Dear Alice,
    I just received your letter. And I was very surprised to know that you decided to drop out of school and wanted to be a model（模特）.
Being a model for a living is not easy. In fact, a famous person like me has a lot of problems that you couldn't see. I can't eat what I like, even though I'm very hungry. Keeping thin makes me look more beautiful on the stage because no one would like to see a heavy model.
Besides, I have to wear a heavy coat in the hot sun, in a swimming suit in the cold air. And practicing walking nicely every day is tiring for me.
You might say I made much money from modeling. But my dear niece （侄女）, you have to know that money is nothing, knowledge is everything. School is important and everyone should go to school for a certain period of time. The longer they stay at school, the better they will be. Very often, I hope I can give up my job and continue my studies at school. But it is very difficult for me to go back to school again. I am too old to go back to school now.
    You are a pretty young girl with a bright future. You only have one year to finish your studies in high school. A year is really short. Please do consider my words carefully before you decide. Of course, there is only one thing I care about, and that is your happiness.
Love,
Emma

C

    My grandfather Jack is 96 years old，and he has had an interesting life. He has travelled a lot in his life in the Far East. He visited the Taj Mahal in India and the Pyramids in Egypt. He hunted（狩猎） lions in Africa, and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert. He says the most beautiful place he has travelled to is Kathmandu in Nepal.

    Jack has married twice. His first wife died when she was 32. He met his second wife Maria while he was cycling round France. They have been married for 50 years, and they have lived happily in a small village since they got married.

    Jack says that he has never been ill in his life. The secret of good health, according to my grandfather, is exercise. He goes swimming every morning. He has done this since he was a boy. He also has a glass of wine every night！Perhaps that is his secret！

    One day, Lord Bao and his servant saw a little boy in the town. The boy usually sold oil in the street, but then he was crying.

    "Little boy, why are you crying?" asked Lord Bao. "Every afternoon I put my head on this stone and have a sleep," the boy said. "I always put my money next to me. But now it isn't here!"

    "I see," said Lord Bao. "So this stone is the thief!" He shouted at the stone, "Do you have this boy's money?" People in this street listened and laughed. They thought he was mad.

    Lord Bao turned to them, "Are you calling me mad? I must fine(罚款) each of you a one-cent coin(硬币) for that!" Everyone stopped laughing. Lord Bao's servant opened his bag. "Put your coins in this bag," said Lord Bao.

    Without speaking, people put their coins into the bag. Lord Bao watched very carefully. When a man in black put his coin into the bag, Lord Bao looked up at him. "You are the thief!" he said.

    "But how do you know?" people asked in surprise.

    Lord Bao carefully took the man's coin from the bag and said, "Look at the coin! The boy is an oil seller and always has oil on his hands. So this is the boy's coin, and this man is the thief."

    "Can I see my son?" the happy new mother asked. She couldn't wait to open the swaddling(襁褓) clothes. But when she saw his tiny face, she was shocked! The boy had been born without ears.

    Although the boy's hearing was perfect, he was often laughed at because of his strange appearance. It was only his appearance a little bit different. One day, he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother's arms, burst into tears, "A big boy called me a monster!" Sad tears flowed down the boy's face, also into the mother's heart.

    The boy's father asked a famous doctor for help, "Could nothing be done to help my son?" "I believe I could put a pair of ears on him if they could be found," answered the doctor. Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You are going to the hospital, son. Someone will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret." After the successful operation, a new person appeared! The boy's life became beautiful since then. The boy often asked his father, "Who gave me the ears, dad? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her." "It's a secret," answered his father quietly. The years kept their secret, but the day did come. It was the darkest day for the son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket棺材). Slowly and gently, the father raised the mother's long thick hair to show that the mother had no ears! "Mother said she was happy that she never had her hair cut," he said, "And nobody had ever thought Mother less beautiful than before, had they?" After mother had died, the boy finally knew the truth.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Rose. She loved1 but she didn't have paintbrushes(画笔) or paper. She always painted pictures in the sand2 tree branches(树枝). One day, an old lady saw Rose and said, "Hi! Here's a paintbrush and some3 for you."

"Thank you!"Rose said. She felt so4 ."Hmm, what will I paint?" she thought. She5 and saw a duck in the river. "I know! I can paint a6 !" So she did. Suddenly, the duck flew off the paper and into the river."Wow!"she said."A magic paintbrush!"

Rose was a very 7 girl and she painted pictures for the people in her village. She painted cows for the 8 , pencils for the students and toys for all the children.

The king9 about the magic paintbrush and he sent a soldier(士兵) to find Rose. "Come with10 ," said the soldier."The king wants you to paint some money for him."

"But he's so11 ," said Rose. "I only paint to help poor people."But the soldier still took Rose to the king. "Paint me a tree with lots of12 on it," the greedy(贪婪的) king shouted.

Rose was brave and said, "No!"13 the king sent her to prison(监狱). But Rose painted a key to the door and a horse to help her run away. The king14 her with his soldiers.

She took out her paintbrush and 15 a big hole, and splat(啪嗒声)! The king and the soldiers fell into the hole.

Rose only used her magic paintbrush to help those people who truly needed her help.