Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, “I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there.” “Where are you going to stay there?” his wife asked. “I don't know yet.” Dick answered. “Please send me your address from there in a telegram (电报),” his wife said. “All right,” Dick answered.

       He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.

       In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, “Now I'm going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner.”

       He found a taxi (出租车) and the driver said, “Where do you want to go?” But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel.

       “Which hotel are my things in?” he said, “And what am I going to do tonight?” But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, “Please send me my address at this post office.”

    "Haibao, the mascot(吉祥物) of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, is very cute, "said Gu Hui, a school kid. "I want a big toy like the mascot."

    Haibao looks like the Chinese word ren, which means people or a person. The name, a typical lucky one in Chinese tradition comes from the Chinese phrase "Si Hai Zhi Bao" —the treasure of the four seas. It also means the treasure of Shanghai, which lies beside the sea.

    Haibao's blue curly(卷曲的) hair looks like the waves of the sea. Its smile is a sign of the healthy spirit of China. Those thumbs-up(翘拇指) will welcome millions of people to Shanghai from around the world. Its big feet show China has the ability to host a successful Expo.

    Haibao was created by two artists, one from the mainland(大陆) and the other from Taiwan. The design is about people living together in the city. The designers want it to fit the theme of the Shanghai Expo, that is, a good life should be created by all the people and people should have harmonious relationships(和谐关系) with nature and society, so that life in cities would be better.

    Surely the mascot will become the lucky symbol and cultural remark of Shanghai Expo.

    On a sunny Sunday, ten fully well-dressed people were standing at the airport (机场) waiting for the parachute (降落伞) training. Suddenly, with the help of a guide dog, a blind (瞎的) man was coming with a parachute on his back.

    "Do you also come for the parachute training (训练)?" someone asked.

    "Yes!" the blind man answered in a loud voice.

    "Ah-" the people cried in surprise.

    "I know. Are you wondering how a blind man can parachute?" the blind man said happily, "It's not difficult. I'll parachute like you."

    "But how do you know when to jump?" someone asked.

    "Although I'm blind, I can hear! When the bell for the training rings, I'll carry my dog to follow you." the blind man replied.

    "Then how do you know when to open the parachute?" someone asked again.

    "The coach (教练) says, counting to five from the time I jump down, I can open it." replied the blind man.

    "But when you are about to fall to the ground (落地), how do you know when to fall to the ground? It is the most dangerous minute."

    "It's easy. When my dog is afraid into crying and the rope (绳) in my hands becomes light, I'll be ready for falling to the ground." They looked at each other, with no words.

    At the end of the training, the coach told everybody," In this training, Robert gets the highest score (得分) for his best action."

    "Who is Robert?" they asked.

    "He," the coach replied, pointing at the blind young man.

Confidence is very important in your daily life.It can help you develop a healthy attitude.A study shows that confident people are much happier.They may have more chances to succeed.But how do you become more confident? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Speak louder

When you are not confident, you are more likely to speak in a low voice and others can hardly hear you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.Aloud voice can help you build up your confidence.

Encourage yourself

Write down a list of things that you've done well during the day - for example, finishing tasks on time, telling a joke that made everyone laugh, etc.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Get rid of fear

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.But it's easy to overcome fear if you understand that failure is a part of life.Don't hide your head just because of your mistakes.Try to start again and believe you can do a better job.

If you like singing, sing as much as you can.A hobby can make you outstanding.It will also make you happy and confident. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Have you read non-fiction (非故事类) books? They tell us facts about nature or science. They are important to read for your personal development, so let's spend some time learning how to read a non-fiction book in a quick and interesting way!