One year, a college in the United States announced that it would offer a lot of money for the pure white marigold(金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in the nature, besides golden, the marigold is brown, and it is not easy to get the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people had forgotten the announcement.

    One normal day after 20 years, the college received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. It was an old woman of over 70 years old. Some experts in the college doubted it, but in order not to let her down, those seeds finally took root (根）in the earth. The miracle appeared after one year; the field was covered by pure white marigold.

     Therefore, the old woman who was always unknown to the public became a new focus.

The old woman was a flower-lover. When she read the announcement 20 years ago, she got very excited like others. But her eight children were totally against her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics(遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never do, so her thought was only a day dream.

     Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working. She planted some of the most common seeds and took good care of them. A year later, when the marigold came out, she chose one faintest(最暗淡的) from those golden and brown flowers and got the best seed. The next year, she again grew them and chose ...Day after day, year after year, through many seasons, the old woman's husband died, her children flew far, a lot of things happened in her life, but only the wish to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart.

     Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden she saw a marigold, which was nearly white, but as white as silver or snow.

     A problem even experts couldn't deal with was solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a miracle (奇迹）?

     To take root in the heart, even the most common seed, can grow into a miracle!

    My name is Dora. I'm American and I'm thirteen. I'm a student in No. 7 Middle School. I like music very much. I can play two instruments — the guitar and the piano. I play them very well and I'm on the school art club.

    Jeff and Michael are my brothers. They are students, too. But we aren't in the same school. They like sports. Jeff plays basketball and soccer very well. Michael swims and plays ping-pong very well. I am not good at sports. They help me with sports after school.

    We live in London with our parents now. My mother is an English teacher and my father is a musician. My mother swims well. My father can play the violin.

    Long long ago, there was a spider. She found a beautiful farm. She liked the farm and decided to live there forever.
    One day, the spider caught a little bug. When the spider ate it, the bug said, “If you let me go, I will tell you an important thing. The thing will save your life.” The spider stopped and listened.
    The little bug said, “You'd better get out of the farm. The harvest is coming! If you stay here, you will be killed by the farmer's machine.”
    But the spider didn't listen to the bug and ate it for lunch. The next day when she was sleeping, the farmer came to have a harvest. The spider was killed by the machine.

    One morning it was shining brightly when I woke up. I looked at the alarm dock. It said 3:45! It had stopped! What time was it? I spent two minutes putting on my clothes and ran down to the kitchen. The kitchen clock Said 8: 30--I was late! My parents were away. The school bus went at 8:00. I had missed it, I rang my friend Tony on his mobile phone.

    "Tell the teacher I'll be in as soon as I can!" I said "Come on your rollerblades," Tony said. "It will be faster than the bus." I got an apple to eat on the way. That was my breakfast! Then I put on my rollerblades and set off for school. It took half an hour to get to the school. I took all the shortcuts I knew, I went across the park-even through some backyards! When I got to school. I was very hot and my legs ached. I had missed math, our first lesson of the morning. But I made it just in time for history, our second lesson. I was very happy because history is my favourite subject.

    Mrs Green lives in a small village. Her husband is dead. But she has a son. He is twenty-one and his name is Jack. He gets work in a town and lives there. Its name is Greensea. It is quite a long way from his mother's village, and she is not happy about this, but Jack says," There isn't any good work for me in the village, mother, and I can get a lot of money in Greensea and give you some every week.

    One day Mrs Green is very angry. She gets on a train and goes to her son's house in Greensea. Then she says to him," Jack, why do you never give me a ring?

    Jack laughs and says," But, mother, you don't have a telephone.

    "No, she says, "I don't have one, but you have one.

    Your English teacher has introduced a play to your class. Read the play.

    Characters: Benny, student, 14 years old

    Peter, students, 15 years old

    Susie, student, 14 years old

    Grace, student, 14 years old

    Time: One Sunday afternoon in autumn

    Place: Sunny Park

    (The four teenagers have just finished the picnic. They are tidying up.)

Benny: Wow! That was a great picnic. I'm so full that I can hardly move.

Grace: That's no excuse for not tidying up, Benny. Come over here and help me pack up the leftover food. Peter, can you put out the fire, please? And clean up the plate.

Peter: (Speaking unhappily to himself) How can I always get the dirty and difficult jobs?

    It's not fair.

    (Peter throws a bit of water on the fire. Then he picks up the ashes (灰烬) with an old newspaper and wants to throw them into the long grass. )

Susie: (Sounding surprised) What are you doing, Peter? That's d…

Peter: Whoops…the newspaper has caught fire.

Susie: And the grass… Benny, Grace, help! Help!

    (Benny and Grace come over quickly. They help put out the fire completely.)

Peter: Oh, no. What have I done?

Grace: You know that we should do everything carefully, don't you?

Peter: (With his head in his hands) Yes. What have I done? What have I done?