My friend Tom is a schoolboy. Everyone likes him very much because he is kind. He likes to help people. He is a smart boy and he can play many musical instruments(乐器). After school, when he is with his friends, he often plays musical instruments for them. On weekends, he is free and he always goes to the old people's home. He plays the violin and the guitar to make them happy. He thinks it's interesting and fun.

    Today is February 28th. It's Tom's birthday. He has a big and interesting party at home. Many friends come to his party. Tom's mother cooks a lot of food for them. Everyone gives a beautiful gift to him. Sally gives him an English dictionary because Tom also likes English. Bob gives Tom a guitar because he likes playing the guitar very much. At the party, Tom plays the guitar and he also plays the piano. We sing many songs and play some interesting games. We have a good time today.

    Two brothers took a trip in the forest together. At noon they took a rest and fell asleep. When they woke up, they saw a stone next to them. There were words written on the stone: Let whoever finds this stone go into me forest. In the forest a river will appear. Let him swim across the river to the other side. There he will see a bear and her baby. Let him take the baby from her and run up the mountain with them. On the top of the mountain he will find happiness."

    After reading the words, the younger brother said, "Let us go together. We can find happiness."

    "I am not going into the forest," said the elder brother. "It's too dangerous. We may get lost. We may be eaten by the bear. Instead of finding happiness, we may die at last."

    "In my opinion," said the younger brother, "you are wrong. If you do not make an effort and try hard, nothing in the world will be achieved."

    Then the younger brother set off, and the elder remained behind.

    The younger brother did all the things. When he reached the top of the mountain, the people came out of their houses to meet him and made him their king. He had been a king for five years. In the sixth year, another king captured his country. The younger brother became an ordinary man again.

    One day, the younger brother arrived at the house of his elder brother. The elder brother was living m a village, neither rich nor poor. "You see," said the elder brother, "l was right. Though you may have been a king, you have nothing now.

    "I don't think so," replied the younger brother. "I may have nothing now, but I shall always have something to remember, but you have no memories at all."

    I volunteered at the vet's (兽医诊所) last summer vacation. Minnie was the most interesting dog that I saw there. Long hair covered her body. And her tail looked like a mouse's tail.

    She was brought to the vet's because her owner didn't want her any more. Minnie was well-behaved(行为端正). "No one should judge(评判) her by her appearance," I thought. So the people of the vet's looked after her. Finally, I advertised Minnie in the local newspaper. "Funny-looking dog, well-behaved, needs a loving family." When a young man called, I told him that Minnie looked a little strange. The boy on the phone told me that his grandfather's old dog had just died. They wanted to bring Minnie to him. I gave Minnie a good bath. At last, an old car drove up in front of the vet's. Two kids brought Minnie to their grandfather who was waiting in the car. Then the grandfather held Minnie in his arms and touched her soft hair. Minnie kissed his face. She waved her tail so quickly. "She's great!" the old man said.

    I was glad that Minnie found a good family. That's when I saw that the grandfather was blind.

    Steven Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles. When he went into college, he didn't change a lot. Then he dropped out（退学）. But he was full of new ideas.

    After he left college, Steven worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in life.

    Steven lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India.

    In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in his garage（汽车库）. He chose the name "Apple" just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden.

    His Apple Computer was such a great success that Steven soon became famous all over the world.

    If you want to study in a foreign country, you have to think about where to live. Because I'm still too young to rent a flat by myself. I am living with a homestay family in Canada and I feel like I'm part of the family.

    I had a homestay in 2013 for the first time. During that time, I stayed in Ajax, a town in Canada for a week with a homestay family. Carlton lives with his nephew and hisniece-in-law9侄子和侄媳妇）.Carlton drove me to a school to learn about Canadian culture every morning, and he picked me up in the afternoons. Our free time was in the evening. The meals he made for me were delicious and we usually watched a movie after dinner. I couldn't forget the life there although I didn't live there for a long time.

    I'm now living with a Hungarian（匈牙利）family with another Chinese boy. There are two family members — Mrs. Perger and her son, Robert. I've already lived here for nine months. Once, my roommate went running and didn't come back for a long time. Mrs. Perger called him, but he didn't answer the phone. She began to worry about him and cry. Fortunately, he was fine and got back home later. I was deeply moved.

    However, living with a homestay family also has some problems. when you live with a foreign family, you live a lifestyle different from your own family's. It may take you a long time to get used to (习惯于)it.

    Living with a homestay family teaches me how to communicate with different people and what we should do when different lifestyles and cultures meet together.