Many would agree that when we think of Christmas， we probably think of gifts， Christmas trees and Santa Claus. But behind all these things lies the true meaning of Christmas: the importance of sharing and giving love and joy to people around us. The story in A Christmas Carol is perhaps the best example of this.

    A Christmas Carol is a famous novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old man named Scrooge. He only thinks about himself and doesn't treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can make more money. And he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve， Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley， his dead business partner. Marley used to be just like Scrooge， so he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him.

    That night， three ghosts visit Scrooge. First， the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit， the Ghost of Christmas Present， takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy， even poor people. The last one， the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come， takes him to the future. He sees that he is dead but nobody cares. Scrooge is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is already the next morning on Christmas Day!

    He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth， spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!

    Albert Einstein (1879～1955)

    Early Life

    Albert Einstein was born on 14th March, 1879 in Germany. He has been an extraordinary (非凡的)person since he was born. Einstein wasn't able to speak a word until three. He was curious(好奇的)and imaginative. He loved watching things carefully and asked a lot of questions about them. His questions were often hard to answer for teachers.

    Schooling

    Einstein started school in 1885. Though he did well in maths and science, he failed in many subjects like history, geography and languages. He was not the teachers' favourite. He didn't enjoy going to school. Einstein finished high school in Switzerland and entered a university in Zurich. He graduated(大学毕业)as a teacher of maths and physics in 1900.

    Scientific Work

    After graduation, Einstein worked at the Patent Office. He spent much time studying physics. By 1909, Einstein had become a top scientist. Though he became successful in the field of science, he still put great effort in scientific research. Finally, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

A. French Club

Do you know Paris （巴黎）? Can you speak French? Want to learn French? Join the French club now! Meet on Friday. Call Joyce at 8223-3278.

B. Music Club

Do you like music? Can you play the violin, the piano or the drums? You can have a great time in our music club on Wednesday. Come and join us!

C. Cooking Club

Are you good at cooking? Do you enjoy delicious food? Learn to cook in Room 302 every

Tuesday. Call Tom for more information if you are interested.

D. Kung Fu Club

Can you do Chinese kung fu? We have the best coach （教练） from Shaolin Temple! Come and have fun. Call Fred at 8961-3042.

E. Volunteer Club

Do you want to help others? Every Sunday afternoon, we'll visit the old people's home and help them: clean the room, cook dinner for them or tell them stories.

F. Chess Club

    Can you play chess? Do you want to be a good chess player? Join us now and you can learn to play chess every Thursday. Call Mr. King at 8491-3086.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Kate: My friends and I really like helping others.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Mike: Cooking is boring. I love music and I can play the piano.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Gina: I can't play sports, and I can't cook, but I can speak a little French.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Jack: I can play chess a little. But I really want to be a chess player.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Scott: I like Jet Li and I'm really interested in Chinese kung fu.

    If you lose 12 times, will you just give up? Dale Carnegie, a pioneer in public speaking and self-development, kept trying. And he became famous by showing people how to be successful.

    Carnegie was born in 1888 in the central United States. As a son of a farmer, the boy had to get up at 4 a.m. every day to milk the cows. When Carnegie first entered college, he felt hopeless because of his clothes and ordinary (普通的) looks. His mother encouraged him, "Why not try to be better in other things instead of just dress and good looks?"

    Carnegie tried to be more active in college. He joined the debate (辩论) team. But one after another, he lost 12 times. The young man was so disappointed in himself that he even thought of ending his own life for so many failures.

    But soon Carnegie was seen practicing public speaking on the riverside. His hard work brought good results at last. In 1906, Carnegie won a famous speech match and became widely famous.

    The young man made his own words come true: "Believe that you will succeed, and you will." In order to share his success, Carnegie started schools and wrote books. More than 50 million copies of his books have been printed in 38 languages. They are still helping people on the road to success.

Information Card

Time Management

    Do you ever wish you had more time? Everyone gets the same amount of time each day. But here are some ways to use those hours better. As a popular saying says, "Work smarter, not harder."

    The most important way to manage your time is to set priorities（优先权）.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Also, consider whether or not they are urgent—if they need to be done right away. It can be easy to forget important tasks that aren't urgent, so make time for them.

    Decide ahead of time what you're going to do at certain times each day. Schedule times not only to meet people but also to do things alone. Then you can make sure everything gets done.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Are you smarter in the morning, afternoon or evening? Schedule difficult tasks for times you feel good, saving easy ones for when you're tired.

    Write down what you need to do and when. I keep two to-do lists: one for the present tasks and one for larger projects I'm working on.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} And I don't get discouraged by looking at a long list of items I can't finish. I focus on the shorter list of each day's tasks.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When someone wants to give you a task, think carefully. Is it really important enough to spend your precious（宝贵的）time on? Could someone else do it instead?

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you're in charge of running a meeting, keep it short. Reading articles or talking to friends online can also use up much of your time. Don't allow it.

    In the end, using time well is about making a good plan and sticking to it.

    I'm a 34-year-old man, married, lived in a nice house, and have a successful career. But my life was not always so great. I had a learning disability from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra(额外的)help. Still, I suffered(遭受)the rest of my school days in public schools.

    My life improved greatly when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually became good at making things with clay. Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language, I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence(自信)came along.

    I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn't an easy thing: it needed lots of practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.

    Later I decided to learn how to read and write. I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two years, I was literate(有文化的).

    Through the long process with art, climbing, and reading and writing, now I've got to a point in my life: I am smart enough to dive into(潜入)an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.