1 . It happened today, which we never want to happen, but we’ve been preparing for throughout the school year. A tornado(飓风) touched down near our school as we expected.

I wasn’t even in the classroom at the moment. I had taken a student with me to the workroom to help gather some teaching objects. When the emergency(应急) alarms went off, immediately I grabbed my student’s hand and ran as fast as I could back to the classroom.

I never imagined actually needing to put emergency steps to good use. I lined my class up on the wall. I had them crouch(蹲) down with their knees and heads touching the ground, hands on the backs of their heads. Their hearts beat fast. They couldn’t catch their breath. The fear filled their eyes. They looked up at me as they asked if their parents, grandparents and friends were going to be okay.

I never imagined the silence that would come over the whole schoolyard, with hundreds of students lined up against the walls of one building.

I never imagined the way I would feel, and other teachers along with me, as we tried our best to comfort our students, assure them of their safety, and promise them everything would be all right when we truly didn’t know what the result would be.

Today has taken a toll(灾难) on me, as I am sure it has on the hundreds and thousands of teachers in the local areas. But at the same time, I am beyond proud, surprised and encouraged at how my students behaved. Never have I seen they follow directions so quickly and quietly. Even though tears were in eyes, hearts were beating fast, my students were brave beyond their years today. And they were able to be 100% calm and collected (镇静的) the whole time. Tomorrow will bring a new set of challenges. I have made it my life’s goal to empower (允许), train and teach them.

2 . Do you remember the TV series of Popeye the Sailor(《大力水手》)? It first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s. The leading role in that cartoon ate lots of spinach(菠菜) to make him strong. Popeye helped sell 33% more spinach than before! Then spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some young children who hated the taste began to try the vegetable.

Many people thought it was iron(铁) in spinach that made Popeye strong and healthy, but it was not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than other green vegetables.

People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the researchers who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s, a group of people worked on what was inside vegetables. This group wrote the number wrong, and everyone accepted it.

Today, we know that the little iron there is in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However, spinach does contain something else which the body needs—folic acid(叶酸). It is interesting to point out folic acid can help make your body strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made people strong all along.

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.

4 . Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you want,

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,

For it gives you the chance to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times,

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your disadvantages,

Because they give you chances of improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and bored,

Because it means you’ve made a difference.

Be thankful for your past relationships,

Someone better suited to you is waiting out there.

Gratitude（感谢）can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

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.

8 . Sixteen is the age in the United States when teenagers can begin driving. It's a special age. There's often a special celebration for a girl's 16^th birthday-a big party called her "sweet 16". It is like a wedding reception（结婚晚宴）.

About a month before the party, the girl's family sends out invitations to the guests. They must buy a special present for the birthday girl and the girl guests find good dresses to wear. A "sweet 16"present usually costs $40 to $60. This is about $20 more than the usual cost of a birthday present.

The party itself is not held at someone's house. The hostess rents a reception hall or the event. Food, cake and a DJ are provided. Around 6 o'clock, guests arrive and agree the birthday girl. Then the girl and her father have a special father-daughter dance. After that, guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Then there is the most important part of the "sweet 16"party, the candle-lighting ceremony. The "sweet 16"hostess stands behind 16 unlit candles, and gives each candle to her friends, family, and anything that she feels is important to her. A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time.

At a later time, people sit and eat. Most guests begin leaving around 11 o'clock. This school year, I have been to two "sweet 16". I am one of the youngest students in my grade (My birthday is in February). I'll have to wait another year before I can have my own special "sweet 16" party. I can't wait for it!

9 . When I was in primary school, Miss Green told us a story in an English class. Through the story, she wanted to tell us that there is always a solution (解决方法)to every problem. I kept that in mind.

One day, when I returned home, I found that my father was unhappy. When I asked him why, he told me that he lost his watch when he was working in the garden. He had looked for it everywhere but couldn’t find it. He had also asked my two elder brothers to help, but they failed too.

That watch was very important to my father because it was a gift from my late（已故的）grandfather. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll help you find it,” I said. But my father didn’t believe it. After all, they all had failed to find it. He said, “Well, if you find it, I’ll give you20 dollars.” “OK, Just wait,” I said and then went to the garden.

Suddenly, I thought of the story that Miss Green had told us. But how could I find the watch? I started thinking and thinking. Then I remembered that the watch ticked（发出滴答声）. But the ticking was hard to hear. I decided not to look here and there as they did. Instead, I Put my ear on the ground. And ten minutes later, I found the watch.

My father and brothers couldn’t believe their eyes. They thought I was really lucky. I shook my head, saying, “No. It wasn’t good luck. I just thought before I took action（行动）.”

There is always a solution to every problem. Just think before you take action.

10 . I live in Porto(波尔图). It is a city in the north of Fortune(葡萄牙). It has 300,000 people and it's the second biggest city in Portugal.

It's a beautiful city, and it's great for walking around. There are lots of beautiful streets. They're full of churches(教堂), museums, and markets. There's a place called Foz where there are a lot of outdoor bars and restaurants people go there at the weekend to sit in the sun, drink coffee, and watch the Atlantic(大西洋).

The weather here is very different from that in the south of Portugal. The winter can be very wet, and it sometimes rains for days. The summer is wonderful. It's sunny but not usually too hot, and it's great for going to the mountains or the beach.

What many visitors like the best in Porto is the river. There are some beautiful bridges, and lots of visitors go on boat trips. But I think the best things about Porto are the people and the atmosphere(气氛). It's quite small and it's very safe and friendly.

It's a working city and it has a real sense(感觉) of history, and that's the main reason why I like living here so much.