Nearly eight hundred million people in this world cannot read or write, most of them in developing countries. Two-thirds are women and girls.

    John Wood who started the Room to Read campaign （运动）, has opened 1650 schools and 15000 libraries in some of the world's poorest communities（社区）. He said that from the beginning, Room to Read'sgoal was to reach 10 million children around the world in the poorest countries.

    In 1998, on athree-week vacation journey in Nepal, Wood met a local headmaster who invited him to visit his schoolin a far mountain village. The experience changed Wood's life.

    "This headmaster had 450 students at the school, but he didn't have any books," Wood said. "He had a library that was empty."

    Wood promised to fill the library shelves and returned to the village one year later with some of his friends with 3000 books. And that was just the start. Later, Wood used some of his personal money to start Room to Read.  He believes that world change begins with educated children. Today, the programme can be found in 10 countries across Asia and Africa.

    Wood believes the key to the program's success is local support. While Room to Read gives away money and provides books, communities offer land and parents help build the school. Agnes, a Room to Read teacher in Zambia who also runs the library, is proud to say the literacy' at her school has improved.  Room to Read's biggest challenge is the huge need.  Hundreds of communities have asked for literacy prograrnmes. One way of Room to Read's success is that it will achieve Wood's goal of reaching 10 million kids by 2015, five years earlier than it is planned.

    Jack gets to the bus station very early. The bus for Beijing is leaving at twelve. He sees many people at the station. Some are waiting in line, and others are walking around. Jack looks around but there is no room for him to sit in. He walks into a restaurant. He looks up at the clock there.

    It's only 11:30. Then he finds a seat and sits down. At that time, Tom, one of his friends, comes in and sits in front of him. They talk and drink. After a while, Jack looks up at the clock again. “Oh, my God. It's still 11:30. The clock doesn't work at all.” Jack becomes very sad because he misses the bus.

    Hans said to his friend Kurt, "I'm going to take my car and drive to London." Kurt said," Driving to London is very difficult. You aren't going to find your hotel." But Hans was not afraid. He drove to Calais, put his car on his ship, took it off at Dover and drove to London.

    He stopped near the city and looked at his map. Then he drove into London, but he didn't find his hotel. He drove round and round for an hour, and then he stopped and got out of his car. A taxi came, and Hans stopped it. "Take me to the Brussels Hotel." he said. But he didn't get into the taxi; he got back into his car. The taxi man laughed, but then he drove to the Brussels Hotel and Hans followed him in his car. They got to the hotel in two minutes.

    Lena is in the supermarket. She wants to buy some food for the next week. "Get some milk, Paul, "Lena says to her dog. Paul gets the milk boxes easily with his mouth and then puts them into the basket.

    This is one of the things that Paul does for Lena. Lena can't walk. She goes around on a wheelchair. Thanks to Paul, she can have a good life like most of us. At home. Paul helps Lena clean the house in the morning. He can also wash his own bowl(碗)after eating. In the afternoon, Paul helps Lena go to the park and enjoy the warm sun. When Lena is tired, Paul can push the wheelchair for her, so Lena can have a rest.

    "Paul can do lots of things for me. He can clean the clothes, make a phone call, and even draw money(取钱)from the ATM, "says Lena. "He is really important in my life."

    The famous scientist and thinker, Charles Darwin, was born on February 12, 1809.As a boy, Charles liked to go for walks in the fields and forests. He enjoyed watching nature, and comparing what he saw with everything he had read in science books. He also liked collecting very much. He collected many things, such as birds, eggs, stones and leaves.

    At sixteen Darwin was sent to the University of Edinburgh to become a doctor. But he was interested in the history of nature.

    Then he was sent to study in the University of Cambridge. There he studied until 1831.

    Some time later he heard that the ship Beagle was going on a trip to South America and wanted a scientist. His teacher advised him to go. So when the Beagle left England in December, 1831, Darwin was on it.

    The trip lasted almost five years. Darwin saw many new plants and animals. He collected all kinds of plants.

    In 1842 Darwin went to live in Kent, and there he continued his studies of change in nature. Darwin understood that plants and animals are not always the same, and that they really change.

    By 1859 Darwin had finished his famous book The Origin of Species. It made a great hit in the world of science. He was opposed(反对)by the church and even by some scientists. But later, more and more scientists agreed with him.

    In1871 Darwin wrote another important book. Darwin continued his studies in science until he died in 1882.

    Some people have a very poor sense of direction. Unlucky, I am one of them. I have visited a place many times but I may still get lost there the next time.

    When I was a little girl, I never dared ask strangers the way. And so I used to walk round in circle and hope that by chance I would get to the place I was going to.

    Now, I am no longer too shy to ask people for directions, but I often receive helpless or even wrong information. So I try to avoid(避免) giving people wrong directions. If anyone asks me the way somewhere, I would say, "Sorry, I am a stranger here."

    Once on my way to work I was stopped by a man. He asked me if I could tell him the way to the Friendship Building. I gave him my usual reply. But just as I walked on only a few steps, I realized that he had asked the way to my office building. However, I had no time to turn back and look for him. I was rushing to meet with someone at my office and I didn't want to keep him waiting.

    When I just got to my office, the secretary showed in the man who had asked me for directions. Imagine how embarrassed I was and how surprised he was when we saw each other at the first sight！