and doctors couldn't figure out why they were pushed outward. It got worse as she got older. Jessica had been trying for years to get her teeth fixed, but it was always too costly.

    When her story got out, Maryann Udy, a dentist, got in contact with Jessica and offered her a new smile—free of charge. The surgery was long and complicated It took several months before Jessica's new smile was ready.

    Later that year, she looked at her old photos online and smiled. "I loved her," she said. She's grateful to be in less pain, to be on the path to a new smile. Sometimes, though, it feels like something is missing from who she was.

    Still, she loves taking selfies and admiring her new appearance. "I looked good before," she said. "I look even better now."