A     

    There was a beautiful garden. Every year the king would go to the garden to decide(决定) which flower was the most beautiful one. 

    For the last few years, the rose was always Number One. Because of this, the rose Gulaab became arrogant. It would never let birds stay on its flower. Then all the birds started staying away from Gulaab.

    Behind Gulaab, there was a little yellow flower. People called it Junglee. Junglee wasn't more beautiful than the rose, but it welcomed the birds to stay on its flower. All the birds in the garden liked it.

    This year the king went to the garden as before. The gardener(园丁) pointed at the rose and said to the king, “Your favorite flower, my king.”

    Of course, the king also saw the yellow flower behind it and asked, “What flower is that?”

    “Oh! That's Junglee, a wild flower.”

    “I didn't see a flower like it before. There are so many birds on it. I think it's much more beautiful than the rose. It will be the King Flower of this year!” said the king.

    John and Bobby joined the same company together just after they completed their university studies the same year. Both of them worked very hard. Several years later, however, the boss promoted(提拔) Bobby to manager but John was still a worker. John could not take it, and gave his resignation(辞呈) to the boss. He complained that the boss did not think much of those who were hard- working, but promoted only those who flattered(奉承) him.

    The boss knew that John had worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said," Thank you for what you said, but I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave."

    John agreed the boss asked him to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found a man selling watermelons. The boss asked how much they cost every kilogram. John shook his head and went back to the seller to ask and returned to tell the boss $1.2 every kilogram,

    The boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. Bobby went and returned, saying. Boss, only one person is selling watermelons. $1.2 every kilogram, and $10 for 10 kilograms. The seller has 340 melons. On the table there are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 2 kilograms. They were brought from the South two days ago. They are of good quality.

    Hearing what Bobby said, John realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided to stay and learn from Bobby.

    I taught high school for years and had the joy of knowing many wonderful kids. One student, Scott Wood, was especially close to my heart. What I taught was Creative Writing. Scott wrote quite well His talent is beyond the teacher's ability to teach. He was able to express through his written words well and it enabled me to light his way a little.

    Scott and other students were often in my home, at my kitchen table, sharing supper .It was amazing to me that what I said to them about life and love, and making time for the important things influenced them in their daily life. I watched them use these lessons they learnt in their lives as I followed their lives after graduation. Scott, especially, did this, and still does this today.

    Recently I told him I feel particularly down these days. I couldn't stop thinking about the sad and unpleasant things in the life. Here is what he emailed back to me.

    I remember you coming into the class one day late .You continued to tell all of us hat you were late because of very special reason. It had snowed the night before but instead of cleaning the ice off your windows in the car, you let the car heater lake cane of t and you sat and watched in wonder as he water slowly started flowing down your window. I think about this a lot when the weather begins getting cold, how most of us miss the simple treasure-ice melting. Life is full happiness and sadness. But every day is a gift, right? Life is not a lack of beauty, but lack of the find the beauty .Is that not what you always told us? That is how you lived and that is how you toll t to live.

    Ice melting. I do not remember his thing but, thinking back, it seems very true. That is what I believed, that is what I taught.

    You know, just to make it clean, an "ice -melting moment "to me is that moment you stop time for-you stop everything for -because it is too precious to miss .Scott, my student long ago, made me remember to never be too busy to stop the world, stop the clock for the magical moments in our daily lives.

    Mr. Brown had lived in a village before he became a famous lawyer. He remembered his hard life during studying in the college. And his parents borrowed much money for him. So he worked hard and tried his best to get more money.

    Now he lives in a beautiful house with his family and his son Richard is clever. He likes the boy very much and sent him to the best school in the city. He hopes Richard to live a happy life and buys everything the boy wants. He wishes his son could become a great scientist.

    But he doesn't know Richard hates studying and spends much time in playing. Now he's interested in fishing and sometimes cuts classes. So he failed in the exams. Miss Young, his head teacher, tells him not to do that, but he doesn't listen to her. She became angry after the boy was late again one afternoon.

    "I'll visit your father tomorrow evening, Richard." said Miss Young. "I'll ask him a good way to educate you."

    You'd better not talk with him, madam," said the boy. "Or you'll pay for a fee(费) for his advisory service !"