Beethoven, a famous musician in the world, was born in Germany in 1770.

In his childhood Beethoven didn't have a happy life. His father was a singer. When he was only four, his father began to make him practise hour after hour on different musical instruments (乐器). If he did not put his heart into it, his father would beat him or make it hard on him.

Beethoven loved music and he learned so fast that he was able to go around to give concerts, when he was only a boy of eleven. At the age of seventeen, lie won high praise from Mozart, the greatest musician at that time.

    Beethoven was often poor and in during his life. After one illness, lie suddenly found he couldn't hear at that time, he was only thirty-one. It was a great blow (打击) to him.

    But he still went on working and writing music pieces. To people's surprise, he wrote some of his best pieces after he lost his hearing.

In 1827, the great musician died. He leer more than 300 pieces. But people still remember his name today.

D

    As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is the way the charity organization Heifer International (国际小母牛慈善组织) wants to end world hunger.

    It began in the 1930s when an American farmer, Dan West, went to Spain to help people in need. He tried to feed the people with milk. But it seemed that there would never be enough milk. It made him think that what they needed was “not a cup, but a cow”.

    Dan West returned to America. He worked together with some friends to find ways to end hunger. He believed giving animals and providing training would stop world hunger. With his help, Heifer International was set up.

    On Heifer International's website, you will see a list of animals like cows, chickens, pigs and even fish and bees. You can offer help by buying some animals for one certain family. Those animals will have babies get better lives, they will pass on the act of kindness to others. More importantly, you are buying the resources (资源) for programs run by Heifer International to help more families.

    The programs also help small-sized farms. As a rule, each farmer must give his animal's first female (雌性) baby to another in need. Heifer International also provides training on animals' health and feeding. And these farmers all agree to teach others what they have learned as another rule.

    However, there is still a long way to go. The milk may run out. But if families have their own cows, they can get plenty of milk to feed themselves. The organization wants the farmers to go on working together, helping each other and learning from each other. Maybe hunger can really be stopped.

    One morning, I was driving my father-in-law to the airport when a plane flew silently over the road like a big bird, about to touch down at the airport.

    "It's magic," my father-in-law said. I looked at him, without knowing what was happening.

    He was a doctor who gave speeches at colleges and had visited more than 100 countries. He understood better than I why a plane can fly in the sky. It, really, wasn't magic. But now, I realize he was at least right in some way.

    Though flying might not be magic, it's certainly magical. What it brings to our real lives is something found in our dreams.

    But too often, we, especially I forget. I read a sentence a few months ago. It said, "You know you're growing-up when you no longer want a window seat."

    Too often in recent years, I've asked for a seat near the exit row, forgetting the wonders of traveling fast. But sometimes, when the Wi-Fi's not working or my computer has no power, I remember to look.

    I think of one time when I was leaving on a family vacation. Moments after take-off, I started working. But a passenger behind me wouldn't stop talking. "The clouds!" he kept saying, "Look at the clouds!"

I turned around, and saw two men, one who appeared to be in his seventies and the other much younger. The chat continued for 20 minutes until, not patiently, I raised my eyes from my computer screen and looked out of the window.

    The clouds!

    He was right. We were floating through big soft balls of cotton, each in different shapes. They seemed easy enough to touch. The afternoon sun provided all kinds of colors, all against a blue sky. I put away my computer and appreciated(欣赏)them for the rest of the flight.

    I don't remember the work I felt like I had to complete that afternoon. I've never forgotten those clouds.

 When Mancina was young, he would skateboard during the winter seasons. At the beginning, he knew nothing {#blank#}1{#/blank#} skateboarding and couldn't play it so well. It wasn't until he moved to a different neighbourhood and met a group of {#blank#}2{#/blank#} ( skate) that Mancina began to truly love skating. 

 However, at just thirteen years old, doctors told Mancina that he had an eye problem. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} just a year and a half, he lost vision in his left eye. Mancina stopped skateboarding. After a few years, he picked up the board again and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ( film) a video of himself skateboarding with the help of a cane(杖). The video {#blank#}5{#/blank#} ( share) online. It made Mancina decide to return to the sport although he is now {#blank#}6{#/blank#} ( complete) blind. 

"Being a blind skater, I have to take my time to feel obstacles(障碍物) and have a good understanding of {#blank#}7{#/blank#} ( it) before I start skating, " said Mancina. "I depend on my white cane the most. I use it to know my environment and to find obstacles while skating. "

Mancina hopes to perform at the Paralympics in 2028. His future plans include breaking his own record and building a skate park. Once it's built, he {#blank#}8{#/blank#} ( introduce) blind kids to the world of skating. 

 Jason and his father were going to a supermarket by car to pick up some apples. It had been an unusual day. The sky was dark but there were few clouds. As they drove up the street, there started to be a loud sound heard across the ground.

 Jason's father immediately realized that a tornado(龙卷风) was coming. He stopped the car and told Jason to get out immediately. Jason and his father got out of the car and made their way to the closest building. By this time the wind was blowing harder, and it was hard to see or hear. Jason couldn't see his dad anymore. He also realized that he wasn't getting to the building fast enough. He was afraid he would be picked up by the wind and thrown into the air.

 As he made his way towards the building, he noticed a field to his right. He could see an irrigation ditch (灌溉渠). He felt really afraid inside because he'd never been in a tornado before. His heart began to race and he could feel sweat dripping down from his face. In a panic, he started running towards the ditch as fast as he could. He stumbled(绊倒)a bit as he climbed down into it, but soon he was lying flat on the ground, hiding inside. He could hear his heart beating even more loudly and felt his whole body shaking.____

 After a while, the wind died down and the loud roaring sound was gone. Jason slowly lifted his head and nervously looked around. What he saw was a great mess. Jason could hardly recognize the buildings in front of him because of all the damage.

 He stood up and with his legs shaking and walked to the building. Once there, he pushed the door open and went inside. It was a public building owned by the city. It was empty, but Jason could hear noises further inside. He walked into the large room and saw his dad. He ran across the room and gave him a big hug.

"Jason! How are you? I've been so worried about you!" said his father. "I couldn't find you anywhere!"

 Jason breathed a sigh of a relief(松了一口气) and sat down. He did have a story to tell!

Alena is from Texas. She dreamed of becoming an engineer at the age of 16 when she was 12 years old. It may sound impossible, but Alena is not a common girl. She's both clever and hard-working. She is now studying engineering at her dream university. She would love to build a rover (探测器) to go to space. 

Believe it or not, the story started with Lego (乐高) . At the age of4, Alena loved playing around with different kinds of Lego and showed great love for building things. Little Alena loved to look at the stars at night. Once, she said seriously, "Mom, I'm going to work for NASA. I'm going to travel to space in a rocket. " Her mom was surprised at the little girl's dream. She couldn't believe what she heard. 

Alena is planning to write a book for children. "I' d like to ask more girls to follow their dreams, " she said. 

Alena won't let anything stop her working hard for her dreams. "When I plan to do something, I just go for it, " she said.