I used to be an active girl. But two years ago, an English speaking competition held in my school changed me a lot.

      I stood on the stage(讲台) for the first time. I was so nervous that my brain(大脑) suddenly became empty. Not long after I began my speech, the hall turned noisy. It seemed that they were laughing at me. I knew I failed.

      From then on, I became quiet and always stayed alone. I didn't want to express my ideas in public, even in class. Every time I wanted to say something, I thought people would laugh at me. My friends couldn't understand me, and they left me, one by one.

One day, my science teacher asked us why trees in forests were much taller than those in the wild. "Ha, what a silly question!" I thought.

"There's not enough space in the woods for trees to expand their branches. Of course they have to grow taller than others. The trees in the wild needn't do that since there's enough space. " I said in a low voice.

To my surprise, the teacher said, "Yes, you're right. It is a competition. " My face turned red right now. I hadn't spoken for a long time, especially in public.

Then the teacher explained how tree s in forests had to grow taller to receive more sunlight. If not, they would die. This also happened in our society.

      What's more, the tree that doesn't live in a crowd is just like a person who has no friends in life.

      I raised my head slowly and found the teacher was looking at me. His eyes were as warm as sunshine. I realized that I must stand up and face the truth.

Lasting a Lifetime

      Sidney Wilson's watch was old and it did not work well. It was either too fast or too slow. It spent more time in the repair shop than on his wrist (手腕). So he decided to buy himself a new watch.

      He went into a jewelry shop and said to the saleswoman behind the counter.

      “I want to buy a new watch, please. Show me the best watch you have.”

      The saleswoman smiled happily. This was the kind of customer she liked.

     “Certainly, sir,” she said, and showed Sidney a gold watch.

      “This watch is made of gold and has twenty-four jewels,” she explained.

      “How much is it?” Sidney asked.

      “$5,000,” the saleswoman said.

      “Oh,” Sidney said. “I'm sorry. You did not understand me. I want to see the best watch you have for under $100.”

      The sales woman now lost interest in Sidney. She pushed some cheap watches at him. “Choose one from these,” she said rudely.       “They are all under $100.”

      Sidney picked up one of the watches, “Will it last me a lifetime?” he asked.

     “Of course,” the saleswoman said.

     “Then I'll buy it,” Sidney told her. He paid for the watch and left the shop.

      Two days later the watch stopped. Sidney could not make it work again. He took it back to the shop.

      “This watch is broken,” he said to the saleswoman. “You told me it would last me a lifetime.”

     “When you bought it, sir,” the saleswoman said, “you didn't look very well.”

Choose the best answer to each question about the story.

Characters: Evan, Mrs. Bordoni, Mr. Cortez, Rita. Marco. Tom

Setting: An elementary school

Mrs. Bordoni: (Stands at the school gate) Good morning! You need to go straight to your classrooms, children. (A shy boy walks up, with a red face.) What is your name?

Evan: (Looking at the ground) My name is Evan.

Mrs. Bordoni: Welcome to Northside. I'm the principal(校长), Mrs. Bordoni.

Evan: (Looks surprised) Oh! Good morning.

Mrs. Bordoni: I know you are new to our school, but you will like it here. I will take you to your classroom.

Evan: I didn't want to move… and leave my friends.

Mrs. Bordoni: You will have friends here. You'll see.

Mrs. Bordoni: Here's your room, 106.

Mr. Cortez: Welcome to our class! I'm Mr. Cortez.

Evan: (The class looks at him. He speaks softly.) Hello.

Mr. Cortez: We are talking about a story we just read. Who can tell Evan what it was about?

Rita: This family moves to a new state. Their story is both funny and sad.

Evan: (Cheering up) Did they like the new place?

Marco: Not at first. But they made lots of new friends.

Mr. Cortez: What happened to make them change their minds?

Tom: The girl from next door said she needed help. When they got to her house, a sign said, “Welcome”.

Marco: It was a surprise party for them. The whole family was laughing.

Mr. Cortez: The neighbors made the family feel welcome.

Mrs. Bordoni: (Stands in the doorway) Evan, it's time for lunch. (They enter the lunchroom. A sign says, “Welcome Evan”.) It is hard to change schools and leave old friends. Now, we are your friends.

Evan: (Smiles) I can't believe you did this for me.

    On the first day of school our teacher introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

    I turned around to find a little old lady with a warm smile. She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old.”

    “Why are you in university at such a YOUNG age?” I asked. She replied, “I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids, and then retire and travel.”

    I knew she was joking. I was curious what might have encouraged her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

    “I always dreamed of having a university education and now I'm getting one!” she told me. We became friends. Every day we would talk nonstop after class. I always enjoyed listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. And Rose easily made friends wherever she went.

    At the end of the term we invited Rose to make a little speech. She cleared her throat(喉咙) and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. I've learned a few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.”

    “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity(机会) in change...”

    People have told stories about Robin Hood for over 700 years. Nobody knows if he was a real person or an invented character. In the legends, Robin was extremely smart and humorous, he helped strangers, and later his kindness paid off.

    The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was just a young man, who was good at archery (射箭术). One day he was walking through Sherwood Forest, a royal hunting forest near Nottingham in England. There he got into trouble with a group of men. Among them, he killed the cousin of the Sheriff (郡长) of Nottingham. Robin became a legendary outlaw, and soon the leader of one hundred outlaws, known as his "Merry Men".

    Robin and his "Merry Men" always looked for rich people and asked them to their camp in Sherwood Forest. When they arrived, Robin gave them a good meal and played music for them. Then he took their gold away to help the poor. Robin became most famous for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor."

    The Sheriff of Nottingham was Robin's greatest enemy. He was cruel and treated the poor badly. It was his job to keep the woods safe and to make sure that nobody stole the king's deer. He hated Robin because Robin was an outlaw. But most of all, he hated Robin because everyone else loved him. The Sheriff of Nottingham kept trying to catch Robin Hood and his "Merry Men", but never succeeded.