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    My name is Lin Tao. I am a Chinese boy. Now I'm studying in America. There are many kinds of clubs here. When I first come here, I don't know anything about clubs. I'm a shy boy, so I can't speak English well. In my first year in America, I don't like to speak to others. In my second year I have to change (改变) myself by doing some new things. I realize that school is not just about getting good grades (成绩), it's also about being part of a club. One day, when I go to the Media Center with my classmate Jim, he tells me something about the club. It's interesting, so I join it. I am in many clubs now. It's good to be part of a club. These clubs help me to make new friends.

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．

    Teenager Jake Deham was skiing(滑雪) with his family in the USA when he fell over and lost one of his skis. His family didn't know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.

    Jake couldn't find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn't work out the right way to go.

    It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm(镇定). At home, Jake watched a lot of programs about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programs and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole and pointed it up the hill so the wind couldn't blow into it. Outside his hole, the temperature fell to a dangerous﹣15℃that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.

    But he had to get down the mountain. The TV programs always said, "If you are lost, you should find someone else's tracks(足迹) through the snow and follow them." "I wanted to live my life." remembers Jake. "So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those." He walked and walked and finally he saw lights. Nine hours after he lost his ski, he found a team of worker who came to save him. He was safe!

    His mum was very happy when she heard the news. Amazingly, Jake didn't even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.

    So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!

    Kwanzaa is a celebration of African American history and culture. It begins on December 26th and continues until New Year's Day, January 1st.

    During the festival, a family member, usually the youngest child, lights candles in a special candleholder. Each night a candle is lit. Traditionally there are three green candles, three red candles and a central black candle. They represent the seven Kwanzaa principles (原则). The principles are believed to play a big role in building strong, successful families, neighborhoods, etc. In the evenings, adults share stories and explain how to follow the seven principles in daily life. On the sixth day, which falls on New Year's Eve, family and friends get together to enjoy a large meal.

    Kyle, a third grader, wrote this about Kwanzaa, "When we celebrate Kwanzaa, we have many people at home, light the candles, and have a nice dinner. We learn the meaning of Kwanzaa and remember family members. We say something good about them. Last year, we remembered my grandmother."

    In 1966, Dr. Karenga created Kwanzaa. He was studying the history of Africa at that time. Dr. Karenga wanted to create a holiday to bring African Americans together and celebrate their history and culture. He called the holiday "Kwanzaa". In fact, the name comes from an African language, and it means "first fruits of the harvest (收获季节)".

Can you imagine going to university at age 14? This year, Jia Zijun, from Henan, did just that. He became the 1 freshman (大一新生) at Beihang University and plans to study aircraft design. 

"I didn't know I was the youngest 2 I got here, and it feels quite cool!" Jia told The Paper. 

Jia took part in the college entrance exam in June and got a total score of 642. People often think students like him must be geniuses (天才). But Jia owes (归功于) his 3 mainly to curiosity(好奇心) and good study habits. 

"When I was in Grade 1, I was 4 about what we were going to learn next. So I borrowed Grade 2 5 and learned the lessons in my summer holidays. I enjoyed exploring new information, " he said. Because of this, Jia skipped (跳过) Grade 2, and then Grade 4. 

As he went to high school, he found things were getting 6 to learn. So he started to make plans every day and 7 goals for himself. "I would 8 follow the plan, and little by little I'd see my 9 . "

Jia would also 10 what he learned each day before going to bed. If there was something he couldn't remember well, he'd take a look at it the next morning. 

"I was not good at English in high school, 11 I printed the vocabulary list and stuck it onto my bed. Every morning when I woke up, I 12 through them, and it's a good way to remember things. "

When Jia felt stressful, he had a 13 way to relax: working on math problems. "I'd find difficult problems to 14 myself, and when I worked it out, I felt really happy. "

As he told The Paper, he hopes he can 15 his curiosity and study habits in university, and keep challenging himself to become a better person.