I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.

    I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.

    I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.

    One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.

    Now I've got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.

    I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me.I was a new teacher,and I gave an honest account of the students' work.In Simon's case,the grades were awfully low.He couldn't read his own handwriting.But he was a bright student.He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension.His work in no way reflected his abilities.

    So when Simon's mother entered the room.my palms（手掌心）were sweating.I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks."I came to thank you,"she said,surprising me beyond speech.Because of me,Simon had become a different person.He talked of how he loved me,he had begun to make friends,and for the first time in his twelve years,he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend's house.She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son.She kissed me again and left.

    I sat,stunned,for about half an hour,wondering what had just happened.How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without even knowing it?What I finally came to remember was one day,several months before, when some students were giving reports in the front of the class,Jeanne spoke quietly,and to encourage her to raise her voice,I had said,"Speak up.Simon is the expert on this.He is the only one you have to convince,and he can't hear you in the back of the room."That was it.From that day on,Simon had sat up straighter,paid more attention,smiled more,and became happy.And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row.The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.

    It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career,and I'm thankful that it came early and positively.A small kindness can indeed make a difference.

    Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams (阻塞) and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a scheme (计划) to improve the situation.

    Under the Velib scheme ('Velib' comes from vélo liberté, or 'bicycle freedom') people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don't return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it's only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25 kg), and they are all grey and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!

    Paris is not the first city to have a scheme like this. But not everybody thinks it's a great idea. One Parisian said, 'These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won't use a bicycle—they'll still use their cars.'

    A city spokesman said, "The bicycle scheme won't solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren't any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too."

    I want to talk about a soldier. I saw him yesterday as my husband and I were enjoying a wonderful lunch in the cave-like dining room of an old hotel.

    It is hard to imagine being comfortable in a room that probably seats a thousand, but the real magic of the place is its wonderful setting. Every comer is a wood and stone masterpiece, with high glass windows that look out to the huge cliffs of the valley.

    A man entered with his family and took a seat. He wasn't in uniform, but he walked with the dignity of a soldier, and a slight limp (瘸). My suspicion was confirmed when he removed his hat and placed it on the table where I could see it. Embroidered (绣) on the cap were the words: "Iwo Jima Survivor".

    As they were waiting for lunch, the others talking happily, this gentleman was stating out of the window. He was content to be left out of the conversation and allowed to take in the wonderful and impressive view of the waterfall.

    I watched him, and imagined how much horror he had seen in the war. What losses did he suffer, and how many friends did he lose? What he had witnessed should have given him a good reason to lose faith in the world. Yet this tired soldier was smiling at the sky, at the sun and the roaring of the waterfall. Somehow, after everything, the world was still beautiful to him.

    I walked over to him and said, "Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I saw your hat, and I just wanted to say thank you for serving."

    He looked up at me, surprised, and said proudly, "You're welcome, and thank you, too."

    I told him I would go home and tell my children about this experience that I'd met him.

    Debby Harris says she would never have started going to the Glastonbury Festival if her friend who runs a food stand hadn't needed a hand a few years ago. "I thought it would just be all noise, and I never liked rock music.^" Now she says she would pay her friend to allow her to work at her stand!^" The tickets sell like hot cakes, so it's the best way of making sure I can get to the five-day festival in June." she points out.

    Nick Hendon likes going to the Cambridge Folk Festival, which takes place over a long weekend in summer at Cherry Hinton Hall. His favourite festival area is the Club Tent where members of the audience, as well as the invited artists, can get up and perform. "My wife usually takes part. She has a beautiful voice," he says proudly.

    Joan Mitchell does her best to get to the International Eisteddfod, a dance and music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Wales. The festival is also famous for the final Sunday Evening Gala concert which usually has some of the biggest names in opera as guest performers.

    ^“I've seen Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, James Galway and Montserrat Caballe, but no one could ever match Luciano Pavarotti. He was truly breathtaking!''

    Graham Crosby tries to get to as many concerts as possible during the eight-week summer season of the Proms festival every year. The Proms is the largest classical music festival in the world." The atmosphere (氛围)is much more relaxing than that at other classical concerts. In fact, the audience sometimes behave more like rock fans, jumping up and down to the music, which is really exciting."

You are what you wear. Clothes are important and necessary to us, but do you know how to choose suitable clothes in a correct way?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. 

 When you go shopping and want to buy some clothes, you should think about which kind of clothes you really need and decide how much money you can spend on them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They tell you how to take care of the clothes. The label(标签) for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash it in cold water. The label on a coat may say"dry cleaning only"and cleaning in water may destroy this coat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. 

 Many clothes today must be dry-cleaned.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When buying new clothes, you had better check if they need to be dry-cleaned. You can save money if you buy clothes that can be washed or that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They still look good after they have been washed many times. 

Clothes that cost more money don't always mean they are better made.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}On the other hand, less expensive clothes may sometimes look better and fit you well.

A. Dry cleaning is expensive.

B. Here are some suggestions for you.

C. They may not fit you, either.

D. We need to know how to look after the new clothes.

E. If you do as the directions say on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best.

F. Then look at the labels that are inside the new clothes.

G. The quality of clothes should be considered.