Millions of people have seen Disney films and TV programmes. They have made friends with all the Disney heroes: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, and Peter Pan. Millions more have visited Disney Parks. Probably no other company has pleased so many children. It is not surprising that it has been called a dream factory.

    Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois. Then his family moved to Missouri. He grew up on a farm there. At the age of 16, Disney began to study art in Chicago. Four years later, he joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company. He helped make cartoon advertisements to be shown in cinemas.

    In 1923, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California to join his brother Roy.  He wanted to be a film producer or director. But he failed to find a job. So he decided to make animated films. In these films, drawings are made to move in a lifelike way. We call them cartoons. Disney wanted to bring his pictures to life.

    Disney opened his first company in the back of an office. For the first, several years, he had to work hard for a living, but he believed that cartoon films could be popular.

    Mickey Mouse was drawn with a group of circles. The public first saw Mickey Mouse in a film called Steamboat Willie. Walt Disney himself provided the voice for Mickey Mouse. The film was produced in 1928. It was a huge success. Mickey Mouse appeared in hundreds of cartoons during the years that followed. He became known all over the world.

The famous scientist and thinker, Charles Darwin, was born on February 12, 1809 in England. As a boy，Charles liked to go for walks in the fields and forests. He enjoyed watching nature，and comparing what he saw with everything he had read in science books. He also liked collecting very much. He collected many things: birds，eggs，stones and leaves.

At sixteen Darwin was sent to Edinburgh University to become a doctor. But he was interested in the history of nature.

Then he was sent to study in Cambridge University. There he studied until 1831.

Some time later he heard that the ship Beagle was going on a trip to South America and wanted a scientist. His teacher advised him to go. So when the Beagle left England in December, 1831, Darwin was on it.

The trip lasted almost five years. Darwin saw many new plants and animals. He collected all kinds of plants.

In 1842 Darwin went to live in Kent，and there he continued his studies of change in nature. Darwin understood that plants and animals are not always the same，and that they really change.

By 1859 Darwin had finished his famous book The Origin of Species.

In 1871 Darwin wrote ano ther important book The Theory of Evolution.

Darwin continued his studies in science until he died in 1882.

    A passenger told an air hostess(空姐) that he needed a cup of water when the plane just took off. She told him that she would bring him the water soon.

    Twenty minutes later, when the passenger's ring for service sounded, the air hostess realized it at once. She was kept so busy that she forgot to bring him the water. Therefore, the passenger was held up to take his medicine. She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he refused it.

    In the following hours on the flight, each time the air hostess passed the passenger, she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never paid attention to her words.

    When he was going to get off the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers' booklet(意见簿). She was very sad. She knew that he would write down sharp(苛刻的) words. But with a smile she handed it to him.

    Off the plane, she opened the booklet, and let out a smile, for the passenger put it: On the flight, you asked me if I needed help for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your twelve sincere smiles?

    That's right! It was the twelve smiles of the air hostess that moved the passenger.

    People have told stories about Robin Hood for over 700 years. Nobody knows if he was a real person or an invented character. In the legends, Robin was extremely smart and humorous, he helped strangers, and later his kindness paid off.

    The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was just a young man, who was good at archery (射箭术). One day he was walking through Sherwood Forest, a royal hunting forest near Nottingham in England. There he got into trouble with a group of men. Among them, he killed the cousin of the Sheriff (郡长) of Nottingham. Robin became a legendary outlaw, and soon the leader of one hundred outlaws, known as his "Merry Men".

    Robin and his "Merry Men" always looked for rich people and asked them to their camp in Sherwood Forest. When they arrived, Robin gave them a good meal and played music for them. Then he took their gold away to help the poor. Robin became most famous for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor."

    The Sheriff of Nottingham was Robin's greatest enemy. He was cruel and treated the poor badly. It was his job to keep the woods safe and to make sure that nobody stole the king's deer. He hated Robin because Robin was an outlaw. But most of all, he hated Robin because everyone else loved him. The Sheriff of Nottingham kept trying to catch Robin Hood and his "Merry Men", but never succeeded.

    A river was running happily in the hill, the valley(山谷) and the field. Soon it was stopped by a huge rock and the river was a little afraid and worried what it could do.

    The rock said, "Hi, baby！Where are you going？"

    The river answered, "I'm going to the sea. My mother is waiting for me."

    The rock made fun of the river and said, "You're too young. Go back to the hill at once. You can't get there. Don't come back here again!"

    The river was surprised to hear that and said, "I can only go forwards(向前).There's no river that goes backwards(向后)!"

    The rock became angry and warned the river. "Don't speak! If you don't go back, you will have to change your direction. Don't want to run over my body!"

    The river asked helplessly, "Where should I go？"

    "You can go anywhere you like. Just don't come close to me!"

    While they are talking, more and more water came here. Then it began to get out of control. The river ran quickly over the rock and the rock was washed pitifully.

    The river said proudly, "A weak person will change his goal and direction. A person who is strong will only go ahead and nothing can stop him!"