One day, a young man was taking a walk with a professor(教授). As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying on the road. They thought the owner of the shoes must be a poor man who worked on the farm nearby. The student said to the professor, "Let's take away his shoes, and hide (躲藏) ourselves behind those trees and wait to see what will happen when he cannot find them. That must be very interesting."

    "My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never make fun of others who are poor. But you can put a coin (硬币) into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch what change (变化) will happen to him."

    The student did so, and they went to hide themselves behind the trees.

    The poor man soon finished his work, and came back. When he was putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes. He felt something hard and found the coin. Surprise was seen on his face. He found the coin and looked at it again and again. He then looked around, but there was no person. He now put the money into his pocket (口袋). When he put on the other shoe, he was surprised again to find the other coin. He fell on his knees (膝盖), looked up to the sky and said aloud some thanksgiving words to the person who gave him the coins.

    The student stood there, and his eyes were full of tears (眼泪),"You have taught me a lesson that I will never forget. Now I understand:      ▲       ,"he said.

参考词汇： play basketball 打篮球： interesting 有趣； 

on the weekend 在周末； have milk喝牛奶

Myself

……

Ashley was outspoken, fashionable, and the "Queen Bee" in my school.

I looked up to her and idolized her. I listened to the music 1 listened to, wore the clothes she wore. I even took art class 2 I had really wanted to take theater. I finally fitted in her group.

One day, I walked out of my last class a few minutes earlier to 3 for our group at the dining hall. Concentrating on my homework, I didn't notice they had sat down 4 me. Before I could turn back to say a word, I realized what they were talking about.

I listened 5 . "She's such a loser," one girl said.

Another girl added, "Ashley, she always follows you, trying to 6 you."

"I wish she would leave us alone. We were in the same summer school and now she thinks we're best friends." The once familiar voice sounded so cold and 7 .

I was mortified. My hands were shaking. I couldn't help crying sadly. I felt heart-broken for the very first time. How did this happen? I thought we were 8 .

I ran home. My mother just held me while I sobbed for hours. The 9 she gave was so simple, and I had heard it a million times. "Just be yourself and people will like you for 10 you are." This time it became so 11 . Then and there I decided to find myself back. That was exactly what I did.

Over the next month, I went through a lot of 12 . I bought new clothes that I wanted to wear. I no longer went to 13 class with them, and took theater. I began making new friends. I developed my own opinions and never again followed the crowd.

I had a (an) 14 school year. When I look back, I think it was the year when I discovered the person I was going to be. Despite the pain I felt that day, it was a 15 they had given me. I will never forget about it!

Who is the most famous artist in the world? If not Leonardo da Vinci, it might be Pablo Picasso(毕加索). 

Picasso(1881-1973) was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He had a talent for drawing. Born in Spain, Picasso showed his talent at an early age. He first learned painting from his father, who was an art teacher. By the time he was 13. he could draw better than his father. He could draw and paint just about anything, and in any style. He liked to try out new ideas. 

People put his life and art into different periods. One of his most famous periods was his Cubist period. Cubism is when an artist paints things, like a bottle, from many different angles(角度) all in the same picture. So, you see the front, the back and the sides of the bottle all at the same time. In a way, it is a bit like having x- ray(透视) eyes. 

This new way of painting surprised the art world in the 20th century. Picasso has become an idol(偶像) to many artists nowadays. People say he helped us see the world in new ways. 

So do you want to see the art of Picasso? On August 14th, an exhibition(展览) opened in Shanghai. It shows 103 of his works. The exhibition will last until October 31st. But it will not be available to the public on weekends. If you are fond of Picasso's work, don't miss this great chance!