Susan had long blonde hair and big blue eyes. So did most of the other1in her school class, which troubled her a lot. "I look like everyone else! I'm not special! I'm boring!" Susan2to her mother.

    She decided to try to make herself look3. She painted big pink spots on her neck and when she didn't get attention, she stuck a long plastic nose on top of her real nose. Nobody noticed that4. She took ink and poured it all over her5. She wore clown (小丑) clothes to school and stuck leaves in her ears.6no matter what she did, she still didn't get any7and nobody thought she was special.

    One morning her8went to wake her up and told her to get ready for school. She made Susan9the ink out of her hair and clean her neck. "I'm not going to school10! I'm boring!" She buried (埋藏) her head11the quilt and cried.

    "Susan," her mother said, "you are different. You are unique (独一无二的) and special.12in the world looks just like you. Some people have blonde hair like you and some have blue eyes like you, but none of them has your smile or the twinkle in your eyes or your pink face. Nobody laughs like you either. Now13and get ready for school."

Susan went to school that day and looked at all the other kids in her class. "Mum was14. Nobody looks just like me," Susan smiled. "I am special. I am unique and I am not15."

    Once, in a small village, lived a family with two children, James and Jack. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} of them loved painting very much, but the family was so {#blank#}2{#/blank#} that it was impossible to send both of them to study at the art college at the same time. After many discussions, the two boys finally worked {#blank#}3{#/blank#} a plan. They would throw a coin. The loser would go to work in the mines（矿井） to support his brother's studies at the college. Then, when the brother at college {#blank#}4{#/blank#} his studies after four years, he would support the other brother's college studies.

    James {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, and so Jack went down into the mines. James worked with all his heart, and his paintings were soon much {#blank#}6{#/blank#} than those of most of his teachers. By the time he graduated, he was beginning to make a lot of money from his paintings.

    When James returned, the family held a big dinner to {#blank#}7{#/blank#} his great success. Soon after {#blank#}8{#/blank#} dinner began, James stood up from his seat to drink a toast to his dear brother. He said, "Jack, now you can go to the art college and your dream will come true. I will take care of you."

{#blank#}9{#/blank#} Jack said softly, "Brother, the four years in the mines has done too much to my hands, so it's too late. Now I can't even hold a glass."

James was heart-broken. One hour {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, he drew a simple picture of his brother's hands. This drawing is today known as the famous picture named The Praying Hands.

Several years ago, when I was teaching at a middle school, a girl sent me a message. She found someone write a very1message on her locker. She made a picture of it and then sent it to me asking for2.

A few hours later, I noticed that on her Instagram she had posted that picture and asked if anyone3who did that.

Well, the following day, the girl came to me with a boy. She showed me a4she had received. It was a heartfelt apology. I asked her if she knew who had done it, and the boy replied embarrassedly(尴尬地), "It was me. I don't know why I did it, but I know it was5. So I wrote her this note. I6wanted to do something to try to make up for my meanness."

My heart felt so full of7for this boy. I told him how8he was to come forward and how amazing it was that he did something9to correct his mistake. I10the girl and asked her if she could forgive him. Without hesitation, she said, "Yes."

I think middle school students are not little children any more, and not grown-ups yet. It is normal that they make mistakes. Every day I remind myself that although I am an educator, my students truly love me.

Are there any rules in your family?

A reporter, Tim {#blank#}1{#/blank#} four students about their family rules.

On school days, Jack can't play computer {#blank#}2{#/blank#} and has to go to bed before nine o'clock. He must take a shower before {#blank#}3{#/blank#} to bed. He 39. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} clean the house on the weekend.

Jim has to get up at six o'clock every morning. He must do his homework {#blank#}5{#/blank#} after school. He can't watch TV {#blank#}6{#/blank#} listen to music on weekdays, either. His mother is a teacher. She is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} with Jim very much.

Sally can't {#blank#}8{#/blank#} loudly (大声地) at home. She has to listen to English before going to bed. She has to play the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} on Sundays.

Mike must run in the morning. He can't eat junk food (垃圾食品). He has to help his mom do {#blank#}10{#/blank#} housework.

Several times each year the Queen gives afternoon tea parties at which guests are served tiny cakes filled with cream from her own cows. Cakes and sandwiches are bought in by footmen, yet you never see the Queen touch a thing. She

simply sits beside a big silver plate, pouring cups of tea for everyone and carefully avoiding the cakes.

At cocktail parties the Queen moves from group to group, chatting informally, and manages to make one glass of diet drink to last a whole evening. Tours abroad are difficult because hosts seem to believe the warmth of their welcome must be shown with wonderful state banquets(宴). But the Queen has perfected the art of appearing to enjoy her meal without actually eating much. During one visit to the Pacific islands of Tonga, a specially-prepared dinner was set up in   a hut made of wood and bamboo leaves. Deep holes were dug in the ground, filled with hot stones and baby pigs, and the pigs were slowly cooked with dry heat over several days. The Queen looked uneasily at her plate when she discovered a   whole roast(烤) pig was her serving.

Then she became uneasy when a turkey, some meat, bananas and an apple were also carried in for each guest. So she depended on her old favourite trick of talking with her host, King Tupou IV, carrying on a warm conversation. At the same time she pushed her food around her plate and only ate a piece of turkey and some fruit.

Reporters traveling with her have noticed that the Queen will sometimes seem so interested in a foreign leader's political(政治的) chat that she simply never has time to finish a meal before it is time to get up and make her speech. She will lift her fork, then put it down again to make another point, leaving almost all of her meal untouched.