One midnight, a little girl woke up to pass water. She by herself got up and down her bed, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the hall that she feared.
Her mother said, “Don't be afraid, honey. Take courage!”
“What's courage?” she asked, running to her mother's bed.
“Courage is the brave breath,” her mother answered.
“Mum, do you have courage?”
“Certainly.”
The girl held out her little hands, saying, “Mum, blow some of your breath of courage to me.”
After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists(握拳) nervously, afraid that the “breath of courage” would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear.
Her mother said to herself, “It will be nice if someone can blow some kind of ‘breath' to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost.”
In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should defeat(战胜) is nobody but ourselves.

    There was a story many years ago of a school teacher— Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn't play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.

    Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed(惭愧的) of herself. She felt even worse, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother's perfume(香水)。

    Teddy said, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.

    Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy's mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.

    Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M. D.(医学博士).

    The story doesn't end there. On his wedding（婚礼） day, Dr. Stoddard whispered（低声的说） in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference."

    Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

    I live on the twelfth floor of a building. One afternoon I am coming home from a friend's house. It is just after four o'clock. I get quickly into the lift and press Button(按钮) 12.

    The lift starts to go up, but very slowly. And then, half way up, it suddenly(突然) stops between two floors. I couldn't understand it. I press(按)an all the buttons from 1 to 14. I call for help very loudly. But nobody answers.

    Then suddenly the lights go out, and I am alone in the dark. I start to cry and beat the walls of the lift. I cry and cry until I have no voice left. Then, I feel hopeless, and press all the buttons with my open hands. And all at the same time, there is a bell far away. It rings and rings. It is the fire alarm(火灾警报). I think the whole building is on fire. I say to the God quietly, “Just get me out of here. I'll never be bad again.”

    Just then, I realize the lift is moving very slowly. On the ground floor it stops, and the door opens. A man is standing there. “How long have you been there? It is good that you press the alarm bell. But haven't you learned to read at your school? ” He points at a small piece of paper on the wall beside the lift. It says： “Attention (注意)： This lift will be stopped for repairs between 4 pm and 5 pm on Thursday, March 13.”

    January is a great month. I only need to go to school from the first to the fifteenth. Every year, our school has an art festival. This year it is from January 13^th to January 15^th. All the students and parents can come to the festival. My mother says she can go to the festival with me, but my father can't. He is busy. All people can sing, dance and play games at the festival. After the festival, the term is over. I don't need to go to school and can have a long holiday. My parents and I want to take a trip in Sanya, Hainan. And we want to spend (度过) our Spring Festival(春节)there. We will come back to Beijing on February 15^th. I'm sure we'll enjoy it!

    Lisa has always been fat. She wanted to lose weight, not only because she wanted to look more beautiful and healthier, but also because it would make life easier.

    For example, it was difficult for Lisa to find ready-made clothes. She had to ask a tailor (裁缝) to make clothes that were large enough. In school, she needed a special chair that was bigger and stronger than other chairs. If she went for a walk, she got tired very quickly.

    She was also unhappy about the way people treated (对待) her sometimes. "People look at me and even make fun of me. It's true that I'm fat, but I don't think people should treat me differently. I can't enjoy having dinner with my friends because I'm afraid of getting fatter." Sometimes when Lisa was feeling sad, she didn't want to speak to anyone.

    But now things are quite different. Last month her classmates were preparing for the School Art Week. Someone advised Lisa to play the lead role (主演) of the proud Queen who was tall and fat. Lisa agreed and practiced a lot.

    Soon after the play, Lisa became a star! She did so well that everybody remembered the proud Queen. Best Actress Award for her wonderful performance (表演).

    Now Lisa doesn't worry about being fat any more. She believes in the English saying "Every dog has its day".

    Mr Hunt came from a poor family. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father worked hard but wasn't paid much. And his mother did all the housework at home. They were both able but they couldn't get enough money for their family.

    Mr Hunt was at school for only three years and he had to stop to help his parents though he was good at his lessons. When he was sixteen, he came to the city and began to work in a small factory. He learned from an old worker and became a skilled worker. The old worker liked him and married his daughter to him. The young man did not have his own house and had to live with his parents-in-law. His mother-in-law always thought he was poor and often chattered(喋喋不休).So the young man tried to save everything and hoped to have his own house.

    It was one fine Sunday. The old woman wanted to have a picnic on top of the hill. She told Mr Hunt to drive her car. But sometimes she told him to turn left and sometimes to turn right. The young man had to listen to her. At a crossing, the lights were red but she made him turn left. The policeman stopped them and told the young man to give his license to him.

    "If I did wrong, sir," said Mr Hunt, "it was my mother-in-law's fault. She was driving the car though she sat behind me!"