My heart went out to the drama teacher I read about in a recent news item. Each parent from her class insisted that she cast their own child as Snow White. This reminded me of my seventh grade musical-"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." I desperately wanted to play the role of Becky, the female lead who was Tom's girlfriend.

For starters, Becky had to sing numerous solos, and I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. I also didn't have long blonde curls like pretty Linda Wright who won the part.

I was assigned the non-singing role of Miss Watson, the Maid. I had to wear an ugly dress. And I had only one line to learn, "That's what I say. " Miss Watson was onstage in quite a few scenes, and got to repeat "That's what I say" throughout the play.

At last, our production was put onstage. Imagine my surprise when Miss Watson made the audience laugh out loud each time I piped in with "That's what I say. " I hadn't known that she or I could be funny, or that her character was important in moving the plot along.

That night, I began to understand that being the star may not be any more fun than being a stand-out in a supporting role. Each person, onstage and backstage, is essential in theater. Without everyone doing their part, the play would be dull as dirt.

If everyone is a star then nothing gets done. It's all noise and chaos. And so I believe all children should get the opportunity to play Miss Watson, to become someone they didn't know they wanted to be.

A. So it is in life.

B. It was not to be.

C. It was anything but a great part.

D. My Miss Watson turned out to be a hit.

E. It took the entire cast to make a good show.

F. There was an advantage, in my opinion, though.

G. I would hope all children could be a hit in life.

When it's time for a wardrobe makeover （形象改造）， who's the best person to give you some advice? You'll probably turn to your friend for some feedback and fashion tips-they know you best and can offer an honest opinion about which colours don't match and which outfit makes you look pretty. 

However for someone like me, who's not a. follower of fashion and has a more practical dress sense, I don't need help-it's just jeans or. . . jeans! But for people who care about their appearance, they can now get some trustworthy advice with the aid of technology. 

Of course, using social. media is a good way when you are at a loss about fashion, but this-sometimes brings in too much conflicting advice and opinions that are sometimes straightforward! That's why one woman has developed an app to help women crowdsource advice from stylists in a safe, non-violent communication environment. 

Sophia Matveeva's Style Counsel app allows users to post a photo and receive "yes" or "no" answers from other users, or more detailed advice from fashion stylists and bloggers very quickly. According to Mathew Wall, BBC Technology of Business editor, this is a growing business; with several new apps such as AskAnna, Mallzee and StyleDotMe all offering young women tips on suitable and fashionable clothes to wear. 

There's also a website called EyeFitU which finds clothes to fit your figure. Its chief executive, Isabelle Ohnemus, says there are no international standards in clothes sizes but she explains, "We can set up your size profile in a few seconds with 80% accuracy just knowing your gender, height, weight and age". This information is used to find clothes that suit your actual shape. And the internet giant, Amazon, has also developed a camera that links to a "style check" function that compares photos and gives its opinion of which outfit is better, based on fit, colour, style and current fashion trends.

But does technology make fashion advice a bit impersonal? Sophia Matveeva admits that women in particular are social creatures and that "AI will never stop us talking to each other. . . girls will always want the approval of the cool girl at school. "But as for me: an app with someone I don't know could be the place to start with some careful-in-speech fashion tips! 

Have you ever been really hungry, but there wasn't much to eat in your kitchen? Did you throw together a bunch of stuff you had on hand and were pleasantly surprised when it tasted good? You aren't alone. Some of our favorite foods were created by accident. Here's a sample menu of some familiar foods that would never have happened if someone hadn't created them by mistake.

POTATO CHIPS

One of the world's favorite snacks is the result of a complaint. In 1853, a man was eating dinner at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. He ordered fried potatoes, a popular side dish. But when they came out of the kitchen, he didn't think they were crispy enough. He sent them back to the kitchen, where Chef George Crum was so angry at having his cooking criticized that he sliced the potatoes really thin, put lots of salt on them, and fried them. Not only did the diner love them, but everyone else did, too. They soon became a specialty of the restaurant.

TOFU

Tofu, or bean curd, is made by curdling (使凝结) fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block, and then cooling it. Tofu was accidentally invented in China 2,000 years ago, when a cook added seaweed to soya milk, which made it curdle. This is the same process that is used for making cheese. Like cheese, tofu is a great example of how really messing up a recipe can create something unexpectedly good.

CHEESE PUFFS

Did you ever wonder who thought up cheese puffs? The company that invented them wasn't even trying to make food for people. It was trying to make animal feed. In the 1930s, the Flakall Company of Wisconsin made animal food from small, flaked pieces of grain. One day, an employee, Edward Wilson, watched workers pouring cornmeal (谷粉) into the flaking machine, wetting it to keep it from clogging (堵塞). Because the machine was very hot, the wet cornmeal came out of it in puffy ribbons that hardened when they hit the air. Wilson took some of the ribbons home, added oil and flavoring to them, and voila! Cheese puffs!