I used to think that life in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was filled with never-changing styles. I hated that everyone seemed to know everything about everyone else. Everyone seemed to enjoy talking about other people and their lives. I also didn't like the fact that people seemed very close-minded. I felt trapped. I felt like I was missing . It seemed to me that city life would be the opposite.

    Then I took my first trip to New York City. I couldn't wait to experience the city. However, when I arrived in the Big Apple, it wasn't at all what I had imagined. I knew it was home to thousands of people, but I hadn't had the least expectation to see so many people on the street at one time. All the streets were filled with people. I also felt a little surprised to see that everyone was in a hurry and everything moved at such a fast pace(步伐). When I took the subway for the first time, I said hello to the middle-aged woman next to me. She looked at me with dislike and didn't say a word.

    After just one day, I realized how important my small town is to me. Now I miss the familiar faces I see every day. I like the feeling of safety and belonging my town offers. Jim Thorpe gives me a sense of community and togetherness that the city doesn't provide. I realize just how much a simple hello does for a stranger — it really can make your day a little better.

    My big trip showed me that my small town really has its own values in me that I didn't even know I had. I never would have known what a big place my town holds in my heart if I had not taken that trip to New York City.

B

    Frederic Chopin(弗兰德里克.肖邦) was born in March, 1810, near Warsaw in Poland(波兰). He was one of the greatest musicians in the world. In 1831, he went to Paris. No people but he could play the piano very well.

    At that time people in Paris liked the Hungarian(匈牙利的) pianist Franz Liszt(弗朗兹.李斯特).One night, at a concert, Liszt went to the piano and the people shouted. As all the lights in the concert were turned off, a wonderful piano concert started. The music was so good that the listeners were all greatly interested. They kept praising the pianist and thought that Liszt had reached something new in playing the piano. Suddenly, all the lights were turned on again as the music came to an end. And there stood a young man instead of the famous Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt.

    Liszt had planned all this. As the lights went out, Liszt left his chair and let Chopin take his place. So with the help of Liszt and his own talent(天赋), Chopin soon became famous.

    Mr. Turner liked fishing. It was his favorite sport. He often fished for hours without catching anything. But this did not worry him. Some fishermen couldn't catch fish. Sometimes they caught old boots or rubbish. Mr. Turner was even worse than the fishermen. He never caught anything - not even old boots. After he spent whole morning on the river, he always went home with an empty bag. "You must give up fishing!" his friends said, "It's a waste of time."  "But they don't realize one important thing. I'm not really interested in fishing. I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all. It can make me forget the noise of the city and live quietly for some time." he always said to himself.

    Toby, an 11-year old boy, is playing with a ball. The ball goes into the street and Toby runs for the ball.

    A car hits（碰撞） Toby. An ambulance（救护车） takes Toby to the hospital in 30 minutes. The doctors at the hospital tell Toby's parents, "Toby is in a coma."

    Every day, Toby's parents visit him at the hospital. They sit next to Toby's bed and talk to him. But Toby never talks to them. He just sleeps.

   One day Toby's father says, "Wake up, Toby. Wake up, come home and play with Rusty." Rusty is Toby's dog.

    When Toby's father says "Rusty", Toby moves his arm（胳膊）. "Rusty!" Toby's father says again. Again, Toby moves his arm.

    Toby's parents have an idea. They tell the nurse,

    "We want to bring Toby's dog to the hospital." The nurse says "OK".

    The next day, Toby's parents bring Rusty to the hospital. When they put the dog on Toby's bed, Toby opens his eyes and hugs the dog.

    Toby's parents bring Rusty to the hospital every day. One day, Rusty jumps onto Toby's bed and scratches（抓） his arm. Toby says his first words, "Bad dog!"

    After eight weeks, Toby is well. He leaves the hospital and goes home.

    There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it. A Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were resting their arms on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse, "thought Alice;" only, as it's asleep, I believe it doesn't mind."

    The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. "No room! No room!" they cried out when they saw Alice coming. "There's plenty of room!" said Alice angrily, and she sat down in a large armchair at one end of the table.

    "Have some wine, "the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

    Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine, "she said.

    "There isn't any, "said the March Hare.

    "Then it was impolite of you not to offer it, "said Alice angrily.

    "It wasn't very civil of you to take your seat without invitation, "said the March Hare.

    "I didn't know it was your table, "said Alice;" it's laid for a great many more than three."

    "Your hair wants cutting, "said the Hatter. He had been watching Alice for some time.

    "You should learn not to give your personal ideas, "Alice said seriously;" it's very rude."

    The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, "Why is a raven(乌鸦) like a writing-desk?"

    "Come, we shall have some fun now!" said Alice. "I'm glad they've begun asking riddles(谜语). I believe I can guess that, "she said loudly.

    "Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?" said the March Hare.

    "Exactly so, "said Alice.

    "Then you should say what you mean, "the March Hare went on.

    "I do, "Alice quickly replied;" at least-at least I mean what I say-that's the same thing, you know. "

    …

    Finally, they all began to laugh at Alice.

——From Alice in Wonderland

    Twenty-two-year-old Timothy Doner from New York City has been able to speak 23 different languages, including some rare African ones.

    Timothy began his foreign language education at the age of 13. Attracted by in Israeli(以色列) musical band. Timothy listened to their album every morning. A month Later, he kept about 20 of their songs in his mind, though he didn't know what the Hebrew(希伯来语) words mean. But once he learned the translation. it was like he had a dictionary in his head.

    Then Timothy moved on to Arabic (阿拉伯语) which he studied every morning by reading newspapers with a dictionary and by talking to street vendors (小贩). After that he learned Persian, then Russian, then Mandarin... and about twenty others and developed a crazy low for languages.

    Now, Timothy is still teaching himself new languages. With the help of language books and word-learning Apps on his iPhone. He can master a language in a few weeks or months.

    What has Timothy got from learning so many languages? "By learning languages, you are learning a lot more. You are learning about culture, everything from cooking to TV，poetry and whatever it may be. That helps you better understand the language,” he said.