One day a red rose blossomed (开花) in a forest. A pine tree(松树) not far away said, “You're so beautiful! I wish I could be lovely like you. ”

    The rose said, “I am the most beautiful plant in the forest.” Then the rose looked at a cactus(仙人掌) and said, “Look at that ugly plant. It is full of thorns (刺)!”Sometimes, the red rose would look at the cactus and say, “This plant is useless. I'm sorry I am his neighbor. ”

    Summer came and the plants and animals needed water, but no rain fell. One day the rose saw some birds stick their beaks(鸟喙) into the cactus and then fly away. The red rose asked what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. The pine tree told the red rose, “You can also drink from it. The birds can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help. ”

    The red rose felt ashamed, but she still asked the cactus for help. The cactus agreed kindly and the birds filled their beaks with water for the rose's roots. Later on, the rose never gave her opinion about anyone by look again.

    Frank was clever, but he never liked to work hard. He often said to his friends, "If you work hard, you will make a lot of money, but it is not so good. I want easy work and a lot of money. That's the most interesting thing in the world."So he could only be a thief. But he still thought it was too much work, so he only told his friends what to do and got money from them.

    One day, Frank sent one of his friends to a very large and beautiful house. He told him to get money from that rich family. It was evening, and a man and a girl were in the room. They were playing a duet（二重奏） on a piano. Then the thief came into the house. 

    When he returned, Frank asked him what he had got. But he said, "I didn't take anything. That family can't have much money. You know, two people were playing on the same piano there. They did not have money to buy another piano."

B

    Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be in the dark at night. However, the electric light was not his only invention. Nearly every two weeks, he created something new.

    Thomas Edison was born in 1847. He attended school for only three months. His mother taught him at home, but he was mostly self-educated. He started trying out his new ideas at a very young age.

    When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train. He did experiments on the train in his spare time. Unluckily, his first work experience didn't end well. He was fired when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the train. Then Edison worked as a telegraph operator (电报员) for five years, but he continued to spend much of his time creating things until the vote recorder (投票计数器), his first invention, came in 1868.

    Thomas Edison was nearly deaf in one ear, but he never minded. Because of this, he could have more time for work. He always worked 16 out of every 24 hours. Sometimes his wife had to remind him to eat and sleep. Thomas Edison died at the age of 84. He left many inventions that greatly improved the quality of life all over the world.

    The designer of the Apple Computer, Steve Jobs, was not quite successful in his early years. He was not among the best students at school, and from time to time he got into trouble with either his schoolmates or his teachers. But he was full of new ideas, which few people saw the value of. Things remained the same when he went up to college and he dropped out halfway.

    Steve Jobs worked first as a video game designer at Atari. He worked there for only a few months and then he set out to tour India He hoped that the trip would give him more ideas and give him a change in life for the better.

    After he returned from India, he began to live on a farm in California. And then, in 1975, Steve Jobs set about making a new type of computer. Along with his friend Stephen Wozniak, he designed the Apple Computer in his bedroom and built it in his garage(车库). He chose the name 'Apple' because it reminded him of a happy summer he once spent on an orchard(果园) in Oregon. His Apple Computer was so successful that Steve Jobs soon became worldwide famous. But unluckily, he died of illness in 2012.

    An old man is sitting on the sofa in his house along with his son. Just then, a crow (乌鸦) stops on their window.

    "What is that?" asks the father.

    "It is a crow." answers the son.

    "What is that?" asks the father again after a few minutes.

    "Father, I just told you. It's a crow." the son answers again.

    "What is that?" asks the old father a third time.

    "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again?  I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'!" shouts (大喊) the son.

    After a little while,  the father goes to his room and comes back with his old diary (日记). He asks his son to read one page. The son reads the following words in the diary:

    "Today my 3-year-old son is sitting with me on the sofa. When a crow is sitting in the window, he asks me 23 times what it is, and, 23 times, I answer, 'it is a crow' I hug (拥抱) him warmly every time he asks me the same question, again and again."

    When your parents get old,  do not look them as a burden (负担), but be kind to them. Remember they are the people who always love you. Love your parents, please.

    Jack Harris, an English teacher

    I always have eggs, milk and three pieces of bread for breakfast. For lunch, I usually eat rice, chicken and vegetables. I don't eat hamburgers because they are not healthy. I like to cat out on Saturday or Sunday. I like Chinese food.

    Oliver McShane, a computer game designer (设计师)

    I usually get up at 9 a.m. I don't have breakfast. I have an apple or a banana at ten in the morning. For lunch, I often have rice, fruit and vegetables. I work at home and usually stay up late (熬夜) working at night, so I always sleep (睡觉) for forty minutes after lunch. I'm busy with my work. I don't like playing sports.

    Anita Ramos, a tour guide (导游)

    I get up at 7 a.m.. I work in the morning and evening. It's too hot in the afternoon, so I'm often at home. For lunch, I usually have hamburgers, but my dinner is healthy. I usually have chicken, rice and vegetables. I always eat a lot of chocolate (巧克力) and it gives me energy (精力) for the day.