Once there lived a rich man called King. He loved chatting(聊天) very much. Every day he had his men do all the housework, so he had enough time to chat with others.

    One summer afternoon, his friend Bruce invited him to his birthday party. King kept on chatting at table. Later, all the other friends had left, but he didn't notice it. Bruce was worried, because he had just received a call from his sister and he would go to the station to meet her. But King didn't say goodbye to him, and he went on chatting.

    At that time, King's wife came in and asked her husband, "Would you like a roast(烤制) bird, dear?"

    "Of course," King answered, "but where is it?"

    "I heard a bird singing in the big tree outside just now," said the woman. "I want it to be the last dish. I'll cut the tree down. "

    "But I'm afraid it will fly away when you begin to cut the tree," said King.

    "Don't worry about it, dear," the woman said with a smile. "It is a foolish(愚蠢的) bird. It doesn't know when to leave."

    My grandfather had a small farm. He also worked in a factory.

    One autumn, he promised to help his neighbor harvest(收获) his corn. But after harvesting his own corn, Grandpa's little machine broke down. At the same time, the factory where Grandpa worked began to require overtime(加班). He had to leave the farm early in the morning and didn't get home until after sunset. It now seemed impossible to help out his neighbor.

    One night, Grandpa decided that he wouldn't let his neighbor's harvest rot(腐烂) in the field. Without a machine, he would harvest it by hand.

    "When do you think you'll have time to do it?" asked my grandma. "Besides, it'd be too dark." "There's still one more full moon in October. If the weather is clear, I think I can do it，" he said.

    And so a few days later, after lots of busy work at the factory, my grandpa made his way to the field. The weather was cold but clear, and the moon was glowing(发光). He worked through the night to keep his word.

    Sometimes, when I want to put off responsibilities(责任), I'd see my grandfather cutting corn in the light of the harvest moon.

    Second-grader Christian Bucks noticed that some of his friends seemed lonely on the playground during the break. Then he remembered something he learned that helps children make new friends at school. He decided to make it happen.

    Bucks started a buddy bench(朋友长椅)，a place where students can sit if they feel lonely, and other students will come up to them and ask if they want to play or just sit and talk. Bucks said it acts as a way to "grow our dream circle of friends"

    Bucks first heard about the buddy bench at a German school, and loved the idea very much. "He thought this was a great way to help other kids who might feel lonely," said his mom, Alyson.

    Last year, just before school ended for the summer holiday at Buck's school in Pennsylvania, USA, Bucks told his principal(校长) Matthew Miller about the buddy bench. He explained why he thought he school should have one. Miller and Bucks' teachers loved the idea and even let Bucks pick out the color and style of the bench!

    The buddy bench was put near the playground. Bucks hopes that students will use it and that it will help teach students to be kind to each other.

    "We show we care about others when we ask others to play," he said. "I also hope that new friendships will be made because of the buddy bench."

    Long long ago, there was a blacksmith(铁匠). He was always unhappy with his life. "I'm always hot as a blacksmith. I want to be a stone on the mountain. There it must be cool." A wise man could change everything. The blacksmith went to the wise man. The wise man said, "Be a stone!" The blacksmith became a stone. A moment later, a stonemason(石匠) came and saw the stone. "It's what I want," he said and began to cut it. The stone cried, "Ouch! I don't want to be a stone. I want to be the sun. That would be great." The wise man said, "Be the sun!" And he became the sun. But the sun was much hotter, so he said, "I don't like this. I'd like to be the moon. It looks cool!" The wise man said again, "Be the moon!" And he became the moon. "This is hotter than being the sun, because the light from the sun shines（照射）on me" he said, "I don't want to be the moon. I want to be a blacksmith again. That's the best life."

    But the wise man said, "I'm tired of your changing. You want to be the moon, now you are the moon, and you'll be the moon in the future."

    What can a poem writer and a film director share? More than you think! Langston Hughes began writing poems in high school and soon became one of America's greatest writers. Most of his writing is about his experiences as an African American. He wrote poems about people who worked hard through life but still found things to be happy about. He wrote plays and books about justice(正义)for all people, and he wrote kids' books too. The Sweet and Sour Animal Book is a book of his animal poems. Pictures and photos were used in the book. "Hold fast to dreams" is a line in Hughes' famous poem. That's exactly what he did throughout his life.

    When Steven Spielberg was in middle school, he wanted to make a film. He had an idea for a film, but no money. He started a tree-planting business and made his film with the money he earned. Spielberg never stopped making films, even after many film schools refused him. Now he is one of the most popular and important filmmakers in the world. His films are about people who are adventurous(爱冒险的), brave and kind. His characters often fight for what is good. Some of his films are about his Jewish background, such as Schindler's List. Spielberg once said, "I don't dream much at night because I dream for a living." In different ways, both Hughes and Spielberg have encouraged people of all ages to achieve their dreams.