Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Italy. He is best known as an artist today. One of his famous paintings is called Mona Lisa. However, Leonardo had many other natural abilities. He was also a great inventor. Many of his inventions have become important in modern day life.

Although Leonardo hated war, he invented many different machines used for war. His most special invention was the machine gun, which was produced and used in war many years later.

      By watching the way birds fly, Leonardo tried to find out the secret of flying. Among his sketches(素描)we can see several objects. We consider them as modern flying machines.

      Leonardo spent many hours thinking about how to make good use of time. He developed ideas for labor-saving machines like cutting machines.

Leonardo was a strange man. He didn't eat any meat, which was very unusual in those times. He never published (发表) his ideas and scientific discoveries. He usually used mirror writing, which looks like writing in a mirror, starting from the right side of the page and moving to the left.

      We have very little of his work today. Leonardo finished only a few of his paintings. He left many unfinished because he thought they were not perfect. No one in his life time knew how great Leonardo was. We now believe, however, that he was one of the cleverest men the world has ever known.

    Denny Crook was a famous photographer. He traveled all over the world, taking pictures for magazines and newspapers, and won many prizes.

    "I'll do anything to get a good photo," he often said. "I'll go anywhere at any time, even if it is1." And he told the2.He had photos of earthquakes, forest fires, floods and even wars. If something interesting happened, Denny went to photo it.

    He was a married man and his wife often asked him to take her with him, but he always3. "I'll travel for my work, not for 4," he told her." You won't enjoy yourself, and I won't have5to look after you. Sometimes there's not even anywhere to6, and I have to sleep outside. I often don't have a good7or a bath for days. You won't like it."

    "Denny, I'm not a child," his wife didn't8. "I can look after myself. Please take me with you the next time you go overseas."

    Denny did not say anything, but he9about it, and when he was asked to go to Africa he said to his wife, "You can come to Africa with me if you want to. I've got to take photos of wild10there. It should be interesting and not too uncomfortable."

    His wife was very11, and at first she had a very enjoyable time. Then Denny went off to12some lions to photo. His wife went with him, but before long they became separated（分开的）. She walked down one path while he walked down the other.

    Suddenly, Denny heard her13.He ran back and saw her running toward him. A huge lion was chasing her. Quickly Denny took his camera out of its case and14it at his wife and the lion. Then he shouted, "15, woman! I can't get you both in the picture! "

    Mickey was a nice, cheerful and optimistic （乐观的）boy. No one could remember ever having seen him angry; he didn't mind  1  people said to him. Even his teachers2his good character. Everyone thought that Mickey must have a special3.

    One afternoon, Mickey invited his favorite teacher, Mr Anthony, to tea. When they had finished, Mickey showed Mr Anthony4the house. When he opened his bedroom door, the teacher got 5 and a big smile appeared on his face. The huge far wall was a collage （抽象拼贴画）of thousands of colors and shapes!

    "Some people at school think I never think6of anyone.Mickey started to explain," they believe nothing troubles me,7that's not true. I'm just like anyone else. I used to get8than all the other kids. But years ago, with the help of my parents, I started a small collage. I could use9material and color for it."

    The teacher looked closely at the wall. In each one of the small pieces he could10, in tiny letters, "fool", "11" and a thousand other negative （消极的）things.

    "This is how I started12all my bad times into a chance to make a new piece for my work of art. Now I like the collage13much that each time someone makes me angry, I couldn't be happier."

    That day they14many things, but the teacher never forgot that an ordinary boy's secret to be happy is to change the bad times into a15to smile. How special the secret is!

    There was a girl called Anna, who was studying in Esmarth Vil, a primary school in the United States. She was the most1girl at her school. Her marks were higher than the others. She was the best, and almost everybody wanted to be her2. They wanted to play with her. One day, the teacher set an exam and a boy called Robert3 his exam using Anna's name. So when the teacher4all the exams, Anna found out she had failed the exam, and the other kids were5.

    Later on, Robert apologized to Anna, and finally they became good friends.

    Frank was a very talkative boy, He never saw a new thing without asking a lot of questions about it. His mother was very kind and1. When it was proper to answer his questions, she would do so.

    The first time Frank saw an hourglass, he was very much2, but he did not know what it was. His mother3, "An hourglass is made in the shape of the figure 8. The sand is put in one end, and runs

4 a small hole in the middle. The sand put into the glass will go through5 an hour."

    Frank watched the little stream of sand. He was impatient, because it would not run faster." Let me 6 it, Mother," he said. "It is lazy, and will never get through."

    "Oh yes, it will, my son," said his mother. "The sand moves 7 ， but it moves all the time. When you look at the clock, you will find the same. 8 you are playing, the sand is running, grain by grain, and the hands of the 9 are moving, second by second. At night, the sand in the hourglass has run through twelve times. The hour hand of the clock has moved all around 10 great face. This is because they keep working every 11 . They do not stop to think how much they have to do, and 12 it will take them to do it."

    Later, Frank's mother wanted him to learn a poem, but he said," Mom, I13"His mother said," Study all the time.14 care about the time it will take. You will be able to say it very soon.

    Frank followed his mother's 15. He studied line after line, and in one hour and a half he knew the poem perfectly.

    When I was eight years old, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go someplace 1. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important or 2. I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would be getting something better than a toy. She said I would get "access(通道)to a world of toys."

    I had no idea why she was being so 3that day.  4, I had no real idea what she meant.

    "Access to a world of toys?" Did that mean we were buying a toy store?

    But we did not 5 at any toy store. Nor did we finally see anyone we knew.6, Mother pulled her car into a parking lot in front of a building that looked like 7 out of the past.  It didn't have a modern look at all. And as we 8 the car, I still had no idea what this place was.

    We took stone steps up to the entrance. Only then did I find out what this place was, because there was a sign that 9"Marcy Public Library". We pushed the door open, and Mother led me to the front desk. "I'd like to get my daughter a library card", she told the man 10the desk. He asked her to fill out a form and smiled at me. "What kind of books do you like?" he asked. I was too shy to 11 them. I simply smiled back and shrugged my shoulders. "Well, you'll find it out in time," he said.

    I do not remember 12 I checked out that first day, but  I know  that  in  the years  that followed I read everything  I could  find 13 at that old library. I read through all the Nancy   Drew books before working on Judy Blume, then the 14: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. Then I read books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I 15 knew existed (存在).

    So Mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.