Ma Yan is not really a writer, but this 15-year-old girl has written a book that has moved many people around the world. Ma Yan’s diary tells us about Ma’s life. She lives in a poor village called Zhangjiashu in Tongxin, Ningxia, and she has no money to go to school. However, she is brave and wants to go to school very much.

Her mother gave her diary to a reporter, Pierre Haski when he went to Zhangjiashu in 2001. Now, Ma Yan’s diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and China.

Ma Yan is now a Junior Three student at Yuwang Middle School in Tongxin. Before this, she had to drop out of school twice. She had to stop going to school the first time, because her mum told her there was no money for her to go to school. She worked for 21 days and saved 13 yuan. With this money, she went back to school. The second time, her family told her she had to leave school while her two brothers could stay.

“I want to study,” Ma Yan wrote in her diary. “Why can boys study but girls can’t? It would be wonderful if I could stay at school forever.”

Ma Yan loves school so much because she wants to have a better life.

“My parents work hard in the fields but they are still poor. They have no knowledge(知识). Most girls in my village leave school early and get married young. I don’t want that kind of life,” Ma Yan said.

After her story became known, many students sent money to her. She hopes to go to Tsinghua University and become a reporter. “Then, I can find poor kids like me, and help them,” she said.

1.Ma Yan’s diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and       .

2.Why did Ma Yan leave school for the first time?

3.Ma Yan wants to study because she wants to          .

You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an American girl. And she became very rich after that.
When she was a child, she was poor. Once, she was invited to her friend’s birthday party. She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.
“The party is coming soon, but now I have little money.” Tears ran down her face.
Later that night she was in bed, thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.“ What happened? ” her grandma asked. Hearing the girl’s story, she said, “Don’t worry. I think I can help you. How about singing a song together? Happy birthday to …”What a beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly she woke up. It was a dream! She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.
When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends were very happy. “How wonderfully you sing! We haven’t heard such a beautiful song before. Thank you for giving me the special gift.” said her friend. And they learnt to sing it together. Later the girl became well-known in America.
【小题1】The song Happy Birthday was written by                    .

You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an American girl. And she became very rich after that.

When she was a child, she was poor. Once, she was invited to her friend’s birthday party. She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.

“The party is coming soon, but now I have little money.” Tears ran down her face.

Later that night she was in bed, thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.“ What happened? ” her grandma asked. Hearing the girl’s story, she said, “Don’t worry. I think I can help you. How about singing a song together? Happy birthday to …”What a beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly she woke up. It was a dream! She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.

When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends were very happy. “How wonderfully you sing! We haven’t heard such a beautiful song before. Thank you for giving me the special gift.” said her friend. And they learnt to sing it together. Later the girl became well-known in America.

1.The song Happy Birthday was written by                     .

   A. an American girl

B. an American girl’s grandma

   C. an American boy

D. an American girl’s friend

2.The girl was sad because                      .

   A. she didn’t want to go to the party.

B. she would be busy that day.

   C. she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift.

D. she wasn’t invited to the party.

3.What gift did she give her friend?                    

A. A flower.          B. A toy.           C. An interesting book.  D. A song.

4.What did her friends think of the song?  It was                  .

A. boring             B. beautiful        C. exciting               D. interesting

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. The girl was still poor after writing the song .

   B. The girl sang the song with her grandpa in her dream.

   C. The girl’s friends had heard the song before. 

   D. The girl became famous because of the song.