Last summer, 15-year-old Bob had a problem. Like a lot of children, Bob was interested in doing many things. He liked dancing best and wanted to join a dancing group. But Bob's high school didn't have a boys' dancing group but a girls' group. He tried to join the girls' group. And he made it.

Bob thought his problem was over after he had been one of the dancers in the dancing group. But a bigger problem was just beginning. The teacher didn't allow Bob to stay in the girls' group. “If Bob stay in the group,” the teacher said, “other boys will want to join and girls might leave.” They took Bob off the group(开除).

Bob was very angry about it, so he went to a judge (法官). The judge said it was not right and told the teacher to let Bob go back to the dancing group.

    The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers(表演者) in the theater. He was a man famous for his escapes（逃走；逃生） — from prison cells（囚室）, from wooden boxes floating（漂浮） in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

    Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

    Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison （监狱）escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded（说服） a detective（侦探） which to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

    It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini's success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐) and toes trained to escape ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.

    Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame, and a name remembered today.

    Once upon a time, the colors in the world started to argue. All thought they were the most important and useful.

    Green said, "I'm the symbol of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Look around and you will see me everywhere."

    Blue followed, "You only consider the earth, but look at the sky and the sea."

    Yellow smiled, "I bring hope and warmth into the world. Look at the color of the sun and the moon."

    Orange continued, "I'm the color of joy. My beauty is so fantastic that no one can think of you at sunrise or sunset."

    Red shouted out, "I'm the ruler of you. I'm the color of life and live. So nobody can take my place." Purple stood up, "I'm the color of power. People never question me! They just listen and follow."

    Finally, indigo(靛青色) spoke slowly. "I stand for thought and reflection(反省).Yet all of you just need them."

    Suddenly, the sky became dark and rain started to pour down. The colors all gathered(聚集) in fear. Rain began to speak, "Join hands and come to me."

    The colors did as they were told. Rain added, "Don't you know you each are made for a certain purpose? When it rains, appear together to show that you can all live in peace. The rainbow(彩虹) is the color of your friendship."

    Andrew Hollennan, a 12-year-old boy, loved playing in the open land near his home. The land was wet and forested, and made a home for birds, other animals and many different plants. It made the perfect place for him to study and get to know the nature. He had seen some red- tail hawks, red foxes, wood turtles and other animals. He also found special native flowers.

    Suddenly it was announced that the "empty" land would be improved by a lot of houses on it.

    The plants would be removed, the animals would run away and most would probably die. Then the wet soil would be covered with extra grounds. When he heard about the news, he was not happy. He was very worried that the land and water would be polluted.

    Andrew wrote down clearly all the researches he had down about the area, and how the houses would affect the local environment. He sent letters to members of local government and television reporters. He also called on his neighbors to oppose the building of the houses. Although he was only 12 years old, he had the courage and wisdom of a person much older. Andrew's teachers described him as gentle, shy and active. His classmates also admired how much he knew about local animals and plants, and the environment. Each day after school, Andrew went door-to-door, to ask the people to sign, who did not want the houses to be built. In only one month, he got the signatures of 250 people.

    In the end, the land remained a safe place for birds, animals and plants that belonged there.

    Andrew won many prizes for his brave and great work to stop the houses being built, and thus help save the environment.

Once upon a time, there was a king. He always worried about what might happen, the future. One day, the king noticed a cobbler（修鞋匠）. Although he wore ragged（破旧的）clothes, he was very happy. Why could he smile so brightly? The king decided to find out the reason. 

The next day, the king dressed in rags and followed the cobbler home. 

"Please, sir, can you give some food to me?" asked the king. 

"Of course," said the cobbler. 

"Why are you so happy?"

"Today I made enough money by repairing shoes to buy the bread."

"But what will happen if you don't make enough money for food tomorrow?"

"I have confidence. Everything will be fine."

This touched the king. But he wondered what would happen if the cobbler couldn't make enough money. So the next day, the king didn't allow anyone to repair shoes. The cobbler didn't know why, but he wasn't sad. Whenhe saw some villagers trying to carry water home, he helped them and got a little money from them. 

That evening the king went to the coobler's house again. The cobbler was having soup and smiling. 

"How could you pay for the food today?" asked the king. 

"I made money by helping the villagers carry water," said the cobbler. "But what will you do tomorrow?"

"I have confidence. Everything will be fine."

"Your confidence has driven away my fear about the future. Thank you." said the king.