John is a famous writer now. But he said that he was not a1 student when he was young. He was often late for 2  and didn't like doing his homework. Sometimes, he slept in class while the teacher was teaching. He didn't understand(理解)much, 3 he always thought he understood everything. One day the teacher 4 the students a question, “When Jack was ten years old, 5 brother Bob was twenty. Jack is fifteen now and 6 is his brother Bob?” John said, “That's easy. Bob is twice as old as Jack, so he is now thirty.
    Another time, the7 in a science class asked, "when it thunders 8 do we always see the light before we  9the sound?”

     “But, Miss,” said John quickly,” don't you 10 our eyes are in front of our ears?”

Should I Be Allowed to Make My Own Decisions?

    Many teenagers have hobbies. But sometimes these can 1 the way of their schoolwork, and parents might worry about their success at school. Teenagers often think they should 2 to practice their hobbies as much as they want. Do you agree?

    Liu Yu, a 3 boy from Shandong, is a running star. He is 4 his school team and has always wanted to be a professional runner when he grows up. However, his parents won't allow him to train so much. "Of course we want to see him 5 his dreams," says Mr. Liu "My wife and I have supported 6  of his races. We have nothing against 7 ! But we think our son needs to think about other possible jobs. He's getting older now, so he needs to think about what 8 if he doesn't end up as a professional runner."

    Liu Yu doesn't 9 agree. "Well, I think they should allow me to decide for myself." He says. "My parents have always told me how important it is to work hard at school and enter university. I understand this, but I'm serious about running. It's the only thing 10 I've ever wanted to do."

    His parents believe that he needs to spend more time on his homework because it is difficult to become a professional sports star. But Liu Yu still disagrees. "I know my parents care about me. But I think I should make this choice myself. Only then will I have a chance to achieve my dream."

    A group of boys stood around a tree. "What a tall tree!" they said to each other, "It would be1to climb to the top!”

    The group of boys then decided to play a game to2 who could climb to the top of the tree first. Their mothers were sitting not far away, looking on at their3as they played.

    One of the climbers was an 8-year-old boy named David. He was the shortest child in the group4thought he would win.

    Then the game started. All of the boys tried their best to climb as high as they could. Although the other boys climbed faster than David in the beginning, he5 the top of the tree fastest in the end.

    His mother was6 She asked him, "David, how did you reach the top of the tree so7?"

    It was easy, "David said, The other children. 8 looking down as they climbed. When they realized how high they were, they were afraid of9I, however, looked only up. When I saw how close I was, I kept going higher and higher10I reached the top."

    It is true in life that if we just keep going forward without looking back, we are more likely to reach our goals.

    Sam and his friend Bob, both 5, entered a painting competition. Bob won! Sam felt blue and left 1_.

    As soon as Sam 2 home, he told Papa, "I worked hard on my picture. I made it the best I could. I wanted to win. "

    "You did work hard, "said Papa. "3 is a fine picture. Ill hang it in my office. "Mama gave Sam a hug and said, "I hope you congratulated Bob."

    Sam shook his head, "Bob was too busy getting his photo taken. "Then he went to his room. He sulked (生闷气). He didn't feel like doing anything. Some time later, he got very 4. He wondered what Bob was doing. He remembered the fun they had, painting their pictures together

    He decided to do something, 5 he took out some paper and his painting set. He painted another picture, one 6 a ship in it. He knew Bob loved ships.

    Under the ship, he printed in big red 7: C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!

    That was the biggest word he knew.

    That afternoon, Sam walked to Bob's house and gave Bob the 8.

    "Thanks," said Bob. "I love ships. What's the 9 word?"

    "Congratulations," said Sam.

    "Wow! Thanks again," said Bob. "This is much better than getting my photo taken.

    And happily they went to ride bikes together.

    Friendship is much better than 10, isn't it?

    When I was about 14, I had a friend who liked to tell me my shortcoming(缺点). For example: I was very short, I wasn't a top student, I talked too much, I was too proud and so on. I became so angry that I couldn't1her all last. I ran to my2with tears in my eyes.

    He listened to me3and asked, "Are the thing she says true or not? Jane, didn't you ever4what you're really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are5. Pay no attention to the other things she said. "I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some I couldn't change, like being very6. But many I could and I wanted to change. For the first time, I have a better understanding of myself.

    I brought the list back to Daddy. He7to read it. "That's just for you," he said,"You know8than any other person the truth about yourself. When9said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but only hear the truth and do what you know. It is the right thing to do.

    Daddy's10has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I've never had a better piece of advice.

    One day, a woman bought a parrot from a pet store. However, the woman decided to 1the parrot to the store the next day. "This bird doesn't 2." she told the pet store owner. "Does he have a 3?" the owner asked. "Parrots enjoy watching themselves in it." So the woman bought one and left.

    The next day, she came back, saying that the bird still didn't say anything. "How about a ladder (梯子)? Parrots love ladders, "the owner said. The woman bought a ladder and left.

    But the next day, she was back a 4time. "Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, once he starts 5, he'll talk a lot happily, "the owner said. The woman then bought a swing and left.

    When she walked into the store the next day, she began to cry and said 6, "The parrot died." The pet store owner was7what she said. "What? I'm sorry. Tell me, did he ever say anything?" he asked. "Yes, right before he died, "the woman answered, "in a 8 voice, he asked me weakly, 'Don't they sell any food at that pet store?'"

    Sometimes we forget what's really necessary in life. We sometimes have lots of things to do 9, but we forget to deal with the most important things first. We have to remember to "10the parrots" in our lives.

    Now people can pay by scanning (扫描) their faces while shopping. Is it 1 to pay by scanning other parts of our bodies? Amazon has a new technology that scans 2.

    The technology can tell if the person is the right one by scanning his or her hand. The scanner examines things such as finger prints. It then sends a picture to a certain center which can decide who the person is.

    In September 2019, Amazon made a payment system for a US supermarket. People can pay3 by scanning their hands under a machine. Their hand scan is connected to their bank cards, so they can pay successfully. It's quite convenient, especially for 4 people. With this new technology, people 5take their cards with them. They just scan their hands.

    My dad left my family when I was 6 years old. I had to live with my mom from then on. As a single mother, my mom had to work for 1of us in the city. She worked hard to 2 our rent (房租) and my school. As a result, there wasn't much money left for 3 things.

    One day, my best friend 4 me to his birthday party. My mom had just paid the rent and we didn't have much money left, so I could not afford a 5 I just brought a birthday card. I was old enough to understand, but still felt sad.

    To show my 6, I arrived at my friend's house early. My friend's mom knew my family's predicament(窘境), so she took me to a room 7 and showed me some new toys. She let me 8 one and write my name on it. I was 9and touched by her kindness.

    I'm 37 now. 10my mom is no longer single and our family isn't poor anymore, I am still grateful to my friend's mom for what she did. That act had a big influence on me.

    I was a teacher at a kindergarten three years ago in the city of Atlanta. One day, a little boy ran fast on the playground. Then I saw him1into a little girl and she fell down.

    Like many other common stories, the story 2 go on like this. The girl began to cry, but the little boy just looked at the little girl 3. Then the girl ran to me and complained about the boy.

    She would ask me 4 the boy.

    Then let me tell you what 5 next. The little boy laid himself down on the floor quickly.

    Then 6 stood up and walked to the little girl. He pulled 7 the little girl and said, "I'm sorry. It seemed that we knocked into each other. I hope it didn't hurt you. "The little girl looked surprised, 8 she still stood up and said, "Oh, sorry!" Then they walked away.

    9surprised I was when I saw what the boy did! Though he was just 10 little boy, he stopped a bad result from happening in a very simple way. The wisdom (智慧) of children always surprised me.

Prince John caught Maid Marian and set a trap(陷阱) for Robin Hood.

Prince John asked the maid where 1 was hiding. But the maid refused (拒绝)to tell him and believed Robin Hood would come and 2  her. After hearing this, Prince John felt very—3 and he believed he would catch Robin Hood soon because there was no4 Robin Hood could get past the guards.

5 Robin Hood walked into Prince Johns castle some time later. Prince Johns first guard took Robin Hoods arms from behind and the 6 guard tried to hit him. Robin Hood ducked (躲避) 7 the second guard hit the first guard in the head. The two guards then started fighting. What 8 guards! Robin Hood pulled out a sword and killed the prince. The maid 9  Robin Hood for saving her.

Finally, the castle and all the gold belonged to 10  people. The poor lived a happy life.