Although people everywhere seem to enjoy drinking coffee, they don't all have the same coffee culture. In Europe for example, coffee shops are common places for people to meet friends and to talk while they drink coffee. On the other hand, places like this were not as common in North America in the past. Instead, people in North America liked to drink coffee in their homes with friends. The coffee culture in the USA changed when Starbucks coffee shops spread across the country.

    The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971 in downtown Seattle, Washington, in the USA. It was a small coffee shop that cooked its own coffee beans. The coffee shop's business did well, and by 1981 there were three Starbucks stores in Seattle.

    Things really began to change for the company in 1981.That year, Howard Schultz met the three men who ran Starbucks. Schultz worked in New York for a company that made kitchen equipment（设备）. He noticed that Starbucks ordered a large number of special coffee makers, which caused his great interest. Schultz went to Seattle to see what Starbucks did. In 1982, the original Starbucks owners hired （雇佣）Schultz as the company's head of marketing(市场营销).

    In 1983, Schultz traveled to Italy. The special environment of the espresso（浓 咖啡） bars there caught his eyes. Back in the USA, Schultz created an environment for Starbucks coffee shops that was comfortable and casual, and customers everywhere seemed to like it. Starbucks began opening more stores across the USA. Then the company opened coffee shops in other countries as well. Today, there are more than 16,000 Starbucks coffee shops all over the world.

    However, that does not mean Starbucks has not had problems. In fact, many Starbucks stores have closed over the past few years. On the one hand, this is because there were too many coffee shops competing for business in one small area. On the other hand, stores in some countries closed because the coffee culture there did not match with the “feel the same everywhere” environment offered by Starbucks.

    A bus arrived and an old woman got on it slowly. She wore no shoes.

    A little boy pointed at (指) the old woman and said to his mother, “Look, Mum. She isn't wearing shoes.” “Don't point at others, Tom. It's rude,” the mother said and then looked out of the window.

    “She must have children,” said a woman in a fur coat. “Her children should buy shoes for her.”

    “People should learn to save money,” said a well-dressed man. “If she saved money when she was young, she wouldn't be so poor now.”

    Then all the passengers (乘客) on the bus stopped talking.

    At the next stop, a young man got on the bus. He was listening to music. When he saw the old woman, he stopped moving. He carried his eyes from her feet to his own. He was wearing his expensive new trainers. He saved money for months to buy them. Unexpectedly, the young man took off his trainers and socks. He stood before the old woman. “Madam,” he said, “I see you have no shoes. Well, I have.” Carefully and gently, he put his socks and fine trainers on the old woman's feet.

    Just then the bus arrived at the next stop. The young man got off the bus and walked away, wearing no shoes in the snow.

    “Who is he?” one asked. “He must be an angel (天使),” said another. But the honest (诚实的) little boy said, “No. He was only a man.”

    I did something wrong today.

    While at the beach this afternoon, I met a boy called Bob. We talked a lot. He said that it was fun playing on the cliffs(悬崖). I told him that I was not allowed to go near that place. Mum and Dad had always told me it was dangerous to play there. He called me a coward. I wanted to prove to him that I was just as brave, so I agreed to go with him.

    We wanted to make our way down to explore(探索) the area, so Bob started to climb down and I followed him. Unluckily, some rocks came down after us. One of them nearly hit my head. We could not get back up. We shouted and shouted for help, but for a long time no help came. I was really scared. I wanted to cry. Then, we heard some sounds. Someone had heard us. A woman tied (系) a rope around herself while a man at the cliff top held the rope. She made her way down to save us.

    My parents were relieved(宽慰) that I was unhurt , but they were angry that I had done such a risky thing. I apologized and promised that I would not do anything like that again.

    Born without arms or legs, Nick Vujicic knew from an early age that he was different. There is no medical explanation for Vujicic's physical disability. Though he struggles (挣扎) with some little things of everyday living (brushing teeth, for example), he has become a great speaker.

    Confidence didn't come naturally to Vujicic. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, he struggled with depression (抑郁)and was bullied （欺凌）at school. When he was just 10 years old, he tried to kill himself. Thanks to his family's strong support and selfless love over time, Vujicic chose to be positive towards life. After his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a serious disability when he was seventeen, he started to give public talks. The great Australian has visited more than 50 countries and given thousands of talks. No matter where he goes, he communicates the main message﹣that no matter what difficulties you meet, you can overcome ! Here's what he said in one of his powerful speeches：

    "I felt like I was a burden (负担)to those around me and the sooner I go, the better it'd be for everyone. I wanted to end my pain and end my life at a young age, but I am thankful once again, for my parents and family who were always there to comfort me and give me courage.

    Because of my emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying and loneliness, God has given me a passion (激情)of sharing my story and experiences to help others deal with whatever difficulty they have in their life and let God turn it into a blessing. To encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of achieving their hopes and dreams."

    Hello, my name is Lucy Green. I have a big family. My favorite number is seven. My Wechat number is 7790-2728. I have a blue skirt. I like the skirt very much.

    My parents are in Shanghai. My Grandma's telephone number852770.She has a grey skirt. My grandpa Jill doesn't have a phone. My sister Mary and I live in Hangzhou with our parents. This is Mary's pencil. It is red. Her QQ number is. 790723674