1 . People get truly happy and successful by trying to be themselves. Not on the outside—on the inside. It’s not about a brand（品牌）or a character. It’s about truth. Who you really are. It sounds simple, I know. The problem is , it’s very hard to do, it takes a lot of work, and it can take a lifetime to understand who you are.

Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy. If you want to do great work, it’s going to take a lot of hard work to do it. And you’re going to have to break out of your comfort zone（舒适区）.

But you know, you can’t think of a better way to spend your life. I mean, what’s life for if not finding yourself and trying to become the best, the truest version（版本）of you that you can be?

That’s what Steve Jobs meant when he said this in a speech at Stanford University:

Your time is limited（有限的）, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don`t let the noise of others ‘opinions drown out your own inner voice. You have to trust that the points will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your heart, luck, life, whatever. This way has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

Not only that, but what Jobs was talking about and what I’m talking about require focus and hard work, two things that are very hard to come by these days. Unless you take on the challenge and start up the road to self-discovery, or nothing will be achieved. Whatever you might discover, all you have to do is to start the journey.

2 . Science Fair Handbook

Science is about asking questions. A science fair project is an experiment or a research effort. Through such a project, you will learn how to find problems and how to solve them.

A science fair project includes at least three parts: The display poster board, the exhibit materials, and the written report.

※The display poster board

The display poster board is very important. It is what people first see. As a kind of “advertisement” for your project, it must be carefully designed. Usually, the board should include the key points of your research.

※The exhibit materials

These materials can be the most exciting part of any science project. They usually include the items you used in your project. Together, they tell a story. People should be able to understand your project on their own through these materials.

※The written report

No matter what you do, it is necessary to record your findings in a written form. The written report contains all the information you collected while you were working on your project. The report may also include your understanding of the topic you choose.

※ A few ideas for science fair projects

*How sound moves through matter（物质）

* How temperature changes influence a fish

* Effects of smoking

* The proper foods to eat

3 . Once there was a lovely vegetable field with a very big tree in it. Both the vegetables and the tree made the field look wonderful.

At the beginning, the vegetables and the tree couldn’t get on well with each other. The vegetables disliked the tree because they thought the tree didn’t leave them enough light by covering them with its thick leaves, while the tree thought that the vegetables drank nearly all the water before it could reach him.

The situation became worse and worse. One day, the vegetables decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree fought back by refusing to offer the vegetables shade. Soon they both began to become weaker and weaker under the hot sun.

Neither of them expected that the gardener would stop watering his vegetable field. When the gardener did that, the tree and the vegetables really felt how thirsty they were. But there seemed to be no way to solve the problem. Then a small pumpkin（南瓜）decided to do something to change the situation. The small pumpkin did what he could to grow though there was little water and it was too hot.

Finally, the gardener noticed the pumpkin among the vegetables. Therefore, he started to water the field again because he still wanted to win the big pumpkin competition. At the same time, the tree and the vegetables were saved. Since then, they realized that it was better to help each other than to fight. From then on, they lived in harmony（和谐）with each other.

I am writing to let you know that I ran over your dog on Friday afternoon.

The accident happened at the crossing of Ocean Drive and Bridge Street, directly in front of the RSL Club.

On that Friday, one of my students had suddenly fallen ill. I telephoned her doctor and described the situation, and he suggested that she should be brought to the hospital right away. He believed that the student’s leg had been broken and explained to me the seriousness of the situation. I had to get her to the hospital quickly.

During the trip I passed by your house. Suddenly your dog ran out into the road and into the front of my car. I stopped the car and ran around looking for the dog but it had run away. I knocked on your door but I could see that no one was home. I could not see where the dog had gone, and with my student so ill I had no choice but to leave the scene（现场）and drive on.

You must allow me to pay for his medical care. I would be thankful if you could make a list of all costs resulting from this accident. I plan to visit and offer my apologies（歉意）in person.

Again, I truly regret the harm caused by this accident and send my best wishes to little Snowy.

Yours,

Anthony Drake

6 . Every night in Jinan University in Guangzhou, a group of students plays diabolo（空竹）as a crowd watches on in amazement.

Chen Zhelun, 25, a Malaysian-Chinese started the diabolo club, which helps to increase the popularity of this traditional Chinese game. He is one of many student： expressing their interest in the country’s cultural heritage（遗产）by starting clubs.

The diabolo, which came from China, is popular among Chinese living in Malaysia “We played diabolo from primary school. I thought I could find someone to play with in China, but only a few students knew about it. So I started a club to develop it,” says Chen.

To Chen’s surprise, the old game has interested a huge crowd—more than 1,000 students have joined the club.

“It keeps your body strong and it’s fun,” says Chen.

But some prefer quieter activities. Every weekend, one classroom in Shenzhen University is always crowded, but it’s unusually silent. The members of Lanting Calligraphy Club are writing Chinese characters（汉字）with traditional brushes.

Fan Dongling, 21, a student in Shenzhen University, says it’s a shame that young people no longer enjoy the beauty of Chinese characters.

Although her club is quiet, Fan says it keeps members healthy, mentally（精神上）and physically. “Some students think traditional things are outdated. They like celebrating Western festivals like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, but they seldom pay attention to traditional ones,” says Kong Yanquan, 21, a student in Guangxi University.

As head of the traditional Chinese local operas club, Kong plans to put something modern into traditional culture to get students to join his club.

“I think it’s everyone’s duty to save and develop China’s traditional culture among young people, he says.

7 . Jack had an unusual experience last night. He is sharing it with his friends, Ken and May.

Ken: What were you doing, Jack? What did you see?

Jack: It was half past nine last night and I was getting ready for bed. I heard some strange noise outside while I was brushing my teeth. I wondered what was happening and I went to the window and looked out. To my surprise, I saw a bright yellow green light in the sky.

May: Maybe the light you saw was a UFO! Or a ghost! A few years ago, an American man saw a flying saucer(飞碟)while he was driving along a road. He also saw some strange yellow light. You have heard about it, haven’t you?

Ken: Don’t be imaginative, May. Jack didn’t see anything, or anybody. It wasn’t a ghost. It was probably a plane, or a shooting star. Perhaps Jack just made a horrible(可怕的)dream!

Jack: I am very serious. I did see something. The light disappeared and then suddenly some “tiny people” were standing in the garden. There were three of them. Two of them ate some flowers in the garden.

Ken: Oh, come on, Jack. I really doubt what you have said.

Jack: I am not joking! One of the people was looking at me through the window.

May: Really? What did it look like? Were you frightened?

Jack: Its whole body was green. It had no ears and nose. Its hands were huge. Its eyes were very big and looked like eggs. It looked at me and I could hardly move.

Ken: What happened then?

Jack: I was able to move eventually. I ran and got my camera at once.

May: And?

Jack: I didn’t have a film.

May: Oh no!

10 . Bi Sheng was born in Song Dynasty. He lived in a small village which lies in Huanggang today. He was the world’s first inventor of the printing. It is about 400 years earlier than the printing in Germany.

The printing is also called the movable type printing(活字印刷). But how did it work in the past?

First of all, the clay was made into movable types. Then words were engraved carefully onto the types. After that the words were chosen and put in right order in a box according to the text. Next, the workers brushed ink onto the movable types. Finally the types could be used for printing. They could be used again and again for different books.

The movable type printing plays an important role in Chinese culture. With the help of it, Chinese culture spread around the world more quickly. At the same time, the movable type printing was widely used in the world at that time. As a result, more and more culture communication among countries took place.

The movable type printing, the compass (指南针), gunpowder and the paper—making are called four great inventions of China. They make China own an important and even top position in the history of human civilization(文明).