Millions of people have seen Disney films and TV programmes. They have made friends with all the Disney heroes: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, and Peter Pan. Millions more have visited Disney Parks. Probably no other company has pleased so many children. It is not surprising that it has been called a dream factory.

    Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois. Then his family moved to Missouri. He grew up on a farm there. At the age of 16, Disney began to study art in Chicago. Four years later, he joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company. He helped make cartoon advertisements to be shown in cinemas.

    In 1923, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California to join his brother Roy.  He wanted to be a film producer or director. But he failed to find a job. So he decided to make animated films. In these films, drawings are made to move in a lifelike way. We call them cartoons. Disney wanted to bring his pictures to life.

    Disney opened his first company in the back of an office. For the first, several years, he had to work hard for a living, but he believed that cartoon films could be popular.

    Mickey Mouse was drawn with a group of circles. The public first saw Mickey Mouse in a film called Steamboat Willie. Walt Disney himself provided the voice for Mickey Mouse. The film was produced in 1928. It was a huge success. Mickey Mouse appeared in hundreds of cartoons during the years that followed. He became known all over the world.

    Mr. Brown works on a farm. Mr. Green works in a park. But they don't know each other. Today is Sunday. Mr. Brown comes to the park. He feels tired. He wants to have a little rest. He sees a red chair under a tree over there. So he walks to the chair. Mr. Green is behind him. Mr. Green runs to the chair with a board when he sees Mr. Brown come to the chair. But Mr. Brown runs faster（更快） than Mr. Green. Then he sits on the chair. Mr. Brown is very happy. But Mr. Green doesn't say anything. He gives the board（板子） in his hand to Mr. Brown. It says, "Wet Paint(油漆未干). "

Ray Charles，a black singer and pianist of the USA．He had won 12Grammy Awards （格莱美奖） and performed at 10，000concerts around the world．Many musicians called him simply"the Genius"．

    Ray Charles was born into a poor family，without a father．When he was 5years old，his younger brother died，and around the same time，Charles started to lose his sight．By the age of 7，he was completely blind．He had already been learning the piano for a year，and when he went blind，his mother knew this would be the only way he would make any money in the future．All his life，Charles remembered her saying："Do it right，or don't do it at all．"

    Later he went to a school for blind and deaf children．There the teachers also encouraged him to study music．Sadly，while he was still at school，his mother died．He left school and in the early 1950s Charles organized a group of players．He sang，played the piano and wrote music．He made many classical CDs with famous artists such as Elton John and the Beatles．

In 2003a film of his life Ray was made．The part of Charles was played by a younger actor and musician called Jamie Foxx．The film director brought Foxx to meet Charles．After they had been playing together for two hours，Charles，then aged 73，jumped up and said："He's the one…he can do it．"A year later Charles died，aged 74．The film of his life has been as popular as his songs and means that the memory of Charles'music will live on．

One Thursday afternoon, when I was in Grade 7, a new boy came into my classroom. He was short and thin. He walked up to the teacher and told her, very seriously, that he was new. His name was Christian. He sat down, took a look at me, and then looked away. I didn't think he was very nice and I was sure he wasn't the type I would like to become friends with.

During that year, I didn't talk to him much, but he smiled at me when our eyes met, always shyly. He never ate lunch with anybody, and he never talked to anybody but me.

But one day I joined those unkind kids who were making fun of him. We made fun of him though I thought it was wrong. 

"Haven't you got any friends? " a kid asked Christian, who had walked past us alone, head down.  "No, he hasn't got any friends. He's too stupid and shy. " I said. Then Christian looked up at me with the saddest dog eyes I had ever seen. I felt very sorry at that moment.

That night, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get Christian's face out of my mind. In the weeks that followed, he never met my eyes in class and never smiled at me. It was really hard for me to decide to write him a note asking him to forgive（原谅）me. But I thought I should. 

The next day in class, I wrote him a note telling him how sorry I felt. About five minutes later, I turned and saw tears in his eyes. "You will never realize (意识到) what your apology（道歉）has meant to me, Jimmy, "he said to me. "I hope we can become friends. "

We had lunch together that noon and we had the best talk I had ever had. Over the years at high school, we were close friends.

When I think back, I realize that, if I had not apologized, I would never have known what a lovely person Christian was.

Apologies can really change your life, so never miss the chance to tell somebody you are sorry.

China's 15-year-old Chen Ye won the gold medal in the men's bowl final of skateboarding(滑板男子碗池决赛) at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sept. 25. 2023, 

Chen started getting into this sport at the age of 8. "I remember one day I went to a sports store, and by chance I saw a skateboard. I decided to give it a try, "Chen told China Daily. Although it was really challenging to stay on the board at first, Chen found it very interesting, compared with other hobbies. "Every time I learned some difficult skills, I felt the joy of making breakthroughs(突破), "said Chen. 

Gradually, Chen needed a better skate bowl for training. To meet the need, his father decided to make a skate bowl himself. "He gave up his job and worked on the bowl late into the night, "said Chen. "I'm really thankful for my father's support. "

As a junior high school student, Chen needed to find a balance between his schoolwork and skateboarding. His only "privilege(特权)" was being free from P. E. classes, during which he would do schoolwork because he needed to practice in his own skate bowl for hours after returning home. He trained in the morning, studied in the afternoon and sometimes had to have extra classes with the teachers' help. While getting ready for the competition this year, he trained for more hours at night to avoid interfering(干扰)with daytime classes. 

Looking at seven years of learning skating, Chen said this experience made him stronger and more determined to do something he truly loves.