Peter is eight years old, and he goes to a school near his house. He always goes there and comes home on foot. He usually gets back on time, but last Friday he came home from school late. His mother saw him and said to him, "Why are you late today, Peter?" "My teacher was angry and told me to see the headmaster after class," Peter answered. "To see the headmaster?" his mother asked. "Why did she tell you to see him?" "Because she asked a question in class," Peter said, "And nobody could answer it except me." His mother became angry. "But why did your teacher tell you to see the headmaster then?" she asked. "Because her question was 'Who put the glue (胶水) on my chair?'" Peter said.

    It's Sunday. Children don't go to school on Sundays. But Kate gets up early in the morning. “It's my birthday. I'm eight years old today.” she thinks, “Where are Dad and Mum? I want to know what they can give me for my birthday.”

    Her father and mother are not at home. They are going shopping. And now they are talking about what to buy for Kate.

—Dad: How about the doll? It looks nice. I think Kate would like the doll.

—Mom: I don't think so. She is not a little girl. I think she likes a new dress. Girls often like new dresses very much.

—Dad: But she has a few new dresses and some new blouses. Oh, I think she must be very happy to have a box of colorful pencils and some picture books. Do you think so?

— Mom: Yes. Let's go over there and buy them.

    My name is Bill. I'm from England. I am a worker. I work in a clothes shop. My wife , Ann, is a teacher. She teaches English in a junior high school. We have two kids: a son and a daughter. They are students. Jim is our son. Now he is in his favorite T-shirt and blue pants. Sally is our daughter. She likes blue very much. Now she is in her blue dress. My father's name is Robby. My mother's name is Diana. They are old and they don't work now. I have a brother. His name is Robert. He is a worker, too. My wife's father is Sam. Her mother's name is Rose. Her sister is Lily. She is a teacher, too.

    Years ago I worked at a factory in a small county. Every day I got up very early and often did much extra work at night. I was so tired and exhausted. My whole life was hopeless. Then one day I read the following article from a magazine：

    "A woman went to live with her husband in camp on the Mojave Desert（沙漠）during the war. She simply hated the place: the heat was almost unbearable, 125degrees in the shade, the wind blew incessantly, and there was sand-sand everywhere. Finally, in desperation（不顾-切地）she wrote her parents in Ohio that she couldn't stand it another minute and was coming home.

    Quickly came the reply by airmail from her father just two lines：

    'Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw the mud, the other saw stars.'

    The daughter did some real thinking, not only with the intellect（思维）but also with her heart. She decided to stick to her post.

    She made friends with the natives, learned to love the country, and eventually wrote a book about it. The desert hadn't changed, but her attitude had. Because she listened with her heart to the words her father sent, a whole new world opened up to her. "

    A change of attitude could change everything. After reading the article, I was deep in thought（陷入沉思）.

    Once Einstein gave a lecture(演讲)in many places in America. His driver always listened to him and knew the lecture so well that he was sure to give it himself. So Einstein agreed that the driver gave the lecture for him. As nobody knew Einstein there, the driver gave the lecture for Einstein that evening. At first he was a bit afraid, but Einstein's smile made him feel better. He gave a good lecture and the people were quite pleased. Then the driver started to leave and Einstein followed him without a word. Then they got to the door, a man asked the driver a difficult question. The driver said that the question was very easy, and told the man to ask his driver behind to answer it.