I was quite close to my grandmother, Julia. We lived with her and then she lived with us. She was a very nice person, both kind and patient. She taught me to read and write when I was young and helped me to be interested in stories and poems.

In my mind, my grandmother was a great tailor. She made clothes or toys better than anything you can buy in a shop today. She always made clothes for family and friends.

My grandmother was also a hard worker both at home and at work. I can still remember the difficult time when we were very poor. At that time, my grandmother was already sixty years old but she worked in a hospital for a long time every day—not in the office but doing the cleaning outside and taking care of me at the same time while my mom was at work!

My brother and sisters also love her. We will never forget our grandmother. She is really important in our lives and is always there for all of us in one way or another. I am proud to be her grandson.

Bob and Jack joined a company together just after finishing high school. They both worked very hard. After several years, the boss made Jack sales manager but Bob was still a salesman. One day Bob could not take it anymore. He handed in his resignation(辞职信) to the boss and complained that the boss did not value hard-working workers.

The boss knew that Bob didn’t work hard for the company all these years, but in order to help Bob to realize the difference between him and Jack, the boss asked Bob to do the following. “Go and find out if there is anyone selling watermelons in the market.” Bob went, returned and only said, “Yes.” The boss asked, “How much per kilogram?” Bob went back to the market to ask and returned to answer, “$12 per kilogram.”

The boss told Bob to ask Jack the same question. Jack went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person is selling watermelons. $12 per kilogram, $100 for 10 kilograms. He has 340 melons in all. On the table are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 15 kilograms, bought from the South two days ago. They are fresh and red.”

Bob realized the difference between himself and Jack. He decided not to leave but to learn from Jack.

My dear friends, you know, a more successful person is more careful, thinks more and understands in depth. For the same matter, he sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, so how could you win?

Think: how far have you seen ahead in your life?

In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain   qualities (品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默), too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia, on August 27, 1910. She attended the government school near her home until she was eighteen. At that time, some doctors and nurses from Yugoslavia were working in India, and they often wrote to the school about their work. She decided to join them one day.

When she left school, she went first to Britain. Then a year later she went to India, where she began to train to be a teacher. After training, she was sent to Calcutta, where she taught geography at a school and soon after became headmistress.

However, although she loved teaching, in 1946 Mother Teresa left the school and went to work in the poor parts of Calcutta. Later she trained to become a nurse in Patna, and then began her work helping the poor and comforting the dying in the streets of the city. Slowly, others came to help her, and her work spread to other parts of India.

Mother Teresa is now a well-known person. Many photos have been taken of her, as she travels the world to open new schools and hospitals in poor countries. In 1979,she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the lifetime of love and service she has given to the poor.