A

    My name is Peter. I was born in Paris. When I was three, my family moved to London. We stayed there for one year then my dad had to move to New York. We spent about two years there. I moved to Shanghai last May and I like the new country very much.

    I study at an international school in Shanghai. There are people from nearly all parts of the world. I like my school very much and I can learn many things. I love learning Chinese and keep practising it with my classmates. After school, my favourite sport is football. I like drawing and painting, too.

    Shanghai has four seasons and I like spring best here, because I can go out in the evening and play with my friends. In my hometown, the summers are hotter than Shanghai but the winters are not so cold as t hey are here.

    Shanghai is like a small world where all kinds of people and food can be seen. I like being part of it and I am very happy to stay here.

    Ben was hoping for a video game for his birthday. He also wanted a board game. And he wanted some CDs too.

    He got the board game and some CDs, but what was in the last package (包裹)? It was from his sister. He slowly opened the package. It didn't feel like a video game.

    It was a purple sweater. Purple was Ben's least favourite colour. He smiled and thanked his sister nicely, but he didn't want to wear that sweater. He couldn't wear purple!

    He quickly put the sweater away in his room. Then he ran off to play the new board game with his family.

    The next day, Ben's mother asked him about the sweater.

    "Why don't you wear your purple sweater today?" she said. "Your sister made it just for you!"

     "I am not cold," Ben said without thinking. In fact, he was lying. He shivered (发抖) all day.

    Then one day they were going out to dinner as a family. Ben's mother asked him to wear the sweater again. "I don't want to wear it. I hate (讨厌) purple," he said.

    "Ben," said his mother, "I know it's not the nicest sweater in the world, but think about how important Karen is to you. You know she will be very happy if you wear it to dinner."

    Ben walked slowly to his room. He knew his mother was right. He wore the sweater to the restaurant. His sister smiled all night.

B

    My grandfather Jack is 96 years old, and he has had an interesting life. He has travelled a lot in his life in the Far East. He visited the Taj Mahal in India and the Pyramids in Egypt. He hunted（狩猎） lions in Africa, and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert. He says the most beautiful place he has travelled to is Kathmandu in Nepal.

    Jack has married twice. His first wife died when she was 32. He met his second wife Maria while he was cycling round France. They have been married for 50 years, and they have lived happily in a small village since they got married.

    Jack says that he has never been ill in his life. The secret of good health, according to my grandfather, is exercise. He goes swimming every morning. He has done this since he was a boy. He also has a glass of wine every night! Perhaps that is his secret!

    I made a pledge(发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

    The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical(圣经的) passage about husbands being thoughtful(体贴的) of their wives. Then he went on to say. "Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love. "To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change

    And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, "That new yellow sweater looks great on you."

    "Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.

    After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me." We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

    So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

    "What's the matter?" I asked her.

    "Tom," she said in a voice filled with distress, "do you know something I don't?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well…that checkup(体检)I had several weeks ago… our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you've been so good to me…am I dying?"

    It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

   "No, honey, "I said, wrapping her in my arms." You're not dying; I'm just starting to live."

    Mr. Smith works in an office. He's very busy and has no time to have a good rest. Every evening, when he comes back from his office, he's always tired and wants to go to bed early. But his wife always has a lot of interesting things to tell him after supper. She doesn't stop talking until she goes to sleep.

    One day Mr. Smith feels terrible and can't go to work. He goes to see a doctor. And Mrs. Smith goes to the hospital with him. Before her husband says what is the matter with him, the woman tells the doctor all about her husband and the doctor understands why. He writes out a prescription(处方). And when Mrs. Smith takes the medicine to the doctor's room, the doctor says to her, "This kind of medicine is for your husband and the pills are for you."

    "For me?" the woman says in surprise. "I'm fine. I don't need any medicine!"

    "I don't think so, madam," says the doctor. "They are sleeping pills. Your husband will be all right if you take them. "