“Homestay is a form of study abroad program．It allows visitors to rent a room from a local(当地的)family to better understand the local lifestyle．It also helps to improve the visitor's language ability，"said a teacher during a school meeting last term．“Students who wish to learn more about foreign cultures or to get foreign experience should join this kind of holiday．I am sure you won't be disappointed(失望的)．”

    After this special meeting，I always thought about this kind of holiday．Last month I had a chance at last to go on such a holiday with some of my schoolmates and we went to London．a place where I had wanted to go since years ago．

    As we were still young，we had a group leader who planned things for us and looked after us．After we got to London. we went to stay with different families．I was lucky that my host family(寄宿家庭)was a white couple who had a daughter about my age．They treated me as a daughter of their family during my stay there．They were interested in me and I learnt a lot of things from them，too．

    The holiday was filled with activities every day．After breakfast，a local teacher would come to take us in his car．Then we would have classes or go on a sight—seeing trip to different places of interest like the Big Ben，the London Bridge，and the Buckingham Palace．We would go back to our own homes after the activities．

    The holiday was a valuable experience for me．I enjoyed every minute of it．Yet，time really flew fast．Three weeks later，we had to leave “home” for Hong Kong．

    In 1996, Joe Richman had been working as a radio reporter on US national radio for several years and was looking for a new idea for a radio programme. He met a teenager called John Cutler. John had Tourette's Syndrome—a brain illness. This meant that Josh did not always have control of his movements and speech.

    John was just beginning high school when he agreed to work with Joy on a story about his illness. Joe wanted John to keep a radio diary of his daily life. He gave John a tape recorder and asked him to record what happened to him every day. John and Joe agreed that an important part of his story would be talking to his school friends about Tourette's Syndrome. John was embarrassed(尴尬) to record at school—his friends might laugh.

    One day, John took the tape recorder to school, but he kept it inside his bag all day. He was too afraid to bring it out. After months of feeling afraid, he took the tape recorder out on lunch time. What happened next was a total surprise. John tells it best:“Everyone jumped at the chance. Everyone started asking me questions about that, I had never really talking about it to anyone—except my mom and dad. ”

    That was an important day in John's life because he learned to be more open about his condition. Now John says he wants to do radio diaries until he's 80 years old. He learnt a lot about himself by doing the radio diary. It made a great radio programme, too. Being a reporter is like having a passport. You can ask questions, be curious and explore new worlds. Radio is the perfect way to be on the radio and everyone likes to listen!

    Kate, Jack and Sam are good friends. They are in the same school.Kate and Jack are classmates. But Sam is in a different grade－Grade Three. They often do sports or play games after school.

    This evening Jack is going to Sam's birthday party and he is going to give him a new book for his birthday because he likes reading very much. Kate wants to go to the party, too. But she has to stay at home because her mother isn't feeling well. She asks Jack to take a present to Sam for his birthday. She wants to give Sam a different present, so she gives him a very mice new pen.

    I did not have a rich father. I tried 3 times for university, but all failed. I applied(申请)for Harvard for 10 times, but all failed. They didn't even want to see me. For the last time, I went to the teachers' college which was regarded as the third class of my city. I applied jobs for 30 times.

    A lot of people said Alibaba was a terrible model. As I said, "I believe it. I think this thing could be big. I never thought it would be so big like today. "I believe that something, something is waiting for me there, and I have to work hard to prove myself. That was the tough experience. So we gathered 50 thousand US dollars from 18 founders. Little by little, we built up our business. And now, after 16 years, we have a Alibaba group; We have a T-mall group; We have a Taobao group; We have Alipay.

    “You are so smart, how could you make a company like that? People asked. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the Jack Welch, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, the difference between those people and other people, they are always optimistic(乐观的)for the future. They never complain. They always try to solve the problems of the others. When you are optimistic, it's always an opportunity (机会).“Jack, Where's the opportunity? I don't have a job. I don't have this. I don't have that.” We are at the best of time of this century. The best asset(财产)you have is that you are young. Don't complain. Let the other people complain. The opportunity lies, always lies where people complain. I saw a lot of people, especially young people have fantastic ideas every evening. But the next morning, they go to the office on time again.

    Tomorrow is new. Make the move. Make action. Whether investors(投资者)believe this or not, whether your friends believe it or not, whether your parents believe it or not, that's not important. You believe it. Your team believe it and work day and night on this. Everything happens. Make enough mistakes. You fall, and you stand up. Any mistake is an income and a wonderful revenue(收益). Don't worry about the money. Money follows the people. Young people should follow the dreams. If you have a dream, just to go ahead.

    Several summers ago, Joe Smith, a coach(教练)of a football team, and his family were spending their holidays in a small town. One rainy afternoon, it was impossible for them to go out to do something interesting, so the family decided to go to cinema. Joe, his wife, and their three children walked soon to the town's only cinema, bought tickets and went into the hall. The lights were still on, and there were just six other persons there. As Joe entered, some of them saw him and started chapping(鼓掌).

    Joe gave them a smile and turned to his wife. "Aha, I can't believed they know me and I'm getting a warm welcome here," he guessed. "They saw my games on TV."

    They sat down and then a young man came back and gave out his hand. "Thanks a lot," said the coach. "I just can't believe you know who I am." "All I know," replied the man, "It is that they would not show the film until at least ten people bought tickets."