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Alexander John Jordan was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1914. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin. After about one year of college, Alex dropped out.

  Alex then went from job to job. He drove a taxi and worked for Royavac. He also worked for his father’s construction company, where Alex got his basic knowledge of construction.

In the 1940s, Alex discovered Deer Shelter Rock and began having small picnics on the top of the rock. He then started bringing his tent and camping out. One night, his tent got blown away and from that day, Alex decided he wanted to build something more stable. That was the beginning of his dreams. Alex started off by renting the rock and a bit of land around it from a local farmer. He first built a small studio with a fireplace. Then Alex, with his parents’ help, bought 240 acres of land, so he could build as he pleased. What took shape on and around Deer Shelter Rock was truly a wonderful achievement. More wonderful still is the fact that he built much of the original house by himself, carrying the materials up the 75-foot-high rock.

As curiosity grew surrounding his project, more and more people came to visit the House on the Rock. Alex decided to charge people 50 cents to visit, thinking that would drive them away; however, people gladly paid the fee. In 1960, Alex decided to open the House on the Rock to the public. This increased the interest and the crowds grew. All of the money taken in over the years was put directly back into the House. Alex was devoted to the House on the Rock. It was his life and dream.

I had worried myself sick over Simon’s mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest account of the students’ work. In Simon’s case, the grades were terribly low. He couldn’t read his own handwriting. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.

So when Simon’s mother entered the room, I was very nervous. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. Because of me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend’s house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self－respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.

I sat, surprised, for about half an hour, wondering what had just happened. How did Imake such a life－changing difference to that boy without even knowing it? What I finally came to remember was one day, several months before, when some students were giving reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke quietly, and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon’s the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can’t hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on， Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, smiled more, and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.

It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I’m thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.

I travel a lot in my work, and what I dislike about my job is eating alone. It always makes me feel lonely to see others laughing and talking. So, room service for several nights was a better choice for me.

After having room service three nights at a hotel in Houston, however, I needed to get out of my room. Although the restaurant opened at 6:30, I arrived at 6:25. The waiter at the front desk made a comment (评论) about my “being there really early”. I explained my dislike of eating alone in restaurants. He then seated me at a lovely table and asked me whether I would mind if he sat down with me for a while.

  I was glad! He sat and talked with me about his career goals and the difficulty of being at work on nights, weekends and holidays. He said he hadn’t enough time to be with his family. After 15 minutes, he saw some customers at the front desk and excused himself. I noticed that before he went to the front desk, he stopped in the kitchen for a moment.

  Then another waiter came out of the kitchen and had a wonderful chat with me. Before I left that night, some other waiters, even the cook, had come out of the kitchen and sat with me!

  When I asked for my bill about one hour later, all the people who had sat down with me came over in a big group to my table, and presented me with a red rose. And I cried! What had begun as a lonely night ended as a beautiful experience.

 A woman was walking her dog along a beach in New Zealand in late June when she saw something that looked like a white ball in the stand. It turned out to be a young Emperor penguin that was lost. At his age, he should have been close to Antarctic, swimming for fish and playing on the ice floes(冰川). But this penguin started swimming north and just kept going.

   The penguin attracted a lot of attention in New Zealand. It has been 40 years since an Emperor penguin was last seen there. Researchers at the Department of Conservation were called in. They decided to watch the penguin closely, but not to disturb it in any way. Many New Zealanders came to Peka Peka Beach to look at the elegant penguin. They were careful to keep their dogs away from it so it wouldn't be frightened.

   The public nicknamed the animal Happy Feet. Researchers started to notice that Happy Feet didn't seem well. It turns out that he had been eating the sand from the beach, likely thinking it was snow.

   The public raised more than 11,000 pounds for an operation to get the sand out of his stomach. The operation was a success, and Happy Feet was taken to a zoo in Wellington, NZ. A group of experts met to decide how to help Happy Feet return to the wild.

   Last Sunday, they put him on a boat called the Tangaroa, in a specially built ice-filled box and took him out into the Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand. There, they released him into the ocean, which is his natural habitat. He took one last look at his human helpers and then dived into the ocean.

   "Emperor penguins spend their first five years at sea," said Peter Simpson of New Zealand's Department of Conservation. "What happens now is up to the penguin."

   Happy Feet was fitted with a satellite transmitter(发射机) so they can monitor his progress using the Internet. So far, the trackers shows that he swam northeast for a little while before getting his bearings and heading south.

The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments—outside the jeweler’s before he got enough courage to enter. He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush of blood to his face as he explained he would be bringing in his future wife to choose a birthday present. The assistant listened carefully and told him he’d better buy a necklace. He wasn’t used to buying jewellery and was a little worried about over-spending. After some discussion as to a reasonable price and the type, the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o’clock. When, half an hour later than planned, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose, and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted.

How I Turned to Be Optimistic

I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”

My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

A drunken burglar（盗贼）in the Orrell Park area of Liverpool, ended up leaping out of a window after a 10-year-old girl asked him to prove he was a superhero.

      The drunken thief who pretended he was Superman to stop a child raising the alarm has been caught after he leaped from the apartment building in his pants to make the girl convinced.

      Thief Ethan Adamson, 25, told police that he had broken into a fifth-floor flat after a drinking session, believing it was empty.

      But he was horrified when the owner’s 10-year-old daughter woke up while he was there.

      From his hospital bed, the thief told reporters, “To keep her quiet, I told her I was really Superman and I’d soon be flying off back to my secret headquarters.”

      “She called my bluff (吓唬) and told me, ‘If you’re Superman, show me you can fly or I’ll scream’.

      “I had no choice so I stripped to my pants to look more like a superhero and went to the window. I saw another roof below and I thought I could make it but it turned out to be a lot further down than thought. I know it doesn’t make sense but it did to me when I was drunk.”

      Police later found him on the roof in just his yellow pants, covered in cuts and bruises after a baffled neighbor heard his cries of pain.

      He now faces seven years behind bars for burglary.

      Police spokesman Frank Amado said, “ He was in quite a serious state and couldn’t move until we got up there using ladders. He was treated for his injuries and we got him some fresh clothes, before taking him to hospital where he is being kept under guard until he is well enough to be arrested.”

  China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I've found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors—silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.

   It's fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can't provide.

   Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided Io buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.

   My first ride home was orderly(守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a "pack" of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn't want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.

   Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.

   I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.

      I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

       The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a passage from the Bible about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

          And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

         So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

         There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

 “What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

         “Well…that medical checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?” It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

 My hero is a doctor. He saved my life when I could have died. He saves lots of children's lives. He worked and studied a lot to get the job he has got now. He has done a very difficult surgery. He has to work almost every day at the hospital. He has studied kidneys（肾）and got his Ph.D. at Queens University. He is a great doctor and he is easy to talk to.

He is willing to take a risk to save someone's life. He saved my life from a kidney inflamation（发炎）disease when I was in the hospital. He worked very hard to find out what exactly was wrong with my kidneys and why they weren't working.

He  goes out of his way for someone like me and my parents because he had to explain to them what was wrong with me and do lots of different tests to find the medicine to cure me. He talked to my parents and me every day to let us know how I was doing. His life has made a difference in the lives of others, especially mine. I saw him look after many other children in the hospital and help them recover. Also, he was always there helping by teaching other doctors about being kidney specialists(专家) too. He worked very hard to keep others alive. You can phone him anytime and he'll phone you back as soon as possible to see how he can help you. He has a great staff who make his appointments and make sure you get the medicine that Dr. Wade tells them to give you.