Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)

    Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Noble Peace Prize.

    Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)

    Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects(影响) of pollution on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans.

Angela Merkel (1954 - )

    In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany's leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.

Sandra Day O' Connor (1930 - )

    When Sandra Day O' Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court (最高法院) in 1981 after years of hard work.

Margaret Thatcher (1925 - )

    In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman Prime Minister (首相). She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain's Iron Lady.

Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)

    Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation (辐射能). Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.

Birthday cards and parties are always the most popular ways for children to celebrate their birthdays, but not for Logan Brown in the US. He has serious autism. He can't talk and doesn't have any friends. According to his mother Catherine, he stopped getting birthday cards and having parties years ago. This year was Logan's 12th birthday. His mother loved him and wanted him to have a great birthday, just like other children. She asked Facebook (a website) for help, inviting friends and strangers to send her son cards for his 12th birthday. In Catherine's Facebook post, she wrote, "Will you write Happy Birthday Logan一from

your friend-in Washington，Hawaii …? Help us celebrate Logan's birthday!"

    Then the Browns were excited to receive more than 3,000 birthday cards from all over the world. When one police officer read Catherine's Facebook post, he decided to organize a surprise party for Logan at a local restaurant. On that day, many policemen took part in the party and gave the little boy a birthday cake and some other gifts. "We couldn't let Logan's birthday pass without anything special for him," said the police officer.

    With the help of his mother and the Internet, Logan had a special birthday.

My name is Lucy. I had an experience of staying at home alone on Saturday afternoon two years ago. It was getting dark outside. However, there were still two hours before my1 finished watching the opera and returned home. I thought the opera was 2 , so I didn't go with them. After finishing my homework, I locked myself in my parents' bedroom and 3 the TV. My favourite cartoon was playing on TV.

Suddenly, the 4 began to ring. I picked it up and said" Hello?", but nobody answered. I was worried about this strange phone call. I knew someone was at the other end. Finally, I hung up.A minute later, the phone rang again, but still nobody answered, I became more and more 5 as time passed by.

Then I asked my friend Anna for help. She 6 me to give my parents a call. But my parents were not allowed to use phones in the 7 . As we talked, an unfamiliar(不熟悉的) car stopped in front of my home. I8 the window and saw it. Five minutes passed and the car was still there. I thought I'd better 9 a safe place to hide.10 , my parents arrived home soon. The unfamiliar car also drove away.

Running a marathon(马拉松) is not easy. To run a marathon you have to run over 42 km! Think about it this way: 42 km is the same as running around a football field(足球场) more than 100 times. It takes most people about four or five hours to finish.

30-year-old Lea Tambellini has run more than five marathons before and doesn't want to stop. Her parents have a strong love for marathons and when she was 22， they helped her train for her first marathon.

Lea ran her first marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio, US. "I worried a lot about the race," she said, "but my mum ran with me. That helped."Running the race was hard, but the hardest part was when she ran past a restaurant and smelled(闻到)hamburgers. "I just wanted to stop," she said,"but my mum kept me running."

To get ready for one of the marathons, Lea ran four to five times a week. On weekdays, she ran 8 or 9 km. But at the weekend she ran 20 km, 25 km and 30 km!

"I like training because it is exciting to work hard for something. And I love running with friends," said Lea.