On a cold winter afternoon, Susan was walking home from a supermarket. She was feeling a little tired, as she was carrying her shopping bags. They were so heavy that she decided to have a rest in the park. She walked towards the gate of the park. She noticed a poor man walking out of a restaurant in front of her. The man was holding a paper bag. He walked to a rubbish bin and started looking through it.

Susan suddenly felt sad. She knew this man would take all that he could get, so she went up to him and gave him some fruit. The man looked up in surprise and took what she gave him. A big smile appeared on his face and she felt very happy. Then he said, “Wow! First someone gave me this sandwich, then the orange juice, and now some delicious fruit. This is my daughter's lucky day. Thank you, girl.” Then he went away, singing a song.

    Just then, Susan understood what the saying “Giving is getting” really meant. Everyone in the world needs help: everyone can offer help and everyone will be helped by showing kindness. Giving sometimes doesn't cost much, but it means a lot to the people who you help. The man's happiness at that moment comes into Susan's mind every time she has the chance to help others.

    Jim, a young farmer, was once put into prison (监狱).

    One day, he got a letter from his mother. "I'm so worried about our farm," she wrote. "It's time to plant potatoes. I can't dig(挖) all the fields by myself. "

    Jim read the letter and became sad. "What can I do?" he thought. Then he had a good idea. He wrote to his mother, "Don't dig the fields. There's a pot of money in the earth. Don't plant potatoes until I come home."

    Some days later, Jim got another letter from his mother. It said, "Two days ago, about ten men came to our farm and dug all our fields. I can't understand it. It looks as if they were looking for something. What shall I do?"

    Jim smiled when he read his mother's letter. He wrote a letter to his mother at once. It was very short. Guess what it would say?

    Life is full of surprises and you never know how things will turn out.

    Sir John Gurdon is a good example of this. As a boy, he was told he was hopeless at science and finished bottom of his class. However , the very same Gurdon shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Japanese stem cell (干细胞) researcher Shinya Yamanaka.

    Like so many scientists, Gurdon shows us where the power of curiosity and perseverance (坚持不懈) can lead.

    At the age of 15 in 1948, Gurdon ranked last out of the 250 boys at his high school in biology and every other science subject. Gurdon's high school science teacher even said that his dream of becoming a scientist was " quite ridiculous".

    In spite of his teacher's criticisms, Gurdon followed his curiosity and kept working hard. He went to the lab early and left later than anyone else. He experienced thousands of failures.

    "My own belief is that we will, in the end, understand everything about how cells actually work," Gurdon said.

    In 1962 ,Gurdon took a cell from an adult frog and moved its genetic( 基因的 ) information into an egg cell . The egg cell then grew into a clone(克隆) of the adult frog. This technique later helped to create Dolly the sheep in 1996,the first cloned mammal(哺乳动物) in the world.

    In 2006, Gurdon's work was developed by Yamanaka to show that a sample (样本) of a person's skin can be used to create stem cells. Using the technique, doctors can repair a patient's heart after a heart attack.

    "Luck favors the prepared mind," Gurdon told the Nobel Prize Organization. "Ninety percent of the time things don't work ,but when they do ,you have to seize(抓住) the chance. "

    Rene was born in an Indian village in Oaxaca, Mexicon. His family lived in a small house. They spoke an Indian language. Rene started school in the village when he was six years old. There was no school for older children in the village. So Rene went to Oaxaca City when he was nine years old. This was a big step for Rene. It was his first time in a city.

    Little Rene got a job in the city. He worked for a rich family. He took care of their big house. He worked during the day, and he went to school at night. He learned good work and study habits. He learned Spanish, and he grew up.

    When Rene was thirteen years old, he returned to his village. He had many brothers and sisters. His mother needed help. Rene felt bad. He could not go to high school.

    When Rene was twenty years old, he took a very big step. He went to Los Angeles. He worked as a cook. He took English classes in his spare time. Then he went to university. He studied very hard.

    Today, Rene teaches English. He tells his students," Learning English is not so hard. Having good habits is the most important thing! Be organized. Use your time well. Have a good time!"

    Many people have heard of Peter Dinklage from his role in the popular TV drama Game of Thrones. But few know his story. Peter Dinklage is only 135 cm tall. His life shows that a small man can have a great effect(影响).

    Dinklage was born with dwarfism(侏儒症). As he grew up, his legs and arms stopped growing, but his head kept becoming bigger.

    At first, Dinklage's look brought himself much trouble. Other boys often made fun of him. Dinklage felt sad but he never gave up on himself. When he was in the fifth grade, he played his first role in a school play. The show was successful. That made him want to be an actor. After high school, Dinklage went to Bennington College to study acting. There his teachers and students helped him turn his look into his advantage(优势). From then on, he began to act in films and TV dramas.

    Many people think of Dinklage as a spokesman for people with dwarfism, but Dinklage doesn't think so. He says, "Everyone is different. Just because I'm OK with it, I can't preach(传道)how to be OK with it."