Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber (橡胶) ball. If you drop it, it will bounce(弹跳) back.

    But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit, are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be broken. It will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have balance in your life. How?

Don't look down on yourself by comparing with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special.

    Don't let other people set goals for you. Only you know what is best for yourself.

    Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid of difficulties. Be brave!

    Don't run through life so fast, or you will forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

    Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is a treasure you can always carry easily.

    Don't use time or words carelessly. You can't get them back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that's why we call it "the present". Life is not a competition but a trip, step by step.

A

    Today is Sunday, April 15th, everyone in Sheep Village（羊村）is very busy. What does he/she do?

    I'm Nuan Yangyang. I write a letter to my friend at one o'clock in the afternoon. Then I do my homework.

    I'm Fei Yangyang. I want to be strong（强壮的），so I go to the sports club to play sports in the morning. I go home at three ten in the afternoon.

    I'm Lan Yangyang. I like eating. I have breakfast at home. I have lunch in a restaurant. But the food isn't good, I don't like it.

    I'm Mei Yangyang. I go to a clothes store at nine in the morning. The clothes there are on sale, so I buy a nice skirt.

    I'm Xi Yangyang. I take the bus to the English club at ten sixteen in the morning. There I help two kids learn to speak English.

    Once there was a fairy (仙女) on an island. She was the strongest and cleverest among all fairies. However, she was very ugly. On the island, every fairy thought beauty was the most important thing for a fairy, so the ugly fairy had no friends. Every time she was sent to save someone in trouble, before she could say a word, the person would shout loudly, "Ugly! Get out of here, right now!"

    She once wanted to use her magic to become beautiful, but she remembered what her mother told her, "My dear, you are what you are, and never change your look unless you are in danger."

    One day, some witches(巫婆) from another island attacked the island—the ugly fairy's home. All the fairies were sent to prison. The ugly fairy changed herself into a witch just before she was caught. Then she followed the witches back to their island and held a party for them. While the witches were having fun at the party, she went to free all the fairies. When all the fairies were free, they worked together to fight against the witches and put them in prison.

    All the fairies realized that beauty was not the most important thing. After that, they didn't laugh at the ugly fairy any more.

    My best friends are John and Ann. We do many things together(--起).

    John lives near my house. He's fifteen years old and he's tall and slim，with blonde hair and blue eyes. He's a little bit shy but very clever. He's very good at math and he helps me with my homework.  He usually wears a T-shirt and jeans. We also play basketball at a nearby park together and sometimes we play video games at my house.

    The other friend is Ann. She's short and strong, with straight brown hair and brown eyes. She likes wearing T-shirts and a baseball cap. She never stops talking. She says she would like to be a boy. We all have kung fu lessons every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. We love it. Ann is really good at kung fu. We call her the "Kung Fu Kid". She often plays basketball with us, too. We often have great fun together.

     A young man graduated(毕业) from college. He wanted to own a sports car, so he told his father his dream. Several days later, his father called him into his room and gave him a beautiful gift box. The young man opened it and found a Bible(圣经). He was very angry. "You give me a Bible?" Then he ran out of his home, leaving the Bible.

     Since then, he lived alone. Many years passed, one day, he got a letter telling him his father had passed away. When he arrived at his father's house, he began to look for his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible. He opened the Bible, suddenly, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. The key to the sports car is just he wanted. At that moment, he knew how much his father loved him.

    A farmer had a friend and his friend was famous for growing wonderful apple trees.

    One day, the farmer's friend gave him a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it.

    The farmer loved the gift. But when he got home, he did not know where to plant it. He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the apples. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come at night and steal the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the apples. Finally he planted the tree in his wood. Nobody could see it, but there was no sunlight in his wood, the tree soon died.

    Later, the friend asked the farmer why he planted the tree in such a poor place. "What's the difference?" the farmer said angrily, "If I plant the tree near the road, strangers may steal the apples. If I plant the tree in one of my field, my neighbors may come at night and steal the apples. If I plant the tree near my house, my children may take the apples."

    "Yes," said the friend. "but at least someone could enjoy the apples. Now no one could eat the apples, and the apple tree died!"