DISCUSSION

    One day, a rich boy bought a magic mirror(魔镜). When he got home, he looked in the mirror. His face looked sad. He tried to smile and make funny faces. His face looked still sad. Then he did many happy things, but his face always looked sad.

    "Oh, what a terrible mirror! It doesn't work！"he said angrily.

    The next day, on his way to buying some chocolate, he saw a little girl crying sadly. The rich boy went up to her and asked what had happened. The little girl said she couldn't find her parents. "Don't worry. I'll help you，"the rich boy said. So they went to look for them together. Finally, they found her parents. They were so thankful for his help. After the rich boy arrived home, he looked in the mirror as usual. To his surprise, his face looked very happy. The boy understood the magic of the mirror. The mirror could show the true feelings of its owner.

    This was true—the rich boy had helped that little girl so he felt really happy.

    Toby was a 13-year-old Boy. He studied in a middle school in Paris. He was quite a Clever Boy and was good at almost everything. However, he had a problem. He had a fear(恐惧)of heights. This problem made him unhappy for a long time. He talked to his father about it one day.

   "I've had enough, Dad," he said." I would love to go rock Climbing with my friends. But every time I get too high, I feel afraid."

    His dad paused(停顿)as he thought about his son's ________

   "Well, Toby," he said quietly," I Can help you. But you will need to Be Brave. Are you ready?"

    Toby was quiet for a few minutes.

   "I am ready!" he answered bravely.

    Toby's father picked up the keys and walked towards the front door.

   "We're going into the City!" his father said.

    Toby knew what was coming. Toby lived in Paris. One of the world's tallest buildings was there. That was the Eiffel Tower. Nothing was said between them as they drove into the City.

    After about an hour, they arrived at the Eiffel Tower. Toby looked up at it.

   "Can I really do this?" he asked worriedly.

   "Well," his father said," I will be with you every step of the way. This is the day that you fight your fear! Come on!"

    Toby took a Breath. His father held his hand and then they made their way, step by step, towards the top of the Eiffel Tower. At last they got to the top.

   "Wow, Dad!" he said excitedly as he looked over Paris.

   "I told you there was nothing to worry about," his father said.

    Once there was a king. He liked to write stories very much. He always thought that his stories were good, so he liked to show them to people. As people were afraid of him, they all said his stories were very good and they wanted him to write more for them to read. The king was so happy that he wrote many more stories.

    One day, the king showed some of his best stories to a famous writer. He wanted the writer to praise (赞美) these stories. But after reading, the writer said his stories were so bad that there was no need to waste time on it and he should throw them into the fire. The king got very unhappy and sent him to prison.

    After some time, the king set him free (释放) and ordered him to come to his palace (宫殿). Again he showed some of his new stories and asked what he thought of them. After reading them, the writer at once turned to the soldiers and said, "Take me back to the prison."

    In 1996, Subaru Takaiashi sailed alone across the Pacific Ocean. Many other people did this before Subaru, but he was special. At 14, he was the youngest person to sail across the Pacific by himself.

    Subaru left Tokyo on 23 July, 1996. His boat was 30 feet (9 metres) long. In the boat, he had a two-month supply of food and water. He also had a radio and other modern equipment for sailing.

    The beginning of this trip went very well. Subaru often talked to his parents by radio. He didn't have any problems with his boat. Then on 11 August, the engine in his boat quit. This affected his navigation(导航)equipment. Then five days later, his radio quit. So he wasn't able to communicate with anyone. And he was still 2,770 miles (4,490 kilometres) away from his destination-San Francisco.

    By the end of August, many people believed that Subaru was lost. No one was able to contact him by radio. His parents expected him to arrive in San Francisco on 3 September, but he didn't. Then, on 13 September, Subaru sailed into San Francisco. After 55 days in his boat, his trip was finally over.

    Many people believe that Subaru was too young to sail alone. They say that parents shouldn't allow children to make such dangerous trips. However, other people say that children should have adventures, too.

    Mr. Henry is an old man. He has no sons or daughters. He lives alone and feels very lonely. On last Thanksgiving Day, he passed the Whites' door, and Mr Whites' family invited(邀请) him to have a big dinner. He was the first guest(客人) to pass by that day. He ate a lot of turkey and pumpkin pie. Most of families in the town knew Mr. Henry well. They all asked him to eat some delicious food. Mr. Henry tried to refuse, but it didn't work. The people thought he was sky(害羞的) and pushed him in.

When the night was coming, people saw a car carrying an old man to the hospital. He was sick in hospital because he ate too much food.