One day a lonely girl found two weak birds while she was walking in the woods (树林). She took them home and put them in a small cage. She fed them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a beautiful song. The girl loved them very much and wanted their singing to last forever.

One day the girl left the cage's door open. The 1arger and stronger of the two birds flew out of the cage. The girl watched worriedly as it circled (盘旋) high above her. She was afraid that it would fly away and she would never see it again. So when it flew close, she grasped (抓) at it wildly. She was very happy that she held it tightly within her hand! Suddenly, she felt something had happened to the bird. She opened her hand and was surprised to find the bird was dead. Her love for the bird killed it.
She noticed the other bird jumping in the cage. She could feel that it wanted to be free. It hoped to fly into the clear, blue sky. She lifted (举起) it from the cage and flew it into the air. The bird circled once, twice, three times …
When the bird was flying happily in the sky, she was so glad. Just then the bird flew closer and sat softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest song she had ever heard.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it tight. The best way to keep love is to let it fly!

    Animals grow up in different ways. They have lots of lessons to learn.

    Some animals are born helpless but their mothers protect them. A newborn kangaroo is the size of a bee. She stays in her mother's safe pouch. She doesn't open her eyes for at least five months. A newborn monkey cannot walk. He is carried by his mother.

    Other baby animals can walk soon after they're born. They learn to run with their mother when danger is near. A baby zebra(斑马) can run an hour after she is born.

Some baby animals are born in a place that is safe. Other baby animals are born in the open. Baby wolves are born in large holes. A baby elephant is born on open, grassy land. Other elephants make a circle(圈) to protect her.

    Animals that drink their mothers' milk are called mammals. A mother bear's milk is fatty and rich. Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. They have milk for six months. Baby zebras drink milk for six months or more! As baby animals grow they need solid(固体的) food. Baby lions eat what their mother can catch.

    Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history？Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28. Although he lived over 2000years ago, people still remember and respect him for his contribution to the education today.
    Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in today's Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3years old. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn't give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and leaned music, history, poetry and sports.
    Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children from noble families could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3000students in his lifetime.
    Today, people still follow Confucius'lessons. He told us that we have something worthy to be learned. "When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them. "
    He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. "All study but no thinking makes people puzzled. All thinking but no study makes people lazy. "
    Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important ideas are about kindness and good manners. He said young people should take care of the old. People should give up only thinking of themselves and work for others. Some of his popular words are："A kind person should care for others"and"A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to other. "People uses his ideas to help themselves and society. At present, more than 100Internet websites are telling people about him, and his ideas have gone far into east and south Asia.

    Jeff Corwin is a scientist and author. He does these jobs with one life goal: to help save animals and their habitats. His latest book, 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species, is a collection of stories about animals on the edge(边缘) of extinction. Corwin recently talked to TFK kid reporter Sarah Horbacewicz.

Reporter: How would you describe your job?

Corwin: My job is to travel around, look at animals and tell their stories.

Reporter: When did you know this is what you wanted to do?

Corwin: I knew that when I was 6 years old. My dad was a police officer, and we lived in the city. I really enjoyed the time when I could go to the quiet countryside. The day that I saw my very first wild snake, I knew that's what I would do for the rest of my life. I didn't know if I would be a teacher or a zookeeper, but I know I would have a life connected with (与……有关) nature.

Reporter: Why did you write the book?

Corwin: We're losing species(物种) very fast. I wanted to show people that while we are in a very serious situation, we are not at the point of no return. If we make big changes, we may have the chance to save what remains.

Reporter: Is it true that humans are the reason that many of these animals are in danger?

Corwin: Human beings have a powerful effect on every other living thing. The challenge is to make that effect a positive one.

    I teach economics in a university three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. Then he went on to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.

    His question reminded me of something I'd read somewhere before: Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to live that day. I said, "I choose to be cheerful."

    "Let me give you an example," I continued. "Besides teaching here, I also teach at a college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn't work. So I put my flashes on, took my books, and walked down the road to the college. When I got there, I called AAA(汽车协会) and asked for a tow truck to meet at my car after class. The secretary there asked me what had happened. "This is my lucky day," I replied, smiling.

    "Your car breaks down and toady is your lucky day? What do you mean?"

    "My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. I didn't," I replied. "Instead, it broken down at the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to ask for the tow truck to meet me after class! If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient way."

    I ended my story. In spite of the early hour, no one in my class seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them.