One day, my wife and I went shopping. We took the car as we had a lot of things to buy, because my brother and his family were going to spend the weekend with us. We stopped the car in front of the shop. An hour later we came back to the car with a lot of things. Then the trouble(麻烦) started. We could not open the door.

    "Oh, dear," said my wife, "what are we going to do?"

    "Let's ask that policeman," I said.

    The policeman was very kind and glad to help us. Soon he got the door open. Just at that moment, an angry man came up and shouted. "What are you doing with my car?" We looked at the number of the car, and our faces turned very red.

Our village carpenter（木匠）, John Hill, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill（账单）for his job.

My wife said to me quietly, “That's his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said in a loud voice, “It's a beautiful table, dear, isn't it?” “I'll decide about that when I see the bill,” I said. John laughed and gave me his bill for the work. I read:

One dining table                        10^th November, 2011

      Cost of wood                  ＄17.00

      Paint                         ＄1.50

      Work, 8 hours(＄1 an hour)       ＄8.00

      Total                         ＄36.50  

When I was looking at the bill, John said, “It's been a fine day, hasn't it? Quite sunny.”

“Yes,” I said. “I'm glad it's only the 10^th of November.”

“Me, too,” said John, “you wait—it will be a lot colder by the end of the month.”

“Yes, colder—and more expensive! Dining tables will be ＄20 more expensive on November 30^th, won't they, John?”

John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes? I gave his bill back to him.

“If it's not too much trouble, John,” I said, “please add it up again. You can forget the date…”

I paid him ＄26.50 and he was happy to get it.

C

    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.

    "Colour, colour, colour!" are the words of the artist Eric Carle. Eric is like the king in the world of children's books. He has written over 70 children's books. His most famous book. The Very HungryCaterpillar, is common on children's bookshelves all over the world. What most people don't know is that Eric also makes art for adults, which is called "ArtArt". People didn't know about it, because he didn't show it to the public until he was 84 years old!

    Like Eric's children's books, his "ArtArt" is full of bright and clear colour. He says that he loves colour so much because he missed it during the war in Germany. Eric was born in New York in 1929, but moved to Germany with his family when he was 6. When he was 10, World War Ⅱ began. He noticed that all the houses and buildings in his town were painted grey, brown or dark green. It was a sad time, and it seemed like there was no colour anywhere.

    At the end of the war, "when colour came back", Eric explains, "I just loved it so much. I keep saying that I wish our eyes could see more colour. Colour is a very important part of my work."

    That's true. Eric paints bright colours on Paper, cuts out shapes, and then glues them onto another piece of paper. This method is called collage (拼贴画). In fact, it is what led Eric to his "ArtArt".

    Eric's "ArtArt" includes large collages as well as paintings, photographs and even costumes. In all these works, he uses all kinds of colours—everything from purple to light green to orange. Now that's a lot of colour!

Unforgettable trip to Shanghai

    I will never forget my school trip to Shanghai. It was so great!

We got there by train. The train ride wasn't boring, because we talked and studied along the way. When we finally got there, it was quite late. I was too tired to call my mom, although I missed her a lot.

    The trip lasted six days. During the first day, I learned how to fold a blanket by myself. On the second and third days, my classmates and I did a lot of things. It rained heavily on the fourth day. We played a game called “Utmost 60 Seconds". It took our group only 41 seconds to finish it. We won the game. I was so excited that I called my mom that day and told her how happy I was. We returned to Changchun on the sixth day.

    My trip to Shanghai was unforgettable (难忘的). I learned how important my mom's love is. I also learned some life skills that I would use for the rest of my life.

    I know my brother better than anyone else in the world. Since the moment of his birth, I've been part of his life. I had spent seven happy years in the world with the attention of those around me. But when Rohan was born, life changed. All of a sudden, I had to share my toys and there were no more bedtime stories or my own choice of food.

    Finally, I hated this small boy. The poor baby had no idea what had made me so unhappy. Maybe he found me strange, the only person in this house who did not like him. Whatever the reason was, he loved following me around. However, I seldom talked to him and always asked him to leave me alone.

    Then all that changed. I hardly remember everything of that day six years ago, but I do remember that I was feeling very angry. Then I found myself in my brother's room. I couldn't help reaching my hand through the bars of his bed. At once, he reached his small hand and softly touched mine. And that was all I needed. Through all the unhappiness of the day, that one moment changed everything. How could I hate someone who made me feel so important? For the first time, I saw my brother through the eyes of a sister. Suddenly I realized love from my family was always with me.

    To this day, I can't imagine life without my brother. It is unbelievable how much I have learned about life from a seven-year-old boy. Above all, Rohan has taught me that one should not care only for himself.