Deisha walked up and down as she waited backstage. This would be her most important piano performance yet. At ten years old, she was the youngest performer in the recital (音乐演奏会). She had practiced playing her song more than 30 times that week. When she closed her eyes at night, the music played over and over again in her head.

    Now that the day had arrived, Deisha was not sure she was ready. She smoothed her hair and picked a piece of lint (绒毛) from the new dress that her mother had bought for her. She noticed that her hands were shaking. How could she play the notes of the song if her hands were shaking? She tried to concentrate on steadying (稳住) them, but they only shook more.

   Deisha's piano teacher, Ms Neal, walked up to speak to her. “I have something for you,” she said, putting a smooth black stone into Deisha's hand. “It's a special stone. There's no other one like it in the world. You've practiced so much, you don't need anything else.”

   The stage lights reflected off the rock. “Thank you,” Deisha said.

   When Deisha's name was called, she rubbed the stone, stepped onto the stage, and played better than ever. After her performance, she noticed that Ms Neal had a whole bag of black stones. “Why did you say this one was so special?” she asked.

   Her teacher responded, “Because, like your talent, it belongs only to you.”

    Mrs Green sees an ad(广告)in a newspaper for a nice bed in a shop. It costs 100 dollars. Mrs Green likes it, so she goes to the shop. The shopkeeper shows one to her. Mrs Green has a look at it and says, "There aren't any beautiful pillows(枕头)on this bed, but there are many on the bed in your ad. "

    "Yes, madam, that is an ad," answers the shopkeeper. "If you want a bed the same as the one in the ad, you need to pay lo dollars more."

    Mrs Green isn't happy. Then she says, "That's dishonest."

    "Well, madam," answers the shopkeeper. "Look, there is a girl on a bike in an ad in your newspaper too, but can you buy the bike with the girl?"

    Do you want to watch movie called The Bear? Please learn more about it and experience some serious feelings.

    It tells us a story between two bears. A young baby bear loses his mother in a terrible accident, and he has to live by himself. He meets a lot of problems and lives a hard life.

    Another strong bear is run after by the hunters. They can't catch him but finally hurt him, so he can't move easily. When the baby bear meets him，he wants to become his friend. At first, the strong bear doesn't like him but finally he is touched by the young bear's kindness. So he helps the baby bear solve many problems like his fighting with a cougar(美洲狮).

    There aren't any talking animals, but the movie is funny for kids of most ages. However, we wouldn't call it a children's movie. From the exciting movie about the two bears, a cougar and the hunters, we can know that the true meaning about life is that "The greatest skill(技能) is not to kill but to let live".

On a small hill in Huaping, Yunnan, there is a small school. However，over the past 15 years，it has rewritten the fate（命运）of1, 804 poor 1 by sending them to universities. 

Zhang Guimei, now 66, is the headmaster of this school. She began 2 In Huaping-one of China's poorest areas twenty years ago. The teacher wondered why many girls in her class stopped coming to school. After some time, Zhang learned that they were from very poor 3 . These girls were pushed to work or get married（结婚）at a（n）4 age. "We often say that we want every child to have a fair start，" she said. "But these poor girls don't even have a chance（机会）to stand on the 5 line（线）. "

Zhang wanted to change this. She spent years trying to 6 money. Finally in 2008, she7 the Huaping High School for Girls. It's China's first and only free public high school for girls. 

Zhang gets up at 5 a. m. every day to 8 the lights on each floor of the teaching building. "Many girls are afraid, " the headmaster says. She wants them to feel safer on their way to classes. After years of hard work, Zhang is now in poor health, but the school and the children are more important than 9 else in her mind. 

Zhang's story warmed hearts all around China. Zhou Yunli is one of her students. She says, "When you become strong, you 10 remember to help others. This is what Ms. Zhang taught us. "

Dear Becky, 

How is it going? It is summer in our{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But in Switzerland, it is winter. I am {#blank#}2{#/blank#}a vacation with my parents here. Now the weather here is cold and it often{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Many people like skating{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is people's favorite {#blank#}5{#/blank#}here in winter. 

My{#blank#}6{#/blank#} teach me to skate. It's{#blank#}7{#/blank#} for me to walk on the ice because I skate for the first time. But I think I can do it well. We skate {#blank#}8{#/blank#}a mountain. Many people {#blank#}9{#/blank#}it every day. The food here is{#blank#}10{#/blank#}. We will have a big dinner after skating. 

Write back to me and tell me what you are doing over the vacation. 

Yours,

Laura