My life plan is to visit all the states in the US. Several years ago， my husband and I were traveling in the northwest. One day， when we were having our breakfast， I lost my wallet that had over $300 in it. There was no way for us to be able to find it， but we went on with our trip.

    We went off to drive around and enjoy the city， completely forgetting my missing wallet. Later on， when I checked my phone， there was a message from the boss of the restaurant where we had our breakfast：

    “I have something that belongs to you， and you're going to be very happy.”

    We got back to the restaurant and there was the wallet on the table with all the money in it!

    The boss's son found the wallet in front of the door， and brought it to him. He thought that it must belong to someone who had a meal in the restaurant， so he checked inside and found my phone number on a piece of paper.

    Hello! Here is a UFO. And I am an alien(外星人).My name is Eric. Look!my jacket is nice. It's white. This is my pen. What color is it? It's red. And what's this in English? It's a ruler. It's a green ruler. What's that? It's an English CD. I like(喜欢)it. Do you like me?

    For his eleventh birthday, Lin was given a gift that would shape his life. On that day his father took him to the Children's Activity Centre and said he could choose any course that interested him. There was just one

Requirement: Lin would have to promise to study it for at least one year.

    To that point Lin had had many hobbies, but none kept his interest for more than a week or two. His mum once gave him a bag of stamps to encourage stamp collecting. That hobby lasted a week. Then his father got him some paints hoping that Lin's artistic side would shine through. Those paints were now under his bed, still unopened. This time Lin's parents would let him decide.

    Lin's eyes moved down the noticeboard that listed all the courses on offer. He stopped at "Photography". He liked the idea of taking beautiful pictures but the notice said that each student needed their own camera. Although Lin's family weren't poor, they weren't rich either, and a camera cost a lot of money. He continued looking.

    The next course to catch his eye was "Language Art". He didn't even know what that meant. His father explained that it taught people how to make public speeches. Lin, a shy boy, could think of nothing worse.

    Then he saw it. "Cooking" sounded like something he'd like to do. It was inexpensive and convenient. It could be done alone and it was also creative.

    Based on Lin's hobby history, his dad had doubts, but he agreed. Much to his parents' surprise, Lin kept his promise. He studied cooking at the Centre every Saturday, and practised at home, making delicious meals for his family. Everyone looked forward to birthdays, when they could eat his cakes. Lin got great satisfaction from the pleasure his food brought to others.

    The months turned to years but his hobby never changed again.

    Now Lin is an adult and runs a successful restaurant. When customers say they enjoy his meal, he still gets the same pleasure he did as a child, and remembers the special gift he received "all those years ago.

    I am Turere. I come from Kitengela, a farming community on the edge(边缘) of Nairobi National Park of Kenya(肯尼亚). Since the age of nine. I have helped to look after my family's cows. As a child, in my free time. I enjoyed playing with electronics. I made my own inventions, such as electronic toys from car parts and other things. I also built other electronic devices(仪器) for my neighbors.

    At the age of 13, I invented something that changed my life. It also changed the lives of many people in my community. One night, a lion from the park came into my family's farm and killed one of our cows. I was angry. However, killing the lion, I thought, was not the best way to solve the problem. Instead, I decided to invent a solution

    The first idea I got was to use fire, because I thought lions were scared of fire. But I came to realize that didn't really help, because it was even helping the lions to see through the cowshed (牛棚). So I didn't give up. I continued.

    And a second idea I got was to use a scarecrow(稻草人). I was trying to trick the lions into thinking) that I was standing near the cowshed. But lions are very clever. They will come the first day and they see the scarecrow, and they go back. But the second day, they'll come and they say, this thing is not moving here, it is always here! So he jumps in and kills the animals.

    So one night, I was walking around the cowshed with a torch(手电筒), and that day the lions didn't come. And I discovered that lions were afraid of a moving light. So I had an idea.

    The car was invented just a century ago. You may know all kinds of cars' names, but many people don't know who was the inventor of the first car.

    The first car was invented not by an Englishman, but by an American. His name was Henry Ford.

    Henry was born in a poor family. He was the eldest of the six children. When he was a boy, he became interested in watches and machines. When he was twelve years old, his mother died. Soon he had to work in a machine shop for two dollars and fifty cents a week.

    In the evening, he repaired watches for another dollar a week. The hard life made him strong and able.

    At that time, there was another interest in the life of the young Ford. He wished of making a machine.

    It could run without horses, so named horseless carriage. He overcame a lot of difficulties and in April 1893, the "horseless carriage "was invented at last. It was the first car.

    Later Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. He was really the first inventor of the car in the world.