Once a traveller came into a village which was suffering from hunger. The villagers asked him to leave, for they feared he wanted them to give him food. They told him that there was no food. The traveller explained that he didn't need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with them instead. The villagers watched suspiciously as he built a fire and filled a pot with water With great ceremony(仪式), he pulled a stone from a bag, and dropped the stone into the pot of water. After a moment, he smelt the soup and shouted with excitement, “How delicious the soup is!” As the villagers began to show interest, he mentioned how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brought out a cabbage to share. This episode(情节) repeated itself until the soup had cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a full pot of soup that could feed everyone in the village was ready. This story describes when there are not enough resources(资源), humans will store things. We do not want to share. The story of stone soup helps us realize that, in doing so, we often prevent ourselves and everyone else from having a feast(盛宴).The meaning of this story goes far beyond food. We keep to ourselves ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer, but in fact we make the world, and ourselves, poorer. The traveller was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the ability to inspire(激发) them to give. In this way, they created a large meal that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a feast that can feed many.

    Tony Wheeler was born to travel. His father worked for an airline. For the first 16 years of his life, Wheeler and his family lived in many counties.

    In the early 1970s, Tony met a young woman named Maureen. Soon they got married. Before getting jobs, Tony and Maureen wanted to travel. They took a year-long trip from England, through Asia, to Australia. On the trip, they visited places like Iran, India and so on.

    When Tony and Maureen arrived in Australia, people asked many questions about their trip. To answer these questions, Wheeler wrote a book called Across Asia on the Cheap. The book told people about different countries weather, customs, and places to see. But unlike other travel books of that time, Tony Wheeler's book also talked about places most tourists didn't go. He also wrote about special things to see and to do. The book was very popular.

    Tony and Maureen started a company called Lonely Planet. They went on traveling. They wrote books for each place they visited. Today, 800 people work for Lonely Planet. The company has over 650 books. Tony Wheeler, the great traveler, still writes about travels to many places and will bring us more surprises.

    Sixteen years ago a boy gave me an important gift. It was a smile.

    It was the early autumn of my first year at a middle school, and my old school was far away. As a result, no one knew who I was. I was very lonely, and afraid to speak to anyone.

    Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt my heart break. I couldn't talk with anyone about my problems.

    Then one day, when my classmates were talking happily with their friends, I was sitting at my desk unhappily as usual. At that moment, a boy entered the classroom. I didn't know who he was. He passed by me and then turned back. He looked at me, with a smile.

    Suddenly, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel happy and warm. That smile changed my life. I started to talk with other students and made friends. Day by day, I became closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now.

    One day I asked him why he had smiled, but he couldn't remember doing so!

    It doesn't matter because all the dark days have gone. I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you think it is lonely, you might always be alone. So smile at the world and it will smile back.

Dear Cheng Xiaoyu,

    I'm Betty White. I'm from Boston, America. My parents are "teachers at Harvard University(哈佛大学). My brother Dave and I are students at Dale School. I'm in Class One Grade Five. Dave is in Class One Grade Six. Dave likes English and I like PE(体育). After school, I play basketball with Dave at Harvard University. I know your name from "the Internet(因特网). I want to be your friend. My telephone number is 654 098.

Yours,

Betty

    My great-grandmother, Ethel, came from England to the United States in 1921. She brought almost nothing with her-just a few clothes and trinkets(小饰物). But she did bring some customs from "the old country" that she had learned as she grew up.

    One custom was that if you dropped a glass or a cup and it broke, you would throw a little salt over your left shoulder. It was funny that she did that-she wasn't superstitious(迷信的) in other ways. I think that she grew up doing that, so she continued to do it as a connection to her childhood.

    Ethel also taught us a New Year's Day custom that our family continues to follow today. To celebrate the new year, we would travel to a friend's house for a quick visit. My great-grandmother always took a pound of butter with her on our visits. We would enter the friend's house through the back door. The butter we brought was to give our friend a "gift of gold" to symbolize hope for prosperity in the new year.

    After my great-grandmother died, we still visited people on the first day of January, but eventually we stopped bringing the butter. We never did throw salt over our shoulders after breaking a glass or a cup. Some customs are continued when they cross from one country to another, but some customs fade away.

    Dad was walking around the house seriously. He walked here and there in a hurry. He needed his glasses so he could read the newspaper. He likes reading. But he could not remember where he had put his glasses.

    First, Dad looked in the bedroom. He looked on the bed and under the bed. Next, Dad opened the closet. He looked in the pockets of his brown coat. He even looked inside his winter boots. Then Dad went outside to the car. He looked on the seats of the car. He searched under the car seats, too. Dad came back inside. He walked into the living room and looked around. Then he sighed loudly.

    Mom and Wendy were sitting there, and they heard Dad sigh. "What's wrong?" asked Mom. "I've looked everywhere for my glasses, but I can't find them," he said. Wendy and Mom looked at Dad. Then they smiled at each other. Dad was always losing his glasses, but this time they were not lost. Mom and Wendy knew just where they were. "Maybe Mom and I can help you," said Wendy. "That would be great," said Dad. "I've looked in the bedroom, in the closet, and in the car. I don't know where else to look."

    Now Mom and Wendy started to laugh. Dad looked surprised. "What's so funny?" he asked. When Dad looked in the mirror, he laughed, too. His glasses were on top of his head.