The Monkey King

    The Monkey King was born from a stone. He wanted to live forever. He was really intelligent and knew what to do. ⑶他能够把他自己变成72种不同的东西, like a tree, a bird or an insect(昆虫). While he was changing himself, people just watched and couldn't believe it. He used the clouds in the sky   ⑷   around! One time he flew 108,000 miles on a cloud.

    The trouble was, the monkey thought he was the king. But he wasn't. The Emperor was. So, the real king decided to give the monkey a title(官职)to keep him quiet. ⑸But the monkey found out that everyone was laughing at him. He was extremely unhappy and decided to fight.  At last, the Emperor asked Buddha(佛) for help.

    The Buddha moved a great mountain to fall on top of him. As the mountain was falling on him, he nearly managed(设法) to get out of the way. He didn't, but he didn't die, either. The trouble was he couldn't move. Five hundred years later ,a monk(和尚) helped the monkey get out from under the mountain. That's when the real story began. You must remember it, don't you? It's a treat story.

    Nick was born with no arms or legs. There was only a small foot on his hip(臀部). He can't do the easiest things like washing his face or brushing teeth, but he can type, pick things up between his toes (脚趾)and even kick a ball.

    Nick grew up in Melbourne, Australia. He wasn't happy at school because his classmates often laughed at him. At the age of 10, he even wanted to kill himself. But later, he changed. He tried to look at good things around him. When he was 17, a friend encouraged(鼓励) him to give speeches. From then on, he began to travel around the world and give talk about his life. He thinks it can help others. Up to now, he was been invited to more than 50 countries and given thousands of talks.

    Now Nick is 32 years old. He lives in California with his wife, Kanae, and their 2-year-old son.

    When you are sad, think of him. At least you have arms and legs.

    Hi, I'm Bella. I can't remember a time when my bedroom didn't have a bookshelf. From Dr. Seuss to Mother Goose, I had all kinds of books that progressed in size as I got older.

    My earliest memory of books was sitting on my bed at night with my mum reading to my older brother and me. And my first beloved book was a children's book about being a chosen child. It helped me, an adopted (被收养的) child, learn that my family was my very own because they chose me. As I got older, the books got thicker and more difficult. The first book I ever bought with my own money was L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.

    When in primary school, there Was a book catalog (目录). We could take it home and ask our parents to help us order new books. Then the books would be sent to the school. There was nothing better than getting my little bag of books.

    My love for science fiction was deepened by my older brother's love for it. He introduced me to Star Trek and Doctor Who, but it was his copy of The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks that got me really interested in science fiction.

    I read classics (名著) in high school. The first time I had the thought that I wanted to be a writer was after reading one of Edgar Allan Poe's works. And his use of words surprised me. Yeah, it's no wonder I studied English in university and later I became an English teacher. Through my work, I can pass on my love for the written word and books to my students. How great!

Decide to Do Well

    Everybody makes decisions in daily life. They can be as important as what you will do in the future or as simple as what you will eat for breakfast. Any decision could be the turning point of your life.

    I made an important decision when I was in Junior 3.

    Before I made that decision I was one of the boys who tried too hard to act as an adult. I didn't know that only kids want to show themselves as adults.

    I didn't listen to my parents and teachers, and my grades became poor. Then came the high school entrance exam.

    At the turning point of my life, my mum wanted to have a conversation with me. I wanted to turn it down but when I looked at her eyes, I felt I couldn't refuse. Instead of asking me to study hard, to my surprise, mum just asked what I wanted to do in the future. Without thinking too much, I just said I would like to study hard.

    Mum smiled and asked again, "I asked 'what do you WANT to do'?"

    I never seriously thought about the question. So, I kept silent.

    "Whether you want to go on studying or enter the society," she went on, "it is your own decision. Your life ought to be decided by you, not by anyone else, including me. "After saying that, she had tears in her eyes.

    For the first time in my life I was asked to make my own decision. I sat in my chair and thought about myself, my life and what kind of person I wanted to become.

    It took me what seemed to be ages to make the biggest decision so far in nay life-I wanted to be a man who makes a difference in the world. To achieve that, I needed to study hard.

    The path to my future became clear to me. I didn't act rebelliously(叛逆地) any more. With passion (激情) in my heart, I studied hard.

    Now, I'm 17 and I'm in one of the best schools in my city, in one of the best classes at the school and I am one of the best students in the class.

    Thanks to that decision, I have become what I am today.

    Hello, boys and girls. I'm Tom. Nice to meet you. Tom is my first name, What's my last name? My last name is Hanks. Tom Hanks is my full name(全名). I'm twelve years old. I'm from England and I'm English. Thanks.