Have you ever heard of a rattlesnake? It is a poisonous (有毒的) American snake.When it is angry or afraid, it makes a noise like a rattle with its tail. It's very scary. But Heather Ramirez and her husband, from California, in the UnitedStates, make a living in an unusual way. They are self-employed (自雇的) snake catchers!They catch snakes, especially rattlesnakes which have gone indoors, and returnthem to the wild.

    Heather describes her work as “protecting people from rattlesnakes — andprotecting rattlesnakes from people!” In the area where they live, rattlesnakesoften come face to face with people. They are found in stores, offices, housesand gardens. Heather explains that it's not the snakes that are moving into places where people live, but it's the other way round. The snakes lived in these places first and then the people built houses.

Most people who see a rattlesnake are feared. If you keep your distance,however, the snake won't bite (咬) you. In twelve years as a snake catcher, Heather has nevertouched a snake. She doesn't take the risk. She picks up the snakes with aspecial tool. This doesn't hurt them,but it keeps them at a safe distance so that they can't bite her.

    Heather and her husband are very busy because they are never off duty.Catching snakes is a full-time job and they don't often have a day off. Peoplecan get to them at any time of the day or night. Not everyone can do this job,but Heather doesn't want to do anything else. “I just love my job,” she says.

    Do you know any 9-year-olds who have started their own museums? When Theodore Roosevelt was only nine, he and two of his cousins opened the "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History". The museum was in Theodore's bedroom. It had a total of 12 specimens. On display were a few seashells, some dead insects, and some birds' nests. Young Roosevelt took great pride in his small museum.

    Born in New York in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was not always healthy. "I was a sickly boy", he once wrote. Roosevelt had a health condition called asthma. He often found it hard to breathe. Instead of playing, he watched nature and then read and wrote about it.

    Roosevelt's interest in nature sometimes got him into trouble. Once, his mother found several dead mice in the icebox. She demanded that the mice be thrown out. This was indeed "a loss to science", Roosevelt said later.

    Because Roosevelt was often sickly as a boy, his body was small and weak. When he was about 12, his father asked him to improve his body. Roosevelt began working out in a gym. He didn't become strong quickly. But he did decide to face life's challenges with a strong will. That determination stayed with Roosevelt his whole life. And eventually his body did get strong. As an adult, he was an active and healthy person. He enjoyed adventures, and he loved the outdoors.

    A toy company named the teddy bear for Theodore "Teddy". After knowing that, Roosevelt refused to shoot a baby bear while hunting.

    In 1900, at the age of 41, Roosevelt was elected Vice President. A year later, President McKinley, was shot and killed. Roosevelt became our 26^th President. At 42, he was the youngest leader the country had ever had.

    A company wanted to get the best employee(雇员). After the competition, only three people were left.

    In the last competition, the three people entered a room with a monitor(监视器). Inside the room, there was everything they needed but no telephone and they couldn't surf the Internet. The three people just waited patiently for the exam questions.

    The first day, three people were very excited, watching TV, reading books and listening to music.

    The next day, because they still didn't know the exam questions, two of them were worried and often changed TV channels.

    Five days later, the winner was the one who could keep a happy life. The leader of the company thinks happiness is a kind of ability(能力). If you keep a happy heart, you will succeed finally!

    I love movies. Among all of them, I prefer movies that I can get inspiration (激励) from. The Pursuit of Happiness is such a movie. This movie is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a salesman who managed to build a future for himself and his five-year-old son Christopher. Chris Gardner was having a hard life in San Francisco in 1981. His wife hated to have a poor life so she left home. Gardner and his son were abandoned by her.

    While trying to sell his products, Gardner met Jay Thistle, a successful stockbroker (股票经纪人). His new relationship with Jay helped him earn an internship (实习) in a stock company. Without any pay, Gardner was not able to afford the apartment. He and his son had to sleep on the streets, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked door of a bathroom in the subway station.

    Gardner never let other people in the company know about his bad condition He arrived at the office early and stayed late each day. As an intelligent man, Gardner developed a number of ways to make his work faster and better. And he finally got the job because of his excellent performance.

    With confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner got back on his feet and opened, his own company. He reached his American dream at last. And his story has encouraged me to realize my dream.

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