Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. She made important discoveries about genes（基因）and chromosomes（染色体）.

    Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

    She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

    Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master's degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree.

    McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s was not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

    An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started a temporary（临时的）job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a permanent（永久的）position in the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.

    By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

    "Three apples have changed the world. One is for Eve, one is for Newton. The third is in the hands of Steve Jobs." said someone.

    Steve Jobs was the former CEO of the Apple computer company in his parents' garage(车库) on April Fool's Day, 1976. Through many years' hard work, Jobs and his Apple products were a great success. People believe he has made the world a better place. Many young people also think of Apple products as a fashion icon.

    Because of his great achievements in this area, he was honored with a number of awards, including the National Medal of Technology in 1985, the Times cover character (封面人物) and the Most Successful Manager in 1997.

    Jobs' road to success wasn't an easy one. He experienced several ups and downs, but he was still standing. Just as Hemingway in The Old Man and the Sea said, "A man can be destroyed, but not be defeated(打败)." So he was considered as an American hero.

    What did Jobs' workers and family members think of him?

    On one hand, some workers described him as a strange, bad-tempered(坏脾气的) boss. They said he was impatient with those who disagreed with him or didn't understand his ideas. On the other hand, his family members thought of him as a home-loving dad with each of his four children. He worried about all the things of them, such as their boyfriends, travel, safety and even skirt length. Though he was quite busy, he still attended his daughter's graduation party.

    Adam and his parents buy things in different ways. Adam likes shopping on the Internet on weekends. http: /club. 360 buy. com is his favourite website(网站). He often buys things such as mobile phones(手机)and cameras(照相机)on it He spends about two hundred yuan buying things on it each month. It often takes him three days to get his products.

    But Adam's parents never shop on the Internet. They can't see the real products (产品)and they often worry. Adam's mother likes buying clothes but she can't try them on(试穿) if she buys the clothes on the Internet. So she often goes shopping with her husband(丈夫). There are some shops near their home, so Adam's parents often go there to shop.

When I had something difficult to do, I used to ask my mother for help. But she always said, "Do it yourself, dear." I was not glad at all. I thought she was the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} mother in the world!

For example, one day, I decided to invite some friends to my home. My bedroom was not in order. Books were everywhere. And I didn't {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. I asked my mother to help me clean it, but she still said, " Do it yourself, girl."

Because of my "lazy mother" , I have to {#blank#}3{#/blank#} my clothes and clean my room. I have to help my parents cook food and I even have to go to the dentist by myself. It is really hard for me to do everything {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but I have learned a lot.

As time goes by, I understand my mother. She makes me clever and hard-working! 

What a great mother!