A lot of teenagers are good at art at school, but how would you feel if people called you “the new Picasso(毕加索)” or if presidents and other famous people collected your paintings?

    Alexandra Nechita was ten when her paintings became famous all over the world. She visited Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and her family's native place (祖籍) Romania where 5,000 fans came to see her at the airport. Alexandra said, “When it all started, I was moved. It was very exciting and I loved the traveling, but I got very tired. And I missed home.”

    Alexandra is a good student. Her studies always come first. She only starts painting after she's done her homework. She works on two or three paintings at a time. The paintings sell for thousands and Alexandra's parents have given up their jobs to work for their daughter. Life for the Nechita family is very different from what it was like a few years ago. Alexandra's father Nike left Romania for political (政治的)reasons in 1985. At first he tried his best to learn English and had different kinds of low-paid jobs. In 1987, he brought his wife and Alexandra, who was then 18 months old, to America. The family was very poor. Alexandra began to draw at the age of three.

    She was drawing for four or five hours a day. Soon people offered(提出) to buy her paintings and she had her first art show at the age of eight. Stories about this child appeared(出现) in the newspapers and television. They now live in a large house with a swimming pool. Her mother said, “We started without anything, but thanks to Alexandra, we have everything we ever dreamed of.”

    There was a story many years ago of a school teacher— Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn't play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.

    Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed(惭愧的) of herself. She felt even worse, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother's perfume(香水)。

    Teddy said, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.

    Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy's mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.

    Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M. D.(医学博士).

    The story doesn't end there. On his wedding（婚礼） day, Dr. Stoddard whispered（低声的说） in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference."

    Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

    A man came out of the airport. A lot of taxis were there. He asked the name of every taxi-driver. Then he took the 3rd one. It cost 5 dollars from the airport to the hotel. "How much does it cost for the whole day?" the man asked. "One hundred dollars," said the taxi-driver. This was very expensive, but the man said it was OK.

    The driver took the man everywhere. He showed him all the parks and museums in the city. In the evening, they went back to the hotel. The man gave the driver 100 dollars and said, "What about tomorrow?" The taxi-driver looked at the man and said, "Tomorrow? It's another 100 dollars." But the man said, "That's OK! See you tomorrow." The driver was very pleased.

    The next day the driver took the man everywhere again. They visited all the parks and museums again. And in the evening they went back to the hotel. The man gave the driver 100 dollars again and was going home tomorrow. The driver was unhappy because he liked the man and above all, 100 dollars a day was a lot of money.  "So you're going home. Where do you come from?" he asked. "I come from New York." "New York!" said the driver. "I have a sister in New York. Her name is Lucy. Do you know her?" "Of course I know her. She gave me 200 dollars for you!"

    My mom only had one eye. I hated her. I am always angry about it. She cooks dinner for students and teachers. One day at school, my mother sees me and says hello to me. I am so unhappy! How can she do this? I turn back and run away. The next day at school one of my classmates says, "EEEE, your mother only has one eye!" I don't know what to say. I wish my mother to just get away. I say to her at home, "If you're only going to make others laugh at me, just die." She doesn't say a word.

    Many years later, I have family in another city. Then one day, my mother comes to visit me. When she stands at the door, my children laugh at her. I shout, "GET AWAY! NOW!" "Oh, I'm sorry. I have the wrong address(地址)."She says.  A few years later, she dies. Somebody gives me a letter from my mother. It reads: "My dearest son, I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I should not go to your house and…You see, when you are very young, you lose your eye in a car accident. As a mother, I give you mine. I am glad you can see a whole world for me with that eye. With all my love to you. Your mother. "

    "I am going to the store, Uncle Moti, "Mina said. "Do you want to come along? You have not seen much of the neighborhood yet."

    Uncle shook his head. "No, thank you," he said. "It is just too loud and crowded for me. Everyone is always on the go, while I am used to the peace and quiet of our village. I feel afraid out there, like a frightened (害怕的) child. "Mina sat on the sofa next to her uncle. "Tell me about the village, Uncle Moti," she said. "Would I like it there?"

    Uncle laughed. "Without a doubt, you would find it dull at first-the loudest sound is usually birdsong. The people I meet on the street are all people I know, and we stop and talk or go to the tea shop and have tea. There are not many shops, but the shopkeepers know all their customers. Everyone is friendly and has a smile for everyone else."

    "Sounds really nice," Mina said. "But I think maybe it is not different in every way. I really wish you would come with me, and I could show you why I say that. "Uncle sighed and got up, saying, "All right, Mina, I will go."

    Out on the street, cars zoomed by, some of them honking. Uncle looked very nervous at all the noise and activities, and Mina took his hand.

    "Look," she said, "there is my friend Nate, and coming down the street is my teacher, Ms. Sanchez." Mina waved to Nate, who waved back, and called hello to her teacher. Then she led her uncle down the street to the store, where she greeted the shopkeeper. "Hi, Ms. Franklin, this is my uncle Moti, who has come here to live."

    "Over here," Mina took her uncle's arm and led him across the street. A sign over a door read "Navid's Tea Shop." Uncle smiled. They went in and sat at a table. They ordered tea, and Uncle sighed happily.

    "Well, I see what you were trying to show me," he said. "This neighborhood is your village. Now it will be mine to. It has friends, kind shopkeepers, birds, and even a tea shop…"

    A few days ago, I ran into a stranger as he passed by. I said sorry to him. And we were very polite. Then we went on our way after saying goodbye.

    Later in the kitchen at home, as I cooked our meal, my daughter Betty walked up to me. When I turned around, I nearly knocked her down." Get out of the way!" I shouted angrily. She ran away, crying.

    That night, when I lay in bed, my husband said to me, "You were so rude to Betty. Go and look around on the kitchen floor, and you'll find some flowers there. Betty brought those for you. She picked them herself--pink, yellow, and your favourite blue."

    When I heard this, I thought deeply, "While meeting with a stranger, I was calm and polite, but with my daughter, I was not patient." I felt sad and tears began to fall.

    I quietly went to Betty's bed." Wake up, my dear！"I said." Are these the flowers you picked for me?" She smiled, "I found them by the tree. I knew you liked them, especially the blue." I said, "I am so sorry that I treated you that way today." And she whispered(悄声说), "Mommy, that's okay. I still love you anyway." I kissed her and said, "I love you too and I do love the flowers."

    That day Betty gave me a lesson on how to get along with each other in the family. I spent much time on work before and didn't realize how important family life was. I decided to do better in the future.