A man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.  

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly...

As the sun rose over the horizon, I went out to enjoy the beauty of the grassland scenery. On the way, I saw a pair of red flowers blooming. They had flat petals and were incredibly full of smiling beauty. Those independent flowers seemed very vibrant. Gazing at the flowers made me think of many things.

Dew like pearls shone on the grass brightly. Rays of sun offered happiness. I stood and stared at the beautiful flowers for a long time, enjoying the bright, pleasant sunshine. Butterflies and little bees were flying about. Then some naughty children with sticks came. One child swung his stick when he saw the flowers. Many petals fell to the earth, and with them, my heart fell too.

The next day, beside the road, the red flowers were brighter than the day before. The natural beauty made me gasp. It gave me an understanding of the energy of growing and youth and convinced me it couldn't be destroyed with a heartless stick. I wanted to be like the soul of a flower.

Then I saw an old woman and child coming along the road. When they reached the flowers the child quickly plucked one. I felt great horror and then heard the old woman say, "What beautiful flowers. Don't pick them." The next day, I couldn't see the flowers anymore. The grass and leaves on the ground were almost dried. I was in a world of great sorrow.

These days having a best friend seems so important to girls. You want to be special. However I have learned the hard way that having one best friend is not the way to go. It's so much better to have many great friends.

As I was coming into Middle School, grade six, I was really excited because my friend Jennifer was going to be in the same Middle School as me! I was convinced that we would be the best buds. At first things were great, she introduced me to her friend Amy and we had lots of fun together. None of the girls from my elementary school were in my classes, but I wasn’t worried. I had Amy and Jennifer, and I could make some new friends. Then things started to change. Jennifer was very controlling: I couldn't make new friends, because if I hung out with different people, she would decide that I was "mad at her and Amy." So I didn't make new friends, and pretty soon being Jennifer's friend was a struggle.

Jennifer wanted to be the "leader" of our little group. Amy and I were never partners with each other in class projects or gym; it was always, "Who gets the privilege of being Jennifer's partner." It was either Jennifer liked me and she left Amy out or Jennifer liked Amy and she left me out. Amy and I both wanted to be Jennifer's number one. I don't think we ever really thought about how unfair things were. Being Jennifer’s friend became the most important thing in the world.

I always waited for Jennifer and Amy after classes, so we could walk together to our next class. Amy and Jennifer chatted by Jennifer's desk as Jennifer packed her books up and I waited by the door. Sometimes when they left, they'd walk right past me. No "Thanks for waiting." No "Sorry we took so long." It was as if they couldn't even see me. Yet I still waited after every single class.

Most of the time we gossiped about people, and I soon realized that nobody was good enough for Jennifer. Jennifer had a list of bad things about everybody, even Amy. And I'm sure she had a list of bad things about me, too. After months of living through school this way, I had really changed. I was moody, depressed, lonely, and I didn't smile much. I spent lots of days trying not to cry, I felt so left out.

Finally, near the very end of the school year, something snapped. I was so incredibly sick of being treated so poorly. I was sick of having to battle for friendship. I stopped sitting with Jennifer at lunch and I stopped waiting for her after class. It didn't take long: Jennifer quickly announced that I was "mad at her." I said, "I'm not mad, I just think I need to make some more friends," But with Jennifer it's all or nothing. If you didn’t worship her, she was convinced you were mad at her. So boom, just like that, our friendship fell to pieces.

It was tough at first, but I found a lot of girls that Jennifer had classified as "Moody, Snobby, or Mean" and found they were the sweetest, friendliest people in the world. They all said that they’d thought I was like Jennifer, but now that we had taken the time to get to know each other, that I was nothing like her.

I'm in Grade 7 now, and I have tons of friends. They support me when I am sad, and I support them. We have fun and happy times together and I love them all to bits. It amazes me how easy our friendship is. There's no struggling to be on top—we're all equal. I smile all the time now and I never feel alone. I have so many friends now, that it doesn't matter to me if two of them walk away or if two of them buy friendship necklaces together. It doesn't hurt my feelings or make me feel alone, because I have so many friends. We're all one big group of friends. Even though Grade 6 was horrible, it taught me a lot. It's better to have ten or 20 awesome friends than just one best friend.

I wish Jennifer could understand, I still want to be friends with her, but I can't limit myself to one friendship. Maybe one day she'll look back at what happened and she'll change, but even though I lost a friend, I am a happier person.

                           When the lamp is shattered,
　　                     The light in the dust lies dead;
　　                     When the cloud is scattered,
　　                       The rainbow's glory is shed;
　　

  When the lute is broken,
　　Sweet tones are remembered not;
　　When the lips have spoken,
　　Loved accents are soonforgot.

　　灯儿碎时，
　　尘埃中的光消亡。
　　云儿散时，
　　美丽彩虹放霓光。
　

  　琵琶破时，
　　美妙乐曲被遗忘。
　　张口说话时，
　　动听嗓音记不长。
　　

As music and splendor
　　Survive not the lamp and the lute,
　　The heart's echoes render
　　No song when the spirit is mute:--
　　

No song but sad dirges,
　　Like the wind through a ruined cell,
　　Or the mournful surges
　　That ring the dead seaman's knell.

　　像音乐和光华
　　救不了琵琶和灯一样，
　　当精神沉默时：--
　　心灵的回响没了歌唱，
　　

    只有哀悼的悲伤。
　　如风吹过断壁残墙，
　　抑或悲痛的涌浪
　　将水手的丧钟敲响。

　　When hearts have once mingled,
　　Love first leaves the well-built nest;
　　The weak one is singled
　　To endure what it once possessed.
　　

O Love! who bewailest
　　The frailty of all things here,
　　Why choose you the frailest
　　For your cradle, your home, and your bier?
　　

      当心灵一旦结合，
　　爱先离开结实的巢。
　　弱者被挑出
　　去忍受曾经拥有之物。
　　

   哦 爱情！有谁哀悼
　　这里一切的脆弱，
　　为何挑选你，这个最脆弱者，
　　为了你的摇篮，你的家，你的棺木？

　　Its passions will rock thee,
　　As the storms rock the ravens on high;
　　Bright reason will mock thee,
　　Like the sun from a wintry sky.
　　

      From thy nest every rafter
　　Will rot, and thine eagle home
　　Leave thee naked to laughter,
　　When leaves fall and cold winds come.
　　

       如风暴吹动高空的渡鸦，
　　它的热情会将你动摇。
　　像冬季天空上的太阳，
　　光辉的理智会把你嘲笑。
　

　当树叶落，寒风到，
　　你巢里的椽子都会烂掉，
　　你鹰之家使你裸体，让人耻笑。

It's said that familiarity leads to boredom. I know this to be true because, at one time, even my family became a bore to me. I found my parents too nagging and my sister too childish. But my perspective eventually changed.

It was during the time when SARS was spreading across the country. One weekend, I went home as usual only to find my house completely silent. My sister, who usually fed her fish around this hour, was leaning against the sofa, looking rather sick.

"Ting, what happened?" I asked. "Do you feel unwell?"

"It hurts here," she answered in a very low voice, her hands on her stomach.

I''d never seen her face so pale. She''d always been energetic, but now, she looked sick. I led her to her bed. I couldn''t help but feel worried.

While I was deep in thought, She suddenly started saying in a weak voice: "Hot, hot…" My sister stretched out her hand. I touched her and was startled. It was as if she was on fire!

"No, no fever, no fever…" I murmured to myself when I moved to touch her forehead. Hot again. Now, I was almost sure that she had a high fever.

I kept asking the question: "Is it just a fever? Or is it…SARS? Should I call anybody?" With fear and anxiety, I called my parents.

They arrived home 10 minutes later and went straight to my sister''s room. A tense atmosphere descended in the apartment. We were too worried to utter a word. Father and Mother cast a look at each other, saying nothing.

Before long, my sister was sent to the hospital and I was the only one left in the house. Her favorite teddy bear was sitting on the sofa, wearing a big smile. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I thought about the worst that could happen to my poor sister.

Her fish swam peacefully in the glass bowl. In the past, I''d always laughed when she talked about the emotions of her fish and read fairy tales to them. I''d considered her "childish" behavīor naive. But now, I saw something that I''d neglected: her heart, that kind and lovely heart.

A great sense of regret seized me. It was not my sister who should be laughed at, but me! I closed my eyes and put my palms together to pray for her.

Time passed, very slowly.

At 7:10 pm, the telephone rang. I picked up the phone and heard my mother''s voice: "Thank goodness! Nothing serious, it''s just an ordinary fever!"

I almost jumped. "Thank goodness! Thank goodness!" I murmured to myself, too excited to say anything else.

It was at this moment that I realized that what we think of as ordinary and even boring things may well be our most precious possessions. They are like jars of wine stored in the cellar. The color of the jars may fade with time, but the wine, far from souring, becomes all the more delicious. I''m grateful that I finally tasted the sweetness of that wine.

She used to be my only enemy and never let me free Catching me in places that I know I shouldn't be Every other day I crossed the line I didn't mean to be so bad I never thought you would Become the friend I never had Back then I didn't know why Why you were misunderstood So now I see through your eyes All that you did was love Mama I love you, Mama I care Mama I love you, Mama my friend My friend I didn't want to hear it then But I'm not ashamed to say it now Every little thing you said and did was right for me I had a lot of time to think about About the way I used to be Never had a sense of my responsibility But now I'm sure I know why Why you were misunderstood So now I see through your eyes All I can give you is love Mama I love you, Mama I care Mama I love you, Mama my friend My friend

她曾是我唯一的敌人 从不让我自由 将我拘禁在不属於我的地方 每几天我就犯错 我其实不是故意使坏 我没想到你会 成为我的好友 回想当时 我不知道为何你会受到误解 如今，透过你的双眼 你所做的一切都是爱 妈妈，我爱你，我在乎你 我爱你，你是我的朋友 当时我听不进去 但现在我可以面无愧色的说 你所说、所做的每件事，都是为我好 我有很多时间思考 过去的所作所为 可说是毫无责任感 现在，我终於明白 当时你为何会被误解 如今，透过你的双眼 我能给你的，只有爱 妈妈，我爱你，我在乎你 我爱你，你是我的朋友

Child, take my hand.

The road to paradise is too dark

I worry you will hurt yourself

Please hurry and grasp my hand

I will lead you, Let me lead you

Mother, I fear.

The road to heaven is so dark and I cannot find your hand

Ever since the walls collapsed

Darkness surrounds me

No longer will I be able to see your loving face

Child, walk the road

That you must take.

Where you will not be sad

There will be no more endless text books or punishment

I promise.

But you must remember your father’s touch

My touch and we must be together in the next life

Mother, you mustn’t worry.

The road to heaven is crowded

There are many friends and we say not to cry.

Here

One person’s mother is everybody’s mother and One mother’s child is every mother’s child

I am not lonely

As time passes without me

Pass on your love to the children who still live

Today

Mother, don’t cry.

Your tears can’t light our path

So let us walk and find our own way through this darkness Steadily

Towards the light

Mother, I’ll remember. I’ll remember you, and father

I’ll remember our promise

For the next life

And then…

Then we will walk together

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

With the tremendous sound of the shaking of the ground

I saw you sink down on the chaotic playground

In my ears the grieved shouts still resound.

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

The stars filling the sky are all your tears

I am not wandering lonely in darkness

Hand in hand classmates sing themselves hoarse

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

The teacher said the twittering of birds and the fragrance of flowers was not there again

Thus I am reluctant to part with the scene and keep looking back,

So desolate are the blue hills and green streams.

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

Just couldn't bear to part from my dream which I have dreamed of

Please help me tidy away my beautiful schoolbag

I hear the elder sisters read aloud in the ruins

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

Alas, I can't wait to see green uniforms

I still want to finish my homework assigned by the teacher

And miss the blackboard, the book and the class

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

I’m neither naughty nor break your heart again.

I will bear in mind your smiling appearance.

In the afterlife I still want to nestle up to your warm breast.

Mother, please don’t cry, I went to paradise

Where there is the lamplight, there is hope for life

When I open my eyes, I want to see you live toughly

Your love lightens my path for ever…

　1. How do you memorize new words?

　　New words should be mastered in several ways. First, pronunciation, if you want to pronounce the word correctly, you'd better listen to it first and practice it again and again by imitation. Second, spelling, if you want to memorize the word how to spell, you'd better learn some knowledge for word building and pronunciation rules. Third, meaning and use, if you want to know the exact meaning and use of the word, you'd better learn it through context and reading. Finally, you should work hard on it.

　　2. How do you improve your reading?

　　First, look at the title of the passage if there is. You can get the general idea of it. Then you pay attention to the first and last sentence of very paragraph of the passage. You can get the main idea of the paragraph. Third, through the context(上下文), you guess the new words that you come across. Finally, note the style and tone in order to the writer's implication in meaning.

　　3. How do you improve your speaking?

　　You can improve your speaking only through practice. Firstly, don't think of too much grammar, when you speak. You try to speak the key words, if you cannot speak the whole sentence, but you must speak the key words clearly and correctly. Secondly, pay attention to the different rhythms (节奏)between English and Chinese. We Chinese tend to stress the words equally, while the English words in the sentence tend to be stressed quite differently. The words with important information are normally stressed. Lastly, try to use your gestures and your facial expressions to go with your verbal communication.

　　4. How do you learn English grammar?

　　The purpose of learning grammar is to help learners to have a better understanding of the language. It is no use remembering grammar rules by rote because there are no rules without exceptions. It is sensible to use English grammar as a tool to help you to understand and master English. You learn grammar only through language phenomena (现象)because it comes from it. So you learn those rules and do some exercises to practise them.

　　5. How do you improve your listening?

　　You can improve your listening only through listening a great deal and there is no shortcut. First, you should have the right pronunciation of the words in your mind so learn to pronounce them correctly. Then, you try to catch the meaning of the sentence but not the separate meanings of the words, that is, do not concentrate on words too much but on the meaning as a whole. Third, pay attention to the liaison, (连读) loss of explosion and assimilation(同化) of the words. Lastly, pay attention to the stressed words and guess the meaning through the intonation.

　　6. How do you start to learn English?

　　First, you must have your purpose of learning English in your mind. Do you want to improve your oral English or written English or for the purpose of tests? Second, what level are you at? Are your English intermediate? Lower or upper? Third, choose the way to learn English according to your time and finance. Do you want to learn English by self-study, English class, English courses on the radio, English learning software or even online courses on the Internet? Finally, you must study hard and insist on learning continuously for a year or two.

　　7. How do you improve your translation?

　　First, learn some basic rules for translation. Then you must have a good master of both English and Chinese. Finally, you must practise, practise and once more practise. You can refer to some bilingual magazines English world for example. You practise translation from Chinese to English and vice versa(反过来). Then you have some comparison with their translation. After some period of practice, you will make great progress. Practise makes perfect.

　　8. How do you tell the differences of English synonyms?

　　There are no synonyms which are exactly the same. You should think of the synonyms in these ways. The style is different. Formal or informal?. The meaning is different. General or specific? It is different in grammar. Different collocations and different sentence patterns.

　　9. How do you learn English verb tense?

　　First, pay attention to the adverbial of time, if there is one, in the sentence. Different adverbials of time indicate the use of different tense. Second, the meaning of predicate verb, Some verbs tend to be used a certain tense. For example, I like music The word like tends to be used in simple present tense. Third, note the context, it will give you hints to use a certain tense. Finally, you'd better do some exercises in order that you have some consciousness(意识) of using English tense.

　　10. How do you buy English dictionary?

　　Nowadays, there are so many different kinds of dictionaries. Find the kind of dictionary that you are looking for. Then you 'd better find out who is the publisher? Is it a well-known publisher? How many copies has it been published? The more, the better. What do you think of the printing quality of the dictionary.

ONE

No Hoes

A thirteen-year-old boy was sitting on the sofa watching TV when the phone rang.

“Hello, my son.” it was his father’s voice, “where is your mother?”

“Mother is working in the garden.”

“What?” barked the father, “Your mother is not as young and strong as she used to be. Why aren’t you helping her?”

“I can't.” was the reply. “Grandma is using the other hoe.”

TWO

Is there a crib in your stomach?

When my sister-in-low Leach was expecting her second child, her son Brain would sometimes touch his mother’s tummy to feel the baby move.

One day, while touching her stomach and not feel anything, he asked, “How come the baby isn’t moving?”

“The baby is sleeping.” replied his mother.

Brain thought a moment and then said, “You mean you got a crib in there too?”

THREE

Why is he crying?

“Tom, what’s the matter with your brother?” asked the mother in the kitchen. “He’s crying.”

“Oh, nothing, Mum” replied Tom. “I’m eating my cake. He is crying because I won’t give him any.”

“But has he finished his own cake?”

“Yes.” said Tom. “And he also cried when I was helping him finish that.”

It was raining...

 

A month ago, our company had released the notification that we would organize a travel going to Heyuan. What good news! I was in a transport of delighted at the good news. Yeah! You know, travel is my favorite.

 

Days passed, and it seems everything is still up in the air. However, I had the affair on the brain. I have no alternative but to wait.

 

Today, I have received an e-mail from general manager. It reads, “Influenced by the weather, the plan of travel must hang fire for a time.”

 

Oh, my goodness! How disappointed I was! Maybe my hopes were so high I was doomed to disappointment.

Dear Judy, I was surprised to answer your phone at noon. Well, we have already met last Sunday. I was delighted to see you but I didn’t show it very much, so did you. I often look back on my university days. There are lots of things about you and I in my mind as if happened yesterday.

 

After graduation, we said “goodbye” to each other. Then you went to Fujian and started to look for your job while I came to Shenzhen. At that time, you often wrote a letter to me and told me about your things until you came to this city, which I stay in. I know, you are still in here, here with me. How grateful I was to you, Judy!

 

I won’t forget your kindness and generosity. Surely, I’ll never forget the days when we were together, especially the days when we worked together. We call that a happiness. We sang the songs that days and helped each other. Oh, a special experience!

 

Last Sunday, we finally met again. We were chatted and played as same as before. Think it over; we haven’t seen each other for a year. I thought I have a lot to say to you, but I didn’t know how to say. Maybe I was too excited to say it.

 

I ate the jellies you bought. It really melts in your mouth. I think that our friendship just like jellies. It’s pure, subtle, peaceful and abiding, isn’t it? Dear Judy, I want to say, “ you are not only my roommate but also my close friend. Really, you are important in my heart.” let’s drink to our everlasting friendship.

Red is for love

Let you love shine

Orange is for hope

Dream you dream

Yellow is for happiness

Create in your soul

Green is for trust

Trust yourself

Blue is for truth

Live you inner truth

Indigo is for freedom

Take responsibility for yourself

Violet is for respect

Toward everybody you meet

And so you create your own circle of colors to see a rainbow

Hear and feel the sounds of each color

Write your own symphony

 

I seldom wrote something about my old brother before. He is more than 10 years older than I. To me, he is very strange because we seldom get together with each other. Well, I wasn’t hoping for special affection from him.

 

Not until my old brother called to me to continue my studies did I realize how he cares for me. I was only fifteen years old that year. As a little girl who just leaves middle school, how did I look for my job? Then I had attended computer-training class and prepared to look for my job. And then a phone changed everything. Really, my brother changed my life. He told me to go on and enjoy my studies. After that, I passed the college entrance exam and started to my new life. He always encouraged me to study hard to enlarge my sight. Now, we are in the same city but still seldom to keep touch with each other. However, I know, he would always be with me.

 

Instead of giving warm words in daily life, he gave me specific advice and suggestions. He told me how to deal with interpersonal relationship how to make a plan for my future and how to challenge myself. From an ignorant girl to a sensible girl, I really have changed a lot. All this is connect with my brother.

 

I don’t know how to express my gratitude enough to him. I 'd like to tell everyone that I have a great brother. how luckly I am! I think the greatest love come from the life and it needs our bright eyes and heart to find.

 

I only hope my old brother could find his princess as soon as possible. I bless you, my dear brother. If we could live again, I hope you were my young brother and let me protect you.

NOT until the terrible earthquake hit Sichuan Province on May 12 did I realize that I had fallen for him and would love him forever.

Wang Yu was a good friend in high school. To tell the truth, he was not very smart or outstanding at that time. But he was kind-hearted, generous and helpful to everyone. Since he was tall and strong, he always treated me like his little sister. I liked the feeling of being protected by a masculine brother like him.

But one day he told me, "I love you, Ling. I have been in love with you since junior high school. But…"

"What?" I was so angry that I shouted at him. By telling me this now, he was distracting my attention from my studies. So I quickly ran away.

A few days later, I learned that he had quit school. Later, he sent me a letter from Sichuan Province and told me that he had joined the army. In the letter, he apologized for his words and encouraged me to study hard to pass the college entrance exam.

I forgave him and told him we would be best friends forever. I worked hard and got admitted to my dream university, after which he told me again that he loved me. But this time he said he wouldn't force me to do anything. He said he would be a good brother to me and would spare no effort to help me if I ever got in trouble. Every night, he sent me a message. He said he just wanted me to know that he would always be with me.

Out of habit, on the night of May 12, I took out my cellphone to read his message. But there was nothing. "What's wrong with him?" I thought. Is he ill or busy with his mission? I couldn't fall asleep that night. The next day I learned about the horrible earthquake.

Was he all right? I dialed his cellphone number. No answer. Was he injured or … I didn't dare to keep thinking along those lines. I dialed again. No response. I cried my eyes out.

Until that time, I had not realized how much I cared for him. I lived on in fear until my cellphone rang at last. I burst into tears immediately when I heard his hoarse voice.

"I am OK," he said. "The earthquake has caused a break in communications, so I could not get in touch with you. But I'm OK."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I sobbed.

"I'm very sorry, but communications have only just been restored. We are doing the disaster relief work now. It's urgent. So I won't be able to contact you again for several days, OK?"

"I know. I wish I could be with you. I'll love you forever."

"You're certainly always with me, honey, heart to heart though far apart."

"Listen, I'm proud of you. But what I want you to do is take care of yourself and make sure that you come back safely, OK? I really can't lose you."

"OK, I promise. Honey, I'm not afraid. I'll try my best to rescue the survivors with your love. I love you."

Now I'm doing what I can do to support the people in the disaster areas–donating money and blood and praying for them, especially for my beloved Wang Yu.

I'M by no means a beauty. I have small eyes, dark skin and a flat nose. I'm always neglected and people call me "garlic nose" and "small eyes".

Once I overheard a friend describing me as "a kind-hearted girl with a terrible face". You can't imagine how unhappy that made I feel. I know I am not pretty, but I was still upset by her bluntness. I developed an inferiority complex. I wasn't hoping for special affection from my peers. Being loved by anyone seemed an elusive dream. However, all this changed when I met Eric.

Eric is a handsome boy from my class. Tall, fair-skinned, athletic and humorous, he is a superstar in many girls' eyes. However, I didn't have any intention of making friends with him. I always felt good-looking boys looked down on me. By chance, Eric and I were placed in the same group in our oral English class. We soon got to know each other and talked a lot after class and on QQ. To my surprise, he is not only easy-going, but sensitive too.

Once he left a message for me on QQ, "Behind your sunny smiles there lies an unhappy soul." I was touched. I find it easy to get along with people and I'm always laughing. But that didn't mean I was happy. Essentially, I was lonely. All too often, I would think of those unbearable nicknames when I closed my eyes.

I asked him how he sensed my unhappiness. He gave me a smile and said that he had observed that when I was alone my face showed deep loneliness and frustration.

I told him that I felt inferior because of my looks. Instead of giving routine reassurances such as, "Don't think about it" or "You're OK.", he gave me specific advice and suggestions. He told me how to dress and how to draw more attention to myself with accessories. Then he said, "The first time I saw you, I could sense that you are a classy person. Later, I discovered you were born in a famous city – that settled it for me." Finally he said, "If you take advantage of your character, you willl make yourself much more attractive."

His comments inspired me, though I only half believed them. I told myself not to just concentrate on my appearance but also on my personal qualities. I read lots of books and learned musical instruments. Meanwhile, Eric was following my changes. He was my backup, who shared my joys and sorrows. He encouraged me to be more ambitious. Our friendship was like crystal: pure, clean and transparent.

Thanks to Eric, I'm now more confident and know how to enjoy life. Old friends who haven't seen me in years are surprised by the way I have changed. When they see me they say I am much prettier.

One day, I left a message for Eric on QQ, saying, "Thank you for turning an ugly duckling into a white swan." He replied, "I just turned a white swan into Snow White."

Once upon a time in the middle of winter, when the flakes of snow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window sewing, and the frame of the window was made of black ebony. And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow. And the red looked pretty upon the white snow, and she thought to herself, "Would that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the window-frame."
Soon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow, and as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony; and she was therefore called Little Snow-white. And when the child was born, the Queen died.

After a year had passed the King took to himself another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but proud and haughty, and she could not bear that anyone else should surpass her in beauty. She had a wonderful looking-glass, and when she stood in front of it and looked at herself in it, and said --

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
the looking-glass answered --

"Thou, O Queen, art the fairest of all!"
Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth.
But Snow-white was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful; and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the Queen herself. And once when the Queen asked her looking-glass --


"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
it answered --

"Thou art fairer than all who are here, Lady Queen."
But more beautiful still is Snow-white, as I ween."
Then the Queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour, whenever she looked at Snow-white, her heart heaved in her breast, she hated the girl so much.
And envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so that she had no peace day or night. She called a huntsman, and said, "Take the child away into the forest; I will no longer have her in my sight. Kill her, and bring me back her heart as a token." The huntsman obeyed, and took her away; but when he had drawn his knife, and was about to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she began to weep, and said, "Ah dear huntsman, leave me my life! I will run away into the wild forest, and never come home again."

And as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her and said, "Run away, then, you poor child." "The wild beasts will soon have devoured you," thought he, and yet it seemed as if a stone had been rolled from his heart since it was no longer needful for him to kill her. And as a young boar just then came running by he stabbed it, and cut out its heart and took it to the Queen as proof that the child was dead. The cook had to salt this, and the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had eaten the heart of Snow-white.

But now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and so terrified that she looked at every leaf of every tree, and did not know what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.

She ran as long as her feet would go until it was almost evening; then she saw a little cottage and went into it to rest herself. Everything in the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner than can be told. There was a table on which was a white cover, and seven little plates, and on each plate a little spoon; moreover, there were seven little knives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the wall stood seven little beds side by side, and covered with snow-white counterpanes.

Little Snow-white was so hungry and thirsty that she ate some vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine out of each mug, for she did not wish to take all from one only. Then, as she was so tired, she laid herself down on one of the little beds, but none of them suited her; one was too long, another too short, but at last she found that the seventh one was right, and so she remained in it, said a prayer and went to sleep.

When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back; they were seven dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains for ore. They lit their seven candles, and as it was now light within the cottage they saw that someone had been there, for everything was not in the same order in which they had left it.

The first said, "Who has been sitting on my chair?"

The second, "Who has been eating off my plate?"

The third, "Who has been taking some of my bread?"

The fourth, "Who has been eating my vegetables?"

The fifth, "Who has been using my fork?"

The sixth, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh, "Who has been drinking out of my mug?"

Then the first looked round and saw that there was a little hole on his bed, and he said, "Who has been getting into my bed?" The others came up and each called out, "Somebody has been lying in my bed too." But the seventh when he looked at his bed saw little Snow-white, who was lying asleep therein. And he called the others, who came running up, and they cried out with astonishment, and brought their seven little candles and let the light fall on little Snow-white. "Oh, heavens! oh, heavens!" cried they, "what a lovely child!" and they were so glad that they did not wake her up, but let her sleep on in the bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with his companions, one hour with each, and so got through the night.

When it was morning little Snow-white awoke, and was frightened when she saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and asked her what her name was. "My name is Snow-white," she answered. "How have you come to our house?" said the dwarfs. Then she told them that her step-mother had wished to have her killed, but that the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run for the whole day, until at last she had found their dwelling. The dwarfs said, "If you will take care of our house, cook, make the beds, wash, sew, and knit, and if you will keep everything neat and clean, you can stay with us and you shall want for nothing." "Yes," said Snow-white, "with all my heart," and she stayed with them. She kept the house in order for them; in the mornings they went to the mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings they came back, and then their supper had to be ready. The girl was alone the whole day, so the good dwarfs warned her and said, "Beware of your step-mother, she will soon know that you are here; be sure to let no one come in."

But the Queen, believing that she had eaten Snow-white's heart, could not but think that she was again the first and most beautiful of all; and she went to her looking-glass and said --


"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
and the glass answered --

"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
Then she was astounded, for she knew that the looking-glass never spoke falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, and that little Snow-white was still alive.
And so she thought and thought again how she might kill her, for so long as she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her have no rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she painted her face, and dressed herself like an old pedler-woman, and no one could have known her. In this disguise she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried, "Pretty things to sell, very cheap, very cheap." Little Snow-white looked out of the window and called out, "Good-day my good woman, what have you to sell?" "Good things, pretty things," she answered; "stay-laces of all colours," and she pulled out one which was woven of bright-coloured silk. "I may let the worthy old woman in," thought Snow-white, and she unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces. "Child," said the old woman, "what a fright you look; come, I will lace you properly for once." Snow-white had no suspicion, but stood before her, and let herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and so tightly that Snow-white lost her breath and fell down as if dead. "Now I am the most beautiful," said the Queen to herself, and ran away.

Not long afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came home, but how shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow-white lying on the ground, and that she neither stirred nor moved, and seemed to be dead. They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she was laced too tightly, they cut the laces; then she began to breathe a little, and after a while came to life again. When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said, "The old pedler-woman was no one else than the wicked Queen; take care and let no one come in when we are not with you."

But the wicked woman when she had reached home went in front of the glass and asked --

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
and it answered as before --
"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for she saw plainly that little Snow-white was again alive. "But now," she said, "I will think of something that shall put an end to you," and by the help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisonous comb. Then she disguised herself and took the shape of another old woman. So she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked at the door, and cried, "Good things to sell, cheap, cheap!" Little Snow-white looked out and said, "Go away; I cannot let any one come in." "I suppose you can look," said the old woman, and pulled the poisonous comb out and held it up. It pleased the girl so well that she let herself be beguiled, and opened the door. When they had made a bargain the old woman said, "Now I will comb you properly for once." Poor little Snow-white had no suspicion, and let the old woman do as she pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in her hair than the poison in it took effect, and the girl fell down senseless. "You paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "you are done for now," and she went away.
But fortunately it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow-white lying as if dead upon the ground they at once suspected the step-mother, and they looked and found the poisoned comb. Scarcely had they taken it out when Snow-white came to herself, and told them what had happened. Then they warned her once more to be upon her guard and to open the door to no one.

The Queen, at home, went in front of the glass and said --

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
then it answered as before --
"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
When she heard the glass speak thus she trembled and shook with rage. "Snow-white shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my life!"
Thereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where no one ever came, and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked pretty, white with a red cheek, so that everyone who saw it longed for it; but whoever ate a piece of it must surely die.

When the apple was ready she painted her face, and dressed herself up as a country-woman, and so she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Snow-white put her head out of the window and said, "I cannot let any one in; the seven dwarfs have forbidden me." "It is all the same to me," answered the woman, "I shall soon get rid of my apples. There, I will give you one."

"No," said Snow-white, "I dare not take anything." "Are you afraid of poison?" said the old woman; "look, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white." The apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned. Snow-white longed for the fine apple, and when she saw that the woman ate part of it she could resist no longer, and stretched out her hand and took the poisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her mouth than she fell down dead. Then the Queen looked at her with a dreadful look, and laughed aloud and said, "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony-wood! this time the dwarfs cannot wake you up again."

And when she asked of the Looking-glass at home --

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
it answered at last --

"Oh, Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all."
Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have rest.
The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying upon the ground; she breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted her up, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but it was all of no use; the poor child was dead, and remained dead. They laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept three days long.

Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she were living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said, "We could not bury her in the dark ground," and they had a transparent coffin of glass made, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. Then they put the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always stayed by it and watched it. And birds came too, and wept for Snow-white; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.

And now Snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin, and she did not change, but looked as if she were asleep; for she was as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.

It happened, however, that a king's son came into the forest, and went to the dwarfs' house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain, and the beautiful Snow-white within it, and read what was written upon it in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it." But the dwarfs answered, "We will not part with it for all the gold in the world." Then he said, "Let me have it as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing Snow-white. I will honour and prize her as my dearest possession." As he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity upon him, and gave him the coffin.

And now the King's son had it carried away by his servants on their shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over a tree-stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of apple which Snow-white had bitten off came out of her throat. And before long she opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive. "Oh, heavens, where am I?" she cried. The King's son, full of joy, said, "You are with me," and told her what had happened, and said, "I love you more than everything in the world; come with me to my father's palace, you shall be my wife."

And Snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their wedding was held with great show and splendour. But Snow-white's wicked step-mother was also bidden to the feast. When she had arrayed herself in beautiful clothes she went before the Looking-glass, and said --

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
the glass answered --
"Oh, Queen, of all here the fairest art thou,
But the young Queen is fairer by far as I trow."
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched, so utterly wretched, that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to the wedding at all, but she had no peace, and must go to see the young Queen. And when she went in she knew Snow-white; and she stood still with rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron slippers had already been put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set before her. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes, and dance until she dropped down dead.

I come from being like a dust by chance
Have who see my flimsiness of
I come from what square my feeling return where
Who at under a moment calls me

World although this road of breadth but difficult walk
I see the frustrated pain of this human life
How much I still have to love me to still have how much tears
Want the heaven knows my gameness

Heart of feel grateful the with gratitude has you
Companion I make me courageous to make myself from cradle to the grave
The heart of feel grateful thank destiny
The flower blooms to fall me similar will cherish

I come from being like a dust by chance
Have who see my flimsiness of
I come from what square my feeling return where
Who at under a moment calls me

World although this road of breadth but difficult walk
I see the frustrated pain of this human life
How much I still have to love me to still have how much tears
Want the heaven knows my gameness

Heart of feel grateful the with gratitude has you
Companion I make me courageous to make myself from cradle to the grave
The heart of feel grateful thank destiny
The flower blooms to fall me similar will cherish
Heart of feel grateful the with gratitude has you
Companion I make me courageous to make myself from cradle to the grave
The heart of feel grateful thank destiny
The flower blooms to fall me similar will cherish

Yesterday, I got up early and went to visit my sister’s family. In fact, I wanted to go to the seaside with them. Well, we had planned to go to the seaside to enjoy the strong waves and fresh air. However, it has been raining these days. Fortunately, the rain passed off yesterday. Yeah, it was a lovely day to go to the beach.

 

When we arrived at the beach, we took off our shoes and walked on the sands. Then, we scattered to pick seashells. Well, the sea works high that it penetrated through my clothes. I really like this feeling...

 

My little nieces always said the same words, “ dear aunt, did you pick it? You must give it to me.” Wow, they are twins and often quarrel with each other. Sure, they are cute and pretty babies. When we were sitting in the car, the big niece suddenly asked her father, “Daddy, let us live by the sea, ok? I like sea, so does my young sister.” Then, the her young sister feigned that she was crying and said, “Daddy and mama, we really hope to live long shore…”

 

“Oh, my babies, don’t cry. Of course you can do it when you grow up. And you must word hard, or you will miss it.” Their father replied.

 

‘But when did we can grow up? Is it on tomorrow?” the young sister asked me.

 

“Yes” I said with a smile.

 

“ Yeah,” they were so happy to hear that. Then, they taught me singing…

 

The world is very pure and beautiful in children’s eyes. I like my lovely nieces and enjoy to playing with them. They are my happiness. Honey, the aunt hopes you are happy and pure, forever.

 

I had a wonderful time on June 1, 2008. That's Children's day.