Welcome to My Q-zone!

    Hello, I'm Wan Fang. I am a 14-year-old Chinese girl. My home is in Shanghai. I want to have friends from other countries. I like singing, dancing and playing the violin. I also like swimming, but I can't swim well. I like watching TV, but my parents only let me watch TV on weekends. I don't like playing computer games. I think they are boring.

    Do you like me? If you want to be my friend, please write to me. My e-mail address is lvyhappy@yahoo.com.

    William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the USA, was born in a small town. When he was a boy, he was very quiet and shy. Because he was so quiet, everyone thought that he wasn't bright. People in the town often put a nickel(五分镍币)and a dime(十分硬币)before him and asked him which to choose. He always chose the nickel and they laughed.

    One day a woman felt sorry for him. She asked, "Why do you never take a dime and always choose a nickel? Do you know a nickel is worth(值……钱) much less than a dime?"

    "Certainly I know it.” William answered slowly. "But if I choose the dime, they will not ask me to choose them any more.”

    Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one August afternoon, I thought of my unforgettable experience in my own childhood. When I was a boy of twelve in South Carolina, something happened to me that made me never put any wild creature in a cage.

We lived near a forest, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. Their singing is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

    I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way, I would have my own private musician.

    I finally succeeded in catching a young bird and put it in a cage. At first, being frightened, the bird fluttered(扑腾) in the cage, but finally it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing rom my little musician.

    On the second day, my new pet's mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.

    The following morning when I went to see the bird again, I found it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was terribly surprised! What had happened! I had taken good care of my little bird.

    Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, who happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had happened. "Mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poisonous berries(毒莓). She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in a cage."

    Since then I have never caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.

There is a farm. A boy is on the farm. His name is Bingo. Many animals are on the farm. They are five pigs, seven cows, ten chickens, four cats, three dogs, and five rabbits. Dogs can swim. They're white. Horses can run. Rabbits can jump. Where are the chickens? They are under the tree. What happened? A pig is stuck. 

Ashley was honest, fashionable, and the"Queen Bee" in my school. 

I looked up to her and idolised(崇拜) her. I listened to the music she listened to, and wore the clothes she wore. I even took art class though I had really wanted to take theatre. I finally fitted in 1 group. 

 One day, I got out of my last class a few minutes early to 2 seats for our group at the dining hall. Paying all attention to my homework, I didn't notice they had sat down behind me. Before I could say a word, I3 realised what they were    3   . 

I listened silently. "She's such a loser, " one girl said. 

 Another girl added, "Ashley, she 4 follows you, trying to copy you. "

"I wish she would leave us alone. We were in the same summer school and now she thinks we're best friends. " The once familiar voice sounded so5 and strange. 

I was mortified (感到羞辱的). My hands were shaking. I couldn't help crying 6 . I felt heartbroken for the very first time. How did this happen? I 7 we were friends. 

I ran home. My mother just held me while I cried for hours. The advice she gave me was so 8 , and I had heard it a million times, "Just be yourself and people will like you for 9 you are. " This time I could understand it better. Then and there I 10 to find myself back. That was exactly what I did. 

 Over the next month, I went through a lot of 11 . I bought new clothes that I wanted to wear. I no longer went to art class 12 them, and took theatre. I began making new friends. I developed my own 13 and never again followed the crowd. 

I had an amazing school year. 14 I look back, I think it was the year when I discovered the person I was going to be. It was a 15 they had given me, though I was deeply pained that day. 

My name is Kate Smith. Kate is my given name and Smith is my 1 name. I'm twelve years old. I 2 from the US. I'm in China with 3 parents now. They are 4 in a junior high school in Beijing. They are nice and they teach English very well, 5 their students like them a lot. 

At school, I have a(n)6 name, Lin Li. My friend Lin Mei 7 me the name. I like it very much. Lin Mei is 8 too. What does she 9 ? Here is a photo and the tall 10 in it is Lin Mei. She has big black 11 and long black hair. I like her eyes very much. They are really beautiful. Lin Mei and I are in the same class. Chinese is her 12 subject, and she is good at it. I can't 13 Chinese well. Lin Mei often 14 me with my Chinese. Now I can speak Chinese better. I'm 15 to have a friend like Lin Mei. I like her very much. I like China and my life in Beijing, too.