During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball.

    Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA.

    One day the school principal（校长） told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something.

    It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The "birth of basketball" is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special "basketballs" through nets.

    Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the games in Berlin.

    Henry was an office worker in a big city. He worked very hard and enjoyed travelling during his holidays.

    He usually went to the seaside, but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper." Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at West Hill Farm. Good food. Fresh air. Walking. Fishing. Cheap and interesting."

    "This sounds a good idea," he thought. "I'll spend a month at West Hill Farm. I think I can enjoy walking and fishing. They'll make a change from sitting by the seaside and swimming."

    He wrote to the farmer. In the letter he said that he would like to spend the whole July there. Then on the first day of July, he left for West Hill Farm.

    But four days later, he returned home.

    "What was wrong with West Hill Farm?" his best friend, Ed. asked him. "Didn't you enjoy country life?"

    "Country life was very good," Henry said. "But there was another problem."

    "Oh. What?"

    "Well," he said, "on the first day a sheep died, and we had roast mutton (烤羊肉) for dinner."

    "What's wrong with that?" Ed asked. "Fresh meat is the best."

    "I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner."

    "Lucky you!"

    "You don't understand," Henry said. "on the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner."

    "A different kind of meat every day," Ed said loudly, "and you are complaining!"

    "Let me finish, "Henry said. "on the fourth day the farmer. died, and I didn't dare (敢) stay for dinner!"

    On March 14, one of science's brightest stars went dark, Stephen Hawking, the world-famous British scientist, died at 76 in Cambridge, UK.

    Hawking is considered by many to be the greatest scientist in history since Albert Einstein. He came up with the theory that the universe began with the Big bang and will end in black holes. His theories became the base for a lot of later research. He also wrote books to help common people understand the universe. His most famous book is A Brief History of Time, which has sold more than 1o million copies around the world, according to CNN. Besides his scientific achievements, Hawking was also someone who had a strong will. when he was 21, he got a serious illness that stopped him from walking and talking Later in life, he had to sit in a wheelchair and speak using a computerized voice. But this didn't stop him from living a meaningful and colorful life

    He celebrated his 60th birthday by going up in a hot-air balloon; when he was 65, he took part in a zero-gravity (=Ee flight to experience weightlessness. He hoped to travel into space one day. In 2015, Hawking spoke about how he felt life was unfair when he first knew about his illness. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life, he said

    Mr. King lives in a city. He has some shops and makes a lot of money. His son, Mike, studies at a middle school. The boy likes everything but he doesn't like studying. He doesn't listen to his teachers in class and he never finishes his homework on time. He always plays football when he has any free time. He can never pass(通过) the exams.

    Mr. King is busy with his trade that he has little time to stay at home. He never cares about his son's studies, so he doesn't know how he is doing.

    One day Miss Read, Mike's teacher, calls Mr. King. On the telephone she tells him all about the boy's studies. She wants him to try to help his son at home. When the man hears this, he doesn't feel very happy.

    In the afternoon, when his son comes back from school, Mr. King gives him a good telling-off(责罚), but soon feels sorry for it when he sees Mike crying in the bedroom. The next morning, Before Mike goes to school, he says to him, "Study hard and I'll buy you a car when you pass the exam next year."

    Another term is over. Mike doesn't pass the exam once more. Mr. King looks at the grades on the school report for a few minutes. Then he asks his son," You don't pass the exam again, Mike. What did you do at school this term?" "I learned how to drive a car, dad" answers the boy.