One year, a college in the United States announced that it would offer a lot of money for the pure white marigold(金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in the nature, besides golden, the marigold is brown, and it is not easy to get the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people had forgotten the announcement.

    One normal day after 20 years, the college received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. It was an old woman of over 70 years old. Some experts in the college doubted it, but in order not to let her down, those seeds finally took root (根）in the earth. The miracle appeared after one year; the field was covered by pure white marigold.

    Therefore, the old woman who was always unknown to the public became a new focus.

    The old woman was a flower-lover. When she read the announcement 20 years ago, she got very excited like others. But her eight children were totally against her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics(遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never do, so her thought was only a day dream.

    Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working. She planted some of the most common seeds and took good care of them. A year later, when the marigold came out, she chose one faintest(最暗淡的) from those golden and brown flowers and got the best seed. The next year, she again grew them and chose...Day after day, year after year, through many seasons, the old woman's husband died, her children flew far, a lot of things happened in her life, but only the wish to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart.

    Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden she saw a marigold, which was nearly white, but as white as silver or snow.

    A problem even experts couldn't deal with was solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a miracle  (奇迹）?

To take root in the heart, even the most common seed, can grow into a miracle!

    I used to think that life in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was filled with never-changing styles. I hated that everyone seemed to know everything about everyone else. Everyone seemed to enjoy talking about other people and their lives. I also didn't like the fact that people seemed very close-minded. I felt trapped. I felt like I was missing . It seemed to me that city life would be the opposite.

    Then I took my first trip to New York City. I couldn't wait to experience the city. However, when I arrived in the Big Apple, it wasn't at all what I had imagined. I knew it was home to thousands of people, but I hadn't had the least expectation to see so many people on the street at one time. All the streets were filled with people. I also felt a little surprised to see that everyone was in a hurry and everything moved at such a fast pace(步伐). When I took the subway for the first time, I said hello to the middle-aged woman next to me. She looked at me with dislike and didn't say a word.

    After just one day, I realized how important my small town is to me. Now I miss the familiar faces I see every day. I like the feeling of safety and belonging my town offers. Jim Thorpe gives me a sense of community and togetherness that the city doesn't provide. I realize just how much a simple hello does for a stranger — it really can make your day a little better.

    My big trip showed me that my small town really has its own values in me that I didn't even know I had. I never would have known what a big place my town holds in my heart if I had not taken that trip to New York City.

    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.

    Today is Sunday. It's warm. It's four o'clock in the afternoon. Jack and Simon are at home. They are twin(双胞胎)brothers. They want to play basketball, so they take their basketball and a bag, and then go to the playground(操场).Jack puts the bag under a big tree and opens it, but he can't find his sports clothes(衣服).There're only Simon's. "Where are my sports clothes？"Jack asks Simon." Oh, I'm sorry," says Simon, "I forget to bring your clothes here."

Does Fame Drive You Crazy

    Although being famous might sound like a dream comes true, today s stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature (签名)!

    According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly (不断地) about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. "Over time," Villarreal says, "they feel separated and alone."

    The phenomenon (现象) of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B. C, painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his works attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s ran articles about film—stars in much the same way that modern websites do.

    Being famous people today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their "story" alive forever.

    If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.

    Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.