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. Now, aged 79, 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 this 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. "

Dear Sir or Madam.

    One of the teachers at my school in New York tells me that your school has summer course. I am planning to go to Beijing next summer and would like to take a short one-month course.

    I am 18 years old and have been studying Chinese for six years. I was born in the USA and have never been to China before. I am going to study Chinese at the university. I think the course will help me improve my Chinese.

    Could you send me a catalogue(目录) and application form (申请表)? I would also like information about Beijing and other places nearby. I hope to do some travelling when the course is over.

    Thank you! I am looking forward to your reply

Very truly yours,

Jim Green

    Hello! My name is Coco. I am two years old. I don't know(知道)my mother's name. Look at this nice room, but it is not mine. It's my owner's. She is a nice girl. Her name is Jenny. Jenny is not always in this room. She is in her school during(在……期间)the day. Here is a photo on the desk. Jenny and her friend Alice are in it. This is a sofa, and it is a bed for me. Jenny likes green. Her quilt is green, and my quilt is green, too. I like bones(骨头). I like playing with(和……一起玩)Jenny and Alice. I like my family.

①" Class, this is John Evans, " Mrs. Parmele introduced him to us, trying to give him a warm welcome. We saw a boy in old clothes. John looked around and smiled, hoping somebody would smile back. Nobody did. He kept on smiling anyway. I held my breath as Mrs. Parmele looked around the classroom, hoping she wouldn't notice the empty desk next to mine. She did, and pointed him at that desk. He looked over at me as he sat down, but I looked away. 

②By the end of his first week, John was at the bottom of our class. I told my mother one evening at dinner, " He even doesn't know how to count. " However, as I ate lunch with him the next day and listened to him, I realized that it was pleasant to be with him. After lunch, I decided that I would be John's friend. 

③One night, as Mother came into my bedroom, I said, " Mom, tomorrow is John's birthday, and he's not going to get anything. Nobody cares. "" Don't worry, " Mom said as she kissed me goodnight. "I'm sure everything will be fine. "

④I wished John a happy birthday in the morning, and his smile showed me that he was glad I had remembered. By mid- afternoon I had almost decided that birthdays weren't that important. Then, as Mrs. Parmele was writing on the blackboard, I heard a familiar(熟悉的) voice singing the birthday song. I looked up and saw Mother coming through the door with a tray(托盘) of cupcakes and a present in her hand. Mrs. Parmele also joined in. Mother found John looking like a rabbit in car headlights. She put the cupcakes and the gift on John's desk and said, " Happy birthday, John. " John stood there with his mouth open, unable to believe what was happening. While John ha ppily shared his cupcakes with the class, taking the tray from desk to desk, I caught Mother watching me and she smiled. 

⑤John Evans moved away soon, and I never heard from him again. But I always remember the happiness in a boy's eyes, and the taste of the sweetest cupcake. 

Hi! I'm Emma. I'm twelve years old. I'm from1 , the capital of England. I have a brother. 2 name is Jim. He is five. My parents work in a 3 . They are doctors. I have got an aunt. Her name is Liz. She is my father's4 . She is a manager and she 5 at a hotel. 

My parents are busy 6 Saturday. They don't have time to look after(照顾) Jim and 7 . We go to Aunt Liz's home and do homework with my 8 . Aunt Liz lives in a big house near the sea. She has got three 9 . My three cousins like to play with us. We play on the each(海滩) and 10 in the sea. We are happy!