Stand Straight and Stand Tall!

    High school was wonderful, but I had always felt uncomfortable as one of the taller members of my class, standing a head above the other girls and bowing at the back of the line to avoid sticking out.

    I especially hated being around large groups of people, like during the social hour after the church services.

    My grandfather watched me grow increasingly uncomfortable, but he didn't laugh at me or try to comfort me. Instead, he would warn me. "Stand straight and stand tall, " he would say, as I tried to shrink（退缩）.

    And each time, I would obey him. Even at age 15, I understood that his advice was about more than just feet and inches. My grandfather grew up in war-torn（饱受战争摧残的） Europe. When German soldiers took his hometown, the beautiful and exciting city of Tarnow, Poland, he joined the Soviet army for his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand tall" meant something else since then. I trusted my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And whenever I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life.

    After the war, he took a boat for America on January 27, 1947. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his future. Soon he met other European immigrants（移民）, each of whom tried to find his or her own way.

    If they could do it, why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would tell himself. At first my grandfather refused to enter an American church. He was angry with God for the loss of his whole family in Europe. But soon he felt his self-confidence returning. When he walked into the church the first time, he walked in proudly.

    12-year -old American boy Maxwell Daley just grew a pumpkin(南瓜) that weighs 582. 5 pounds (1 pound is about 0.45 kg). He won first place in the seventh annual Largest Pumpkin Contest at the Kentucky State Fair. And he received the $500 (about 3, 334 yuan) top prize.

    Maxwell is a seventh grader at Grayson County Middle School. At the age of 8, he became interested in growing huge pumpkins after seeing them at the state fair.

    Maxwell is a boy of few words. But he shared his secret of growing a big pumpkin" We put lots of special fertilizers(肥料) on it. We put it in the shade(阴凉处) and put a canopy(遮篷) over it. Lots of weeds(杂草) need to be pulled," he told local media Franklin Favorite.

    His father Joe Daley also added that it started by picking the right seed this year, Daley paid $ 40 for his pumpkin seed and worked hard every day to grow it. He also needed to keep the pests(害虫) out. "It turned into a pretty big job. He did all the work," Joe said.

    This winning giant pumpkin was the only one he grew this year. According to the rule, Maxwell has to take part in the Largest Pumpkin Contest for years to come.

    There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.

    On their way home, the father asked the son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad," the son answered. "Did you notice how poor people were there?" asked his father. "Oh, yes," said the son. "So, tell me," said his father. The son said, "Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns, but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don't need walls, because their friends will protect them.

    The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, "Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are."