Life in Your Hand
　　Once there was a young man who asked a wise elder, "It is said that you can foretell1 things that happen in the future. Now, I want to consult2 you a matter. There is a little bird in my hand, please tell me, it is dead or alive?"
　　The old man hesitated a while and then smiled to the young man."The fate of the little bird is mastered by you, or by your hand. If I say the bird is alive, you can hold it tightly, it will die immediately; if I say it is dead, you can set it free, it will fly away...."
　　In fact, our fate is just like the bird's and it is in our hand. In America, there is a famous speaker and writer, Mr Brown, whose childhood was very miserable. As soon as he was born, he was deserteds3 by his parents. He was considered as an idiot and ill-treated. Later he met a kind teacher, who said to him,"Don't look down upon yourself just because others do so to you. Everyone's life and fate is mastered by himself. Your life is in your hand." He was greatly encouraged and became successful at last.
　　True, we hold our fate in our hand. As long as we don't give up, we will succeed.
　　
　　注释：
　　①foretellvt.预言
　　②consultv. 请教；查阅(词典等)
　　③desertvt. 抛弃，遗弃
　　
　　Dreams
　　We are living in a world which is made of "dreams". I say so because many inventions are actually dreams of the inventors at the very beginning. The dream of Edison led to the invention of the light bulbs. The dream of Steve Jobs caused the invention of the first computer. The dream of Sony Company brought this world the invention of high-quality electronic1 products. Without dreams, I can dare say that we would not have telephones, satellite, airplanes, computers, and the Internet. Dreams make our life innovative2 and creative. Dreams improve our quality of life and make advancements in society.
　　Dreams are hope of life. We are like plants and dreams are sunlight. A plant depends on not only sand and water to grow, but also sunlight. A life without dreams is like a plant without sunlight, which certainly can not grow healthily. Dreams make our life colorful and hopeful. It is actually a way of life. During World WarII, many people were killed in the concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Later, it was found that those who survived in this suffering were those who had hope and dreams.
　　
　　 注释：
　　①electronic adj. 电子的
　　②innovative adj. 革新的，创新的
　　
　　Life in the City and in the Country
　　Life is exciting and convenient in the city. People can enjoy all sorts of services and entertainments such as restaurants, shopping centers, hospitals, cinemas and so on. In addition, the bus and subway1 systems are easy to follow.
　　Living in the country is simple and quiet. People there can be in contact with nature. There are clear air, fresh vegetables and fruit. They can become strong and healthy from doing farm work. All these make country life very enjoyable.
　　However both lives have their disadvantages. The city is often overcrowded and noisy. Factories pollute the environment. Traffic accidents occur every day. While life in the country is somewhat2 outdated3 and conservative4. Educational facilities5 and medical ser vices are not fully developed. But I'm sure that things will change better in the future. liuxuepaper.com