You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an 1 girl. And now she 2 very rich woman already.

    When she was a child, she was poor. Once her friend Joan 3 her to a birthday party. She was very 4 but sad because she had not enough money 5 presents for her.

    "The party is coming soon. Now I have 6 money." tears ran down her face.

    Late that night, she was in bed, thinking about the presents when the door opened and came in her grandma. "What happened?" her grandma asked. Hearing the girl's story, she said, "Don't 7. I think I can help you. How about 8 song together? Happy birthday to …" 9 beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly, she woke up. 10 it was a dream, she decided to write it down at once and sang it to 11 friend at the party.

    When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends 12attended the party were very happy. "How 13 she sings! We have never heard such a song before. Thank you 14 giving me the special present," said Joan. And they learnt to sing 15 song together. Later, the girl became well known in America.

    Last week, all the teachers and students of our school watched a special performance.

    The second programme inspired me. The performer was very young, but his1had both been burnt in a big fire. I did not2to look a this wrists very 3.What I did do was listen to his song quietly. It was called" Late 4"and he sang with a low gentle voice. Though it was warm spring, I felt a bit chilly and a little sad as if it had been late autumn.

    "How much love and pain is hidden in the heart？I want to hold your hand again." When I heard this, I tried to hold back my5. Holding her hand is just a dream. I hope that he finds a lovely girl for company one day, though he can't hold hands.

    There was another young man who 6 his feet as his "hands" because his arms had been cut off. His 7greatly impressed us. Two big characters—"Flying High" expressed his wish.

    All the performers were young except their special teacher who was over forty years old. Despite their 8, the young performers gave off a(n)9glow. To be young means having all kinds of possibilities. We should challenge our10and go beyond ourselves.

    As long as we work hard, miracles will happen sooner or later. Just as the saying goes, "Where there is a will, there is a way."

①"Long distance never separates close friends."It's easier to make new friends rather than to say goodbye to old ones.

②When I was still studying in China, my school held a singing competition. I entered it because I really loved singing. I sang with a girl named Jenny. She's one of my friends.

③Unluckily, I was nervous so I forgot the lyrics for a moment when we sang. I was standing on stage, looking pale in the face. We lost the competition. I felt terribly sorry, but Jenny tried to comfort me and said,"There will be another chance."

④After about a week, our school's art festival began. I decided to enter it. The first person I thought of to join me was Jenny, although I wasn't sure if she would like to. But while I was asking other people to join me, she said she would join as well. We decided to sing the song See You Again at the festival because I would leave for the UK after I finished the performance. We prepared for it for a long time.

⑤Finally, the day of the festival arrived. As I walked into my class, people started clapping for me. Someone had written "Sally, Come On!" on the board. My classmates made cards for me. After I completed my performance, everyone cheered for me.

⑥It was a really unforgettable and touching afternoon. I want to thank Jenny, who didn't give up on me when I felt down. I want to thank my friends for helping me, and I really want to thank all of my classmates who were with me in my two middle school years.

My Mummy and me

Konchog Rapten is ten years old. He is in the fifth grade. His school stands as the highest school in the town. It is in Nyingchi, Xizang autonomous region (自治区). It is about 4, 000 meters above sea level (海平面). 

The school is now holding 397 students. Most of the students are from alpine pastoral regions (高寒牧区). Some of them live more than 50 kilometres away. As a result, most students choose to live at the school during the school year. 

The school is filled with modern facilities (设施). It has indoor and outdoor basketball courts and two soccer fields. Every classroom has a smart touch-screen computer. 

To make it easier for students to travel to/from school, the school has a special timetable. Students go to school for ten days and then enjoy a four-day break. For Konchog Rapten, this is perfect during the summer. It is when the family moves to the pasture (牧场). He helps his father with the animals and his mother with her work. "If there is no boarding (寄宿), it would be very difficult to do well in both school and daily life," the father says. He added that their summer pasture is about an hour's drive to school. 

Every day, after washing up and having breakfast in the morning, Konchog Rapten begins his day of study with his classmates. They have all their breakfasts, lunches and dinners at school. They also enjoy snacks like bread, fruit and yogurt during breaks. After evening self-study classes, students go to bed before 10 p. m. 

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a group of people who were known for their complaining(抱怨). They met at the town 1 every day, and their talks were always sad and negative (消极的). It seemed like 2 could ever change their minds or lift their spirits.

One sunny afternoon, a wise man entered the village. He had 3 the villagers and their habit of complaining, and he decided to pay them a visit. As he got closer to the group, he listened quietly to their problems and then did something 4 .

He said, "I have a joke for you all." The villagers, surprised by this sudden stop, fell silent and looked at the wise man.

He told them a joke, and happily, they all laughed out loud. Their 5 was heard all over the square, a sound that didn't happen in their daily conversations.

The wise man was encouraged and 6 to tell the joke again. This time, only 7 people smiled.

8 , the wise man told the joke for the third time. 9 they had laughed at the joke before, this time all the villagers looked at him with confused expressions.

The man smiled and said, "You're not going to laugh at the 10 joke more than once. So, why do you 11 to complain about the same problems over and over again?"

The villagers were surprised by the wise man's 12 . They had never considered that always complaining was doing them more 13 than good. They realized that they could change 14 they look at things and choose happiness over sadness. From then on, the villagers tried hard to think positively. They still talked about their problems, but they also started to 15 their joys and successes. The town square became a place of laughter and hope.