From Nobody to Somebody

    Brian was a funny student. He loved watching comedies（喜剧） best and hoped to become a comedy actor one day.

    When he heard about the talent show to be held at this school, Brian decided to take part in. He had never acted on stage（舞台） before, and he was very excited. But some students laughed at him. “You are not funny but silly,” Ken, one of his classmates, said to his face. “No one will like what you do,” another boy also said to him, loudly.

    Brian couldn't understand why they were so unkind to him. For a moment, he thought about giving up the show. But he remembered how much his friends liked his jokes, and also his teachers said he was very funny. So he decided to prepare for the show.

    Brian did a great job at the talent show. Everyone loved his performance, and he won the first prize! His teachers and friends were proud of him. Even so, Ken told Brian that he was not funny, and that he would never be successful. Brian didn't understand why Ken said so, but he realized that it had nothing to do with him. He confidently continued to work towards his goal.

    As the years went on, Brian met more people like Ken. “you'll do a terrible job,” they said to him. Luckily, most people encouraged him and some helped him to become even funnier. He got a lot of opportunities to perform in movies. He was even invited to appear on television. His fans thanked him because his comedies made them feel good when they were unhappy.

    Now Brian is a big comedy star! He is doing what he loves best. He never feels stressed like those unkind people, and he laughs all day long!

    There is a park near my home. People like to go to this park after work. Some of them go to the park every day. Look! This is Mr. King. He is sitting on a chair and watching the children. Some children are playing a game. Some boys are playing football. Lucy and Lily are standing under a big tree. They are talking about their favorite movies. There is a small river in the park. We can see some boats on the water. Some children are sitting in the boats with their parents. Listen! A girl is singing. It's really a nice park. I come here every day.

    An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation (手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money. When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully. She ran to a drugstore（药店）with the money in her hand.

    “And what do you want?” asked the salesman.

    “It's for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He's really， really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”

    “Pardon?” said the salesman.

    “My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

    “We don't sell a miracle here， child. I'm sorry，” the salesman said with a smile.  

    “Listen， if it isn't enough， I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

     A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

    “I don't know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it， so I have brought all my money.”

    “How much do you have?” asked the man.

    “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered.

    “Well， what luck，” smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took up the girl's hand and said， “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

    That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong， a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again

    How much did the miracle cost?

    At sharing time, Logan waved(挥)his hand wildly. Ms. Lewis called on him." I lost my tooth," said Logan.

   "I remember," said Ms Lewis," It was yesterday.

   "You showed us the hole." said Zach.

   "Ms. Lewis took your picture for the board, and she gave you the tooth in a little box to take home," said Sammy.

   "Yes, but then I really can't find that box anywhere!" said Logan.

   "Oh, no!" said Emma." Only when the Tooth Fairy buys the lost tooth from us, can we grow a new tooth."

    Logan nodded." What should I do?"

   "Maybe you could leave something that looks like a tooth," said Sammy.

   "It's worth a try," said Logan.

    The first night, Logan left a round white eraser under his pillow(枕头) But it didn't work

    Logan reported back to the class. Zach advised to use a puppy tooth instead while Emma suggested white corn.

    That night, he put a kernel(谷粒)of white corn. Still nothing happened.

    The third night. Logan left a note under his pillow. It said：

    In the morning. Logan found a note from the Tooth Fairy under his pillow. He shared the note with his class at school.

    "If you sleep with your mouth open, she will be able to see the tooth hole," said Sammy. The class laughed. Come on! But that just gave me a great idea!" said Logan.

    The next day, at sharing time, Logan showed the kids a shiny half﹣dollar.

   "How did you get the Tooth Fairy to leave the money?" asked Zach.

    Logan said proudly." The photo! I took it home to put under my pillow."

    Nick, 13, is tall and strong. He is good at running. Two weeks ago a new student came. His name is David. He is thin and short. He plays soccer well, and he can run very fast. Larry told Nick about it. Of course, Nick did not believe it.

    "Why not have a race with him?" said Larry.

    "Good idea!" said Nick. "I'll have a race with him after school."

    After school, Nick went to the playground. He did some warm-up exercises for half an hour, and got ready for the race. He was sure that he could win it. Larry had to take part in a club activity that afternoon, so he could not watch the race between Nick and David.

    That evening Larry went to see Nick. They began to talk about the afternoon race. Nick's grandmother heard them in the next room. She came in and asked, "Which place?"

    "The second place," answered Nick.

    His grandmother was very happy to hear that, and asked, "Which place did David win, then?"

    "The last but one."

I am David. My home town, Bao Loc, is just a small town in Vietnam (越南). But for me, it's really a paradise (天堂). 

The weather is very comfortable. It's not very hot or cold. In the centre of the town, there is a beautiful lake. You can lie on the bank (河岸) and see the white clouds in the blue sky or count (数) the stars at night. You can go there just to relax when you have a lot of things to think about. One of the most famous places is Dambri Waterfall (瀑布). You can enjoy this beautiful waterfall if you come. Don't forget to take some pictures with your camera. 

Bao Loc is very small. It will take you 45 minutes or 1 hour to go around this town. It's so small that people here know each other. They are very friendly. 

Tea and coffee are Bao Loc's local food. I think you will like them very much. 

Why does Bao Loc become a paradise? Because my family are here and they always make me feel warm and safe.