Mrs. Smith is an unusual teacher. Once she told each student to bring along a few potatoes in plastic bag. On each potato the students had to write a name of a person that they hated And the next day, every child brought some potatoes. Some had two potatoes；some three；some up to five.

 Mrs. Smith then told the children to carry the bags everywhere they went, even to the toilet, for two weeks. As day after day passed, the children started to complain(抱怨)about the awful smell of the rotten（腐烂的）potatoes.

 Those children who brought five potatoes began to feel the weight trouble of the bags. After two weeks, the children were happy to hear that the game was finally ended. Mrs. Smith asked,“How did you feel while carrying the potatoes for two weeks?” The children started complaining about the trouble loudly．

Then Mrs. Smith told them why she asked them to play the game. She said,“This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred（仇恨）for somebody inside your heart. The terrible smell of the hatred will pollute your heart and you will carry something unnecessary with you all the time. If you cannot stand the smell of the rotten potatoes for just two weeks, can you imagine how heavy it would be to have the hatred in your heart for your lifetime? So throw away any hatred from your heart, and you'll be really happy．

    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.

    Peter is thirteen years old. He is in Grade Two this year. He likes to play football and watch football matches. And he often reads newspapers. He does his best to know where and when there is going to be a football match. Now Peter is having lunch. He is listening to the radio, too. He is very happy because there is going to be a nice football match on TV at four this afternoon. He wants to watch it very much. But he is going to have English and Chinese lessons. He thinks hard and finds a way.

    “ Hello, Mrs. Black,” Peter says to his teacher on the telephone, “ Peter is ill in bed. He wants to ask for half a day's leave ( 请半天假 ).”

    “ Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.” says Mrs. Black, “ But who's that?”

    “ It's my father, Mrs. Black.”

    O. Henry was a pen name of an American writer. He wrote short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he tried to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas. There he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. When some money was lost from the bank, others believed O. Henry took it. So people sent him to prison﹡. He stayed in prison for three years. There he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and went on writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because they always finished with a sudden change at the end, to the reader's surprise.

    John and Bobby joined the same company together just after they completed their university studies the same year. Both of them worked very hard. Several years later, however, the boss promoted(提拔) Bobby to manager but John was still a worker. John could not take it, and gave his resignation(辞呈) to the boss. He complained that the boss did not think much of those who were hard- working, but promoted only those who flattered(奉承) him.

    The boss knew that John had worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said," Thank you for what you said, but I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave."

    John agreed the boss asked him to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found a man selling watermelons. The boss asked how much they cost every kilogram. John shook his head and went back to the seller to ask and returned to tell the boss $1.2 every kilogram,

    The boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. Bobby went and returned, saying. Boss, only one person is selling watermelons. $1.2 every kilogram, and $10 for 10 kilograms. The seller has 340 melons. On the table there are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 2 kilograms. They were brought from the South two days ago. They are of good quality.

    Hearing what Bobby said, John realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided to stay and learn from Bobby.