Steven had had his first starring role in kindergarten, playing a talking stone in a class play. From the moment that he heard the applause and took his bows, he knew he wanted to be an actor. He “drew” his name as it would look at a theatre. In his mind, he “practiced” his acceptance speech to the Academy Awards(奥斯卡金像奖). “I want to thank my agent(经纪人)...” he imagined himself saying to the crowd. He wanted to be an actor.

By six grade, he was used to starring in school productions. He played Romeo in this year’s Junior Shakespeare Festival. His brother said he was probably the first Romeo in the history of theatre to have braces(牙套). Steven liked everything about acting-except for his brother’s comments about it. Brad was not interested in acting.

Steven dreamed of going to California or New York when he got older. Meanwhile, he read the “trades” at the library-the newspapers and magazines of the acting business. He couldn’t believe it when he saw that there was going to be an open casting call(演员招雾)in his own Midwestern city. He begged his parents to take him, but they worked on Saturdays and they couldn’t take the day off. He was forced to ask his older brother, the critic.

The part called for a boy who looked about 14. Steven figured he could pass. Unlike Brad, Steven looked older than his age. Brad, on the other hand, at 16 looked more like 14. The boys arrived early at the theatre where the try-outs(试镜)were taking place. There were already over 200 kids there. Steven picked up his application. Brad picked one, too- “just for fun,” he said. Each of them then studied the short script they’d been handed. Like all the other kids, they mouthed the words over and over. Some kids found quiet spaces to read their lines aloud, with all the right emotion.

Steven asked Brad to listen to his reading. “Okay, but you have to listen to mine, too.”

“Deal,” Steven answered. Then he read, and, as usual, he was good. Next, it was Brad’s turn. Steven couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing. Why hadn’t Brad ever tried out for a play? Where had he gotten all this talent all of a sudden? He asked his brother, “Why haven’t you tried before?”

“I was waiting for something big,” Brad replied.

Soon they heard their names called. It was their turn to perform.

A decade later, at that year’s Academy Awards Ceremony, the two brothers appeared.

In my childhood, my teacher Mrs. Hunter announced that our class would complete a pen-friend project. We would write letters to children in some African countries to make friends with them. So all of us needed to bring stationery (信纸) to school the next day.

Finding some beautiful stationery which was designed with lovely cartoon characters, such as Minnie Mouse and Snow White in the store, I asked my mother to buy it for me. At the store, we learned that a pack of ten pieces of such stationery cost close to seven dollars.

“You’ll have to use common paper,” my mother said. Then, she bought a pack of cheap common paper for me. Obviously, there weren’t any cartoon characters on the paper, so I was upset and disappointed. At that time, I didn’t know my mother was facing some financial (财政的) problems and was trying hard to support the family.

That night, my mother, a lover of schedules, sent me to the bed at the usual time of 9：30. But then instead of going to bed as she normally did, she remained in the living room. When I didn’t hear the voice of a news host through the TV, I wondered what exactly kept my mother up past her bedtime. Walking up to her I found she bent beneath our single lamp, sketching (画素描). When I asked what she was drawing, my mother just covered the page with her arms and ordered me to return to my bed. A week ago, I had begged her for a new box of crayons and she refused. Now I wanted beautiful stationery and she refused again. That night, I lay in bed looking at the moon, believing I was the unluckiest girl in the world.

The next morning, my mother’s eyes were black-ringed, and she looked so tired while preparing the breakfast of oatmeal (燕麦糊) in the kitchen. “Drink it before school,” she said, pointing at the food.

“I don’t want any,” I said unhappily, still upset she didn’t buy beautiful stationery for me.

“Mom, the cartoon characters are so beautiful”I said, with a smile.“Thank you.”

Gramma Goodie visits her grandsons every Sunday afternoon. Every visit starts the same. First she rings the doorbell.Then Chris jumps down the stairs.Jamie runs to open the door. And every time,Gramma Goodie has gifts.But the kids never know what she’ll bring.

Sometimes it’s something you need,like socks or underwear. Sometimes it’s movie tickets or a giant teddy bear.It could be a kite or a stuffed (填充的) baby kangaroo. It could be a lollipop (棒棒糖) that turns your tongue blue.

Well, one Sunday, Gramma rang the doorbell. Chris hurried down the stairs. And Jamie opened the door.

“Hello, my darlings,” Gramma Goodie said with a smile. “Look what I have for you.” She pulled out a pack of cards, and they played “Go fish” all afternoon. At the end of the day, Gramma gave the kids kisses. Then she said her good-byes.

As she drove away,Chris and Jamie heard their parents talking. They said that Gramma Goodie’s birthday was next Sunday. They were going to plan a special dinner and bake a delicious cake for her birthday surprise.

“Gramma Goodie has a birthday?” they thought. Both were a little puzzled.Grown-ups have birthdays? Who in the world knew?

“Well, we have to get her a gift,” Jamie said.

“But what?” asked Chris. “Gramma Goodie has almost EVERYTHING!”

Jamie thought about scarves and flowers. But Gramma had plenty of scarves and a huge rose garden. Chris thought about books, pillows and photo albums. A diary? She had one.An umbrella? She had that too. A radio? There is one in her kitchen. Oh, what would Chris and Jamie do? They spent all week thinking.

On Sunday, the doorbell rang.

“What’s this?” asked Gramma Goodie.