Mr．Smith is fifty years old．He began to teach in a middle school twenty﹣six years ago．He works hard and always comes to his office on time．He expects his students to be honest and is strict with them．Some of his students become famous people，but they still remember him and often write to him．Of course the old man is proud of it．

    This term he began to teach Grade One．Some of the new students were told about him，but the others didn't know him well．He told them how to be an honest person．He gave them several examples and said，"I hate telling a lie most．"

    Before class was over，he told all his students to finish Exercise 8 in Unit 1．The next morning，as soon as he came into the classroom，he asked，"Who's finished Exercise 8？"

    A few students put up their hands．He shook his head and said，"Open your workbooks and see whether there's Exercise 8 in Unit 1or not？"

    The students had a look at their workbooks and their faces turned red at once．

    Fred is eight years old. He goes to school near his home. He always goes there and comes home on foot. One day he comes home from school late. His mother sees him and asks him, "Why are you late, Fred?"

    "My teacher is very angry and asks you to go to her office tomorrow."

    "To her office? Why?" his mother asks. "Because she asks a question in the class." Says Fred. "Nobody can answer it, but I can."

    "You are so clever, my son." His mother says with a smile.

    Her question is "Who puts the tomato on my chair and makes my trousers dirty?" says Fred.

    Every year on my birthday since I was 11，a white gardenia （栀子花） was sent to my house．No card ever came with it．Calls to the flower shop were not helpful at all．After some time I stopped trying to find out the sender's name and was just pleased with the beautiful flower，in soft pink paper．

    I couldn't stop imagining who the giver might be．Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming（幻想 ）about the sender．My mother encouraged these daydreams．She'd ask me if I had been especially kind to someone．Perhaps it was one of my classmates Perhaps it was the old man who I once helped．As a girl，I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy that I had met．

    A month before my high school graduation（毕业），my father died．I was so sad that I became completely uninterested in my coming graduation dance，and I didn't care whether I had a new dress or not．My mother，in her own sadness，would not let me miss （过） any of those things．She wanted her children to feel loved．In fact，my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia：lovely，strong and perfect．

    My mother died ten years after I was married．That was the year the gardenia stopped coming．

    Children often ask for money from their parents. But in the US, some students work as babysitters(临时保姆) to get money. Noa Mintz, a 15-year-old girl in the US, has her babysitting shop.

    About three years ago, Mintz, worked for some time as a babysitter. She found that there was no good way for families to find babysitters. So she wanted to do something about it. Mintz started Nannies by Noa in her summer vacation. It helps families and babysitters to find each other quickly.

    At first, Mintz helped write down the names of her friends and classmates who wanted to babysit(当保姆). Later, Nannies by Noa became a big shop. It now has 25 full-time nannies(全职保姆) and 50 babysitters.

    When talking about her work, she feels proud(自豪的). She knows it's just a start. “It's good to see that I give people jobs. It's great to see what I can do.” said Mintz.

    When I was in Grade 8, my teacher asked us to write an article about what we would like to do when we grew up. All I could think of was one sentence: I want to help other people! Over the years, I met many difficulties and failures. But I never thought of giving up. I realized that to help other people, I had to help myself first. I encouraged myself after I experienced failures, and I cheered for myself when I did well.

    Finally, my dream really came true.  I found a part-time job in a charity. I began to spend my days doing things for people in need. I have a happy life. That doesn't mean that this kind of life is easy, or that my work is always enjoyable. I am happy because I am doing what I want to do.

    What do you want to do? Write it down now. If you don't know, you can ask yourself, "What would I do if this was the last day of my life?" Then write down the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter how silly or how impossible it seems. Once you have an answer, you will know what your dream is.