A lot of boys and girls in western countries are wearing the same clothes, and many boys have long hair, so it is difficult to tell whether they are boys or not.

      One day an old man went for a walk in a park in Washington and when he was tired, he sat down on a chair by a swimming pool. A young person was standing on the other side of the pool.

     “Oh!” the old man said to the person sitting next to him, “Do you see the person with the loose clothes and long hair? Is it a boy or a girl?”

     “A girl,” said the person, “She is my daughter.”

     “Oh!” the old man said quickly, “Please forgive me. I don't know that you are her mother. ”

     “I'm not,” said the person, “I'm her father.”

    I love movies. Among all of them, I prefer movies that I can get inspiration (激励) from. The Pursuit of Happiness is such a movie. This movie is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a salesman who managed to build a future for himself and his five-year-old son Christopher. Chris Gardner was having a hard life in San Francisco in 1981. His wife hated to have a poor life so she left home. Gardner and his son were abandoned by her.

    While trying to sell his products, Gardner met Jay Thistle, a successful stockbroker (股票经纪人). His new relationship with Jay helped him earn an internship (实习) in a stock company. Without any pay, Gardner was not able to afford the apartment. He and his son had to sleep on the streets, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked door of a bathroom in the subway station.

    Gardner never let other people in the company know about his bad condition He arrived at the office early and stayed late each day. As an intelligent man, Gardner developed a number of ways to make his work faster and better. And he finally got the job because of his excellent performance.

    With confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner got back on his feet and opened, his own company. He reached his American dream at last. And his story has encouraged me to realize my dream.

I grew up in a small town in Washington, US, and I want to be like my brother, Tim. He and his friends were in a gang. They often beat up people, and they didn't go to school much. I thought they were cool. 

On my thirteenth birthday, I told my brother I wanted to be in the gang with him. He said 'no', but I didn't listen. I went to ask his friends. Tim's friends took me into the back yard. They told me that if I joined the gang, I was in for life. Then, someone hit me in the face. I fell down. But I didn't cry. Each time I got up, they hit me again. Finally, they said I could be one of them. 

Tim was angry when he heard about it. But I stayed with the gang. After a few months, I began to beat up other people with the gang. Sometimes I wouldn't go home at night, and my mother would be worried. This went on for two years. I knew it was bad, but there nothing I could do. I was in for life.

One day, someone hit me in the head. I spent a day in the hospital. For the first time, I wanted out of the gang. One night after my fifteenth birthday, I went home. My mother was in the hospital. She had a nervous breakdown (精神崩溃) because she was so worried about me. That made me very sad. The next day, I told the gang that I wanted out. They began to beat me up, and my brother stopped them. I got up off the floor, smiled and said goodbye. But they didn't just stop there. Every time they saw me, they beat me up. This went on for about two months. But in the end, it stopped. I'm glad I'm out of the gang now. I don't have to be afraid all the time. I can talk to anyone I want. And most of all, I made my mum happy again.

The experience helped me grow up