Life is full of surprises and you never know how things will turn out.

Sir John Gurdon is a good example of this. As a boy, he was told he was hopeless at science and finished bottom of his class. Now, aged 79, the very same Gurdon shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Japanese stem cell(干细胞) researcher Shinya Yamanaka.

Like so many scientists, Gurdon shows us where the power of curiosity and perseverance(坚持不懈) can lead.

At the age of 15 in 1948, Gurdon ranked last out of the 250 boys at his high school in biology and every other science subject. Gurdon's high school science teacher even said that his dream of becoming a scientist was "quite ridiculous".

In spite of his teacher's criticisms, Gurdon followed his curiosity and kept working hard. He went to the lab early and left later than anyone else. He experienced thousands of failures.

    "My own belief is that we will, in the end, understand everything about how cells actually work." Gurdon said.

    In 1962, Gurdon took a cell from an adult frog and moved its genetic(基因的) information into an egg cell. The egg cell then grew into a clone(克隆) of the adult frog. This technique later helped to create Dolly the sheep in 1996, the first cloned mammal(哺乳动物) in the world.

    In 2006, Gurdon's work was developed by Yamanaka to show that a sample(样本) of a person's skin can be used to create stem cells. Using this technique, doctors can repair a patient's heart after a heart attack.

    "Luck favors the prepared mind, "Gurdon told the Nobel Prize Organization." Ninety percent of the time things don't work, but when they do, you have to seize(抓住) the chance. "

    At midnight Mr. King coughed again. He got up and took some medicine. Before he lay down again, he smoked. And he couldn't go to sleep any longer. He found the medicine book and began to read it. He was afraid he had lung(肺) cancer (癌). He seemed to see death was waiting for him. Tears(眼泪) ran down his face. He didn't see his wife was standing by him.

    “What's wrong with you, dear?” asked the woman.

    “Nothing,” the old man answered and covered his face with his hands.

    The old woman opened the book and understood at once. She said, “You must stop smoking right now.”

    “I began to smoke when I was nine, you know. How can't I do that?”

    “But I think health is more important.”

    Mr. King coughed again and his wife said, “Go to see a doctor tomorrow. He will be able to help you, I think.”

    The doctor told Mr. King to have an Xray examination(检查) of his lungs. And then he looked at the Xray carefully for a long time.

    “Tell me the truth, doctor.” said Mr.King, “Do you see any shadows(阴影)in my lungs?”

    “No, I don't see anything.”

    “Yes?” the old man said happily. “Really?”

    “Yes. Your lungs are turning black. How can I see any shadows?”

    A group of students at Sunshine School are holding a charity sale to raise money to help their classmate Lisa. Lisa had cerebral palsy (大脑性瘫痪) when she was a baby. People who have cerebral palsy have trouble walking. Although Lisa has to use a wheelchair (轮椅) to help her get around, she never gives up.

    "Lisa has the chance of standing up, but she needs an operation (手术)," Lisa's doctor said.

    "I never thought that I could stand up one day. Actually the news is surprising for me. However, when I see my parents are worried about the cost of the operation, I am sad. I don't mind if I can't stand up," Lisa said. "Now my classmates and some other kind people are helping me. I am really thankful."

    "While helping Lisa, we can also learn a lot. We have learned how to cook cookies (曲奇饼) and how to sell them," Betty, one of Lisa's classmates said. "Now we know making money is not easy, so we won't waste money anymore."

    Alex, a boy in Lisa's class, told a reporter that they could raise about $100 every day. "We have raised about $2,100 so far. We hope we will raise more money for Lisa's operation," he said.

C

    One little miracle (奇迹) has been happening to me recently, and it gives me a special joy.

    A few months ago, I was telling my daughter, Sally, some stories about my mother. My daughter was so young when my mother died that she doesn't remember her well. I told her all I could remember, like how wonderful my mother was and how much she meant to me.

    One day, Sally was sad because her grandmother was in heaven (天堂) and she couldn't see her. I explained that though her grandmother was dead, now she was still watching over us and could send us something to let us know she was there. She could be anywhere, even riding invisibly (看不见地) on the back of a butterfly (蝴蝶). Just after I said this, a butterfly flew down right by us, and we laughed happily.

    Now many people would say it was just luck that the butterfly flew down at that time. A funny thing, however, has happened since then. Every time I go out in any type of weather I see butterflies. Very often they fly right by my face to get my attention. I always say hi to Mom, send her my love, and thank God for little miracles.

    Everyone is always looking for some big miracles to come out and save them when they are in trouble, but they don't notice the little miracles that happen every day right in front of their eyes. I know what they really are, however. For me little miracles are the best kind. So many little miracles happen around me all the time that I know they are not just luck.

    My friend Joan is a nurse at the People's Hospital. She worked a year ago. She is a short beautiful girl with big eyes. Joan finds the work interesting, and the hours are not very long. Every day she works in a ward(病房)from eight to twelve. She brings the patients medicine, answers their telephones, and tries to be kind to everyone. She likes people even when they are not happy. In the afternoon. Joan has a rest. Then four days a week she goes to classes. She is learning first aid(急救)and Chinese. She is not good at Chinese, but she is good at first aid work. She is a good nurse.