I'm not much of a crier most of the time. But recently when I was reading a book on a plane, l started crying. Of course, it came as a big surprise when tears came up, no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to control myself.

    Oh no, not this now, I thought to myself. But even as the thought entered my brain, I felt the first hot drop of salty water coming down my face. I put my head down, hoping that I could go on reading.

    In fact, the harder I tried, the more team pushed their way out of my eyes. You could guess how surprised the man next to me looked.

    I dropped my head in shame. He must think I was crazy. Maybe I could turn toward him, hold up the cover of the book and say in my crying voice, "Pm sorry, sir. It's just a really good book!" But I didn't say anything. Instead, I just put my head back against the seat and let the team run. Do you know what decision I made while I was crying? My decision was that it was okay if he thought I was crazy. I'd rather be crazy than be the kind of person who wouldn't cry when the situation called for it, or who wouldn't let herself feel anything at all.

    I've been that girl who has spent so much time trying to make sure people didn't think 1 was crazy. But now I don't want to be that girl any more--that bored and sad girl. I'd rather be this girl who is able to forgive(原谅), love and act, even if it means being disappointed or being hurt again and again.

In Germany (德国), many children learn how to ride their bikes when they are very young. But if they want to ride bikes by themselves on the street, they have to pass a test (考试). The test is like our driving test.

First, the students must learn about how to ride bikes safely on the street. They'll have about 30 classes. Each student has a book and the book tells them how to keep safe on the street and how to keep others safe.

After the classes, the students will have two writing tests. Then, they will do some riding practice (练习) at school. Some policemen will come to give them more guides.

At last, the students will have a test on the street. Some policemen will grade the students. If they can pass the test, they can get a bike licence (执照). Then they are ready for the street!

We all know German people are very precise. We can see this from their riding test for the primary school students. The students not only learn useful riding skills (技能), but also learn the spirit (精神) of the country!

In 1826, a Frenchman named Nieple needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photo.

The next important date in the history of photography was in 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest thing. The kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all over the world. People took pictures of famous buildings, cities and mountains.

In about 1840, photography was developed. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. That was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of films and other machines. But this did not stop them, for example, some in the United States worked so hard.

Mathew Brady was a famous American photographer. He took many pictures of great people. The pictures were unusual because they were life like. 

Photography also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photos were not just copies of the real world. They showed the author's ideas and feelings, like other kinds of art.

 In front of a store, a man stood with an unit cigar in his mouth. When a policeman came close to him, the man quickly explained, "I' m just waiting for a friend. It' s an appointment(约定) made twenty years ago. It may sound funny, but I' ll explain. Twenty years ago, there was a restaurant here."

"It was pulled down five years ago," the policeman replied.

 The man lit his cigar and continued, "Twenty years ago tonight,I dined with my best friend Jimmy Wells. The next morning I was to travel to the West to make my fortune. We made an appointment to meet here exactly twenty years later. I travelled a thousand miles for this, believing Jimmy would come if he's alive."

 After some time,a tall man approached the waiting man. "Is that you, Bob?" he asked.

"Is that you, Jimmy Wells?" the waiting man exclaimed.

"Yes, it's Bob. I knew I'd find you here if you were still alive," said the tall man.

 They went to a bright coffee shop to talk about old times. But when the man from the West looked at the tall man's face, he suddenly stopped. "You' re not Jimmy Wells," he said. "Twenty years isn't enough to completely change a person's appearance."

"It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one," the tall man replied. "You' ve been under arrest (逮捕) for ten minutes. Chicago police expected you might come here. Here' s a note from Jimmy Wells."

 The man from the West read the note:"Bob:I was on time. When you lit your cigar, I saw you were the man wanted in Chicago. I got another policeman to arrest you. Jimmy."