"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the baby was lying in her arms and she moved the cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped(吃力地喘着气). The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Luckily, time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. Though the misfortune(不幸)happened to him, he grew into a handsome boy. Yet he felt ashamed when he communicated with others.
    "You should get in touch with other young people," his mother told him, with a kindness in her heart. The boy's father talked with the family doctor about his ears. "Could nothing be done?"the father asked. "I believe I could give him a pair of outer ears, if they could be got," the doctor replied.
    Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need, but it's a secret."The operation is a big success. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交的) service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her."
    "You could, my son," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet."
    The years kept their secret, but one of the darkest days did come. He stood with his father over his mother's casket(棺材). Slowly, the father stretched forth(伸出) a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.
    "Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

    A man in Pakistan is now working to help children get an education. When he was a child, he did not go to school because he was too poor.

    It is reported that Pakistan has 25 million children who do not go to school. That is the second­highest number in the world. Only Nigeria has more. Many Pakistani children must work to support their families.

    Mohammad Ayub was once one of those children. He is now a firefighter. He also manages a small school. VOA recently visited the school in the capital Islamabad.

    Ayub started with just one student in 1982. He saw a boy cleaning cars for days. He asked him, "Why don't you go to school?" The boy answered that his parents were dead and he had to work to help support his five brothers and three sisters.

    Ayub was also an orphan and he, too, had to work to help support his five brothers and three sisters. He said, "When my father died, everyone who came to the funeral said they were sorry, but no one helped." He sold newspapers and did other work to earn enough money to pay school fees for his brothers and sisters.

    Ayub wanted to help the young boy who washed cars, but he did not have enough money to pay the boy's school fees.

    Today, Ayub teaches many children at his school in a public park. Some of the children attend other schools in the morning, but come to Ayub in the afternoon to get help with their homework.

    Ayub has helped a large number of poor children since he began teaching. Many of them come from very poor areas near the park.

    Ayub said," I used to argue with kids who worked ' Why are you washing someone's dishes or their clothes? Why don't you study? ' "

    One of the children he advised to attend classes was Farhat Abbas. Ayub found him working with his friends about 12 years ago. "He followed us back home. He told our parents he wanted to teach us and asked them to send us to his school, "Abbas said.

    Today, Abbas is taking classes at a college and is helping Ayub.

    Many children are out of school, and those who do attend classes often get a poor education. Information gathered by an organization shows half of all Pakistani children in the 5th grade do not understand basic mathematics and cannot read a story in their language.

    A group in Islamabad reports Pakistan spends less on education than any other country in South Asia.

根据短文内容，从每小题A、B、C三个选项中选出一个最佳答案。             

    Avril (艾薇儿) Lavigne is an excellent(优秀的)singer. She is successful because of her musical talent (天才).

    She wrote songs by herself, played the guitar and had a wide range of voice when she was only 17 years old. She began to sing her own rock-and-roll music. She is a talent in the musical world. People in many different countries like her songs very much.

    Avril Lavigne isn't a quiet girl. She is a wild, active and crazy girl. She started showing her voice and character at about age 2. “I'm just coming out and I'm going to be myself. I write what I feel. ” Avril said.

    Her music can reach girls' and boys' hearts and even some adults', too. I can't wait to be out there; I want to rock the world! I want people to know that music is real and honest (坦率的). I am just being true to myself.   

        A week in the sun relaxing in the beautiful March weather of Varadero, Cuba is a fantastic vacation for anyone. Luckily, my wife, two friends and I had the chance last year.

      To see Cuba, you have to talk to the Cubans. Our friends met us at the airport even at 1:00 a.m. which started our trip on a positive note. After a few days at the hotels, we got to know a local tour guide, Victor.

      The trip started off on a sunny morning. Our return trip would be along the coastline from Havana, but out trip to Havana would be through the countryside and the small towns. This trip was designed for us to visit the Cuban countryside.

      At first Victor brought us to Revolutionary Square, where Fidel Castro made his yearly speech praising the ideas of the revolution.

      Our second stop was the Bocoy Rum Factory. We walked through and learned how 5000 bottles of rum(朗姆酒) are produced every day. The smell of rum, and the huge barrels were interesting.

      The final stop was the market in Old Havana. Here my wife and I went away from our friends and we toured through this large shopping center. From store to store we saw so many items that all had a clear Cuban feel to them. We bought a picture and some special local things, and then we took off to meet up with Victor.

      As a tourist I was able to have a quick look at Cuban life with the help of Cubans. I felt lucky to have the chance. It was an interesting experience in my life.

    "Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you can carry on, one day something good will happen."

    After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer (播音员). I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station, but I was refused every time.

    In one studio, a nice lady told me that big stations didn't want to accept inexperienced person." Go to the countryside and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said.

    I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I still failed in the interview.

    At that moment, mom's words came to my mind: "Everything happens for the best." Dad offered me the car to look for a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport in Iowa. The program director, named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.

    As I left his office, I felt frustrated. I asked aloud," How can a man become a sport announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?"

    I was waiting for the lift when I heard MacArthur calling, "What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?"" Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary (想象的) game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday's game!

    On my way home, I thought of my mother's words again:" Everything happens for the best. If you carry on, one day something good will happen."

    Tom was walking through the forest with his axe (斧子) when a sapling (树苗).Called to him and stopped him on his way.

    "Could you please help me clear away these trees.my kind friend?  They are stealing (窃取)all of my sunshine. There is no room because of the trees .so my roots cannot grow freely. I cannot feel the wind with the trees above me."

    Tom decided he could do this favor for the poor sapling. He swung his axe and cleared the trees around the sapling.

    But after Tom made space for the sapling, the hot sunlight dried his leaves. Then there was a heavy rainstorm. The poor sapling couldn't stand(忍受)the weather.

    "Oh, foolish one." said a farmer who was passing by. "The taller trees may seem like they're taking your sunshine, space and wind form you, but they're actually helping you. They protect you from sunburns, heavy rain and other bad weather. _____.You only see them taking your space, but you don't see how they help you. One day when you grow up, you might be the one to protect other saplings."