At thirteen, I was diagnosed（诊所） with  kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

          In my first literature class, Mrs.Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said,“Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”

          She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”

          I tried, but I didn't finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

          In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn't get much education. But Louis didn't give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots（点）, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

           Wasn't I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; Ijust needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?

           I didn't expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs.Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day- with an“A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words:“ See what you can do when you keep trying?”

    The old man walked with a cane（拐杖）slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket.

    patched（打补丁）trousers and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds，large rosy cheeks，and thin lips held in a steady smile.

    He walked towards a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him， saying，“Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair”

    Without a word，he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Steadying him with one arm， she helped him move in front of the chair， and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him，and learned his cane against the table where he could reach it.

    In a soft，clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss”

    “You are welcome, Sir.” she replied，“My name is Mary. I'll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”

    After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes，bacon，and hot lemon tea，Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane， and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir.”

    He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind！”

    When Mary went to clean his table，she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a 100$ bill.

    The note on the napkin read，“Dear Mary，I respect you very much， and you respect yourself，too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you. ”

    The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she，or any of his employees, had seen him in person.

    Thomas Edison received a patent(专利) for his kinetoscope(电影放映机) on August31, 1887. It was a machine for viewing moving pictures. Edison had hoped to combine his no invention with the phonograph(留声机), which he had invented 10 years earlier. He thought that people would like to watch moving pictures that went along with the sound. He was not able to make them work together. The kinetoscope, however, was a popular attraction by itself. A person looked through small holes in a box-like machine and saw pictures in action. One of the first films made showed a man sneezing.

    A problem with this invention was that only one person could view the moving pictures at a time. By 1891, Edison had invented a projector that showed the film on a screen. Many people could watch together.

    In 1893, Edison built a motion-picture studio. He made over 300 silent films. Most of them were short. That was because the pictures flashed, or shook a lot. It was hard for people to watch more than 10 minutes at a time.

    The first films were mostly of real events. They would show famous people walking somewhere, cars on a street, burning houses, and other news stories. Then comedies and short dramas were made.

    Edison's movie studio closed in 1918. By then other companies were also making films. Better cameras were made. Sound was added. Then color came along. Today, movies are among the most popular forms of entertainment.

    Have you ever trained your brain? Now there are some new suggestions, such as eating dark chocolate and having cold meat for breakfast. You should also avoid watching soap operas, spending time with people who complain or follow fat-free diets, according to a new book on getting “brain-fit”.

    Many of the suggestions in Teach Yourself Training Your Brain are surprising. The book says to read out loud while holding a baby. Writers Terry Horne and Simon Wotton say their advice is from the latest research by experts around the world.

    “For years we have thought our brain capability is decided by our genes. But it's now clear that it depends on our lifestyle. What we eat and drink, how we learn at school and what type of feelings we have are all important,” said Horne.

    The book talks about the most up-to -date thinking in science about how diet, the environment, stress and other sides of modern life affect our brain capacity. It also offers advice and exercises. The book comes as more and more people are spending money on books, DVDs and computer games, which can improve their brain's capability.

    Horne believes that people need to make changes to their lifestyles to increase their brain capacity. Happiness, confidence and an optimistic nature help the brain, he added.

    “So mix with people who make you laugh, or share the same interests as you. And avoid people who complain,” said Horne. “People who are negative will make you sad, which means you won't achieve things.”

    Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man ... .There is no shortage of superheroes. You find them in comic books, on TV and the big screen.

    In a survey of fans by the sci-fi（科幻）and fantasy website, SFX.co.uk, Batman, 70 years old this year, was voted Britain's favorite superhero.

    Unlike many crime-fighting superheroes Batman has no special powers. He can't fly like Superman or shoot a sticky web like Spider-Man.

    Bruce Wayne is born to a wealthy Gotham City business family. However, when his parents are murdered his life changes completely.

    Wayne feels angry at their deaths and guilty that he did not prevent them. He travels around the world learning how to fight. Upon returning to Gotham, he creates a disguise (伪装) to enable him to fight crime without being recognized.

    A childhood fear of bats leads him to choose to dress as one. His idea is that through the bat persona (角色) he can prove to himself that he has overcome his childhood fears.

    Wayne is the CEO of the company he inherits from his father. He seems to live the lifestyle of a millionaire playboy. But this is a ruse (计策). He works hard at the image to allow himself the freedom he needs to do his work as a crime fighter. "Bruce Wayne, playboy" is the disguise; Batman is the real person.

    "Wayne is not a born superhero. Instead, he is a real, complex person," said Dace Golder, editor of the website. "He is the most realistic of all the superheroes. I am particularly interested in the emotional process by which a boy becomes a hero. His superhero qualities come from within."

    Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let's have a look.

    People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants (蚂蚁) in their pants. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down. They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.

    Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt.

    I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I instantly spend it.

    Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves (衣袖) that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.