Long long ago, there was a boy named Peter. He was born in a poor family, so he lived a1life. One day, he was going2the forest carrying some woods (木材). First he saw a(n)3old man. Peter wanted to give4some food, however, he didn't have any. So he went5. Then he saw a thirsty giraffe. He wanted to give him some 6, but he still didn't have any. So he went forward again.
Then he saw a man. The man wanted to make a camp7he did not have woods. After Peter knew the8, he gave him some woods to the man. In return, the man gave him some food and water.9that, Peter10back to the old man and the giraffe to give them food and water. All of them were very11.
One day, Peter12his legs in the hill. He was in pain （疼痛）and he couldn't13.The old man and the giraffe knew about it and they went to the forest14. They brought back some herbs (草药) for Peter.15 of them were happy. They were able to help each other.
My dad is a sports lover. He always encouraged me to be on sports 1as I grew up. As I became a sports parent, he went on to give 2advice.
Last year, Dad asked my son, Joe, if he was going to 3 the basketball team. Joe said, "I don't know. " Dad knew that Joe was 4and unsure of himself. He thought for a moment, and then said, "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you 5do something, and never be afraid to try something new, even if you think people will 6you. "
This spring, Joe decided to play basketball and made the team. His grandfather was very 7. After the first few weeks of 8, the assistant coach had to leave the team. The coach sent out a(n) 9asking if any parents would take over the job. 10many other parents, I thought someone else would volunteer(自愿). Then a second and third email came out asking for 11. No one was volunteering. I 12what my father had told my son about never being afraid to try something new. At the next practice, I told the 13I could take over the job. Another parent walked up to me and said, "That's lovely, 14you can't coach these boys. " This parent looked at me, a 15155-cm woman, and thought I could not coach a basketball team of teenage boys. I did it anyway.
The Other Side of the Wall
There was a young woman who took great pride in her flower garden. She was raised by her grandmother who taught her to love and1for flowers. So her flower garden was the best.
One day, while she was looking through a flower list she often 2from, a picture of a plant caught her eyes. She had never 3blooms(花) on a flower like that before. "I must have it, " she said to herself, and she 4ordered it.
When it arrived, she already had a5 prepared to plant it. She planted it at the back of her yard. It grew well, with beautiful green leaves all over it, 6there were no blooms. Day after day she continued to water it, feed it, and she even talked to it trying to make it bloom. However, it was 7.
One morning weeks later, when standing before the vine(藤), she felt very8that her plant had not bloomed. She was thinking about 9 it down and planting something else in its place. Just at that moment, her neighbor, whose 10 joined hers, called over to her. "Thank you so much! You can't imagine how much I have 11 the blooms of that vine you planted. " The young woman walked 12 the gate into her neighbor's yard, and sure enough, she saw that on the other side of the wall the vine was 13 with blooms.
There were indeed the most beautiful blooms she had 14 seen. The vine had grown through the crevices(缝隙) and it had not flowered on 15 side of the wall, but it had flowered on the other side.
Sometimes one may not see the good result of his effort, but that doesn't mean it isn't successful.
After a few months' study in New York, I couldn't wait to go home. Some friends drove me to the airport. I didn't know that two of them wrote 1 and put them everywhere in my luggage (行李箱) on the way.
When I arrived at home and 2 my luggage, I found some 3 notes in my clothes. And they also put some in my bag. 4 during the next month, I would find an encouraging note 5 I was getting a pen or a book.
I put all these notes on the wall next to my bed. They 6 me the great happiness and they came from my 7 small love.
Yesterday I wanted to send some kindness to my 8 for his birthday. He has given so 9 to many people——family, friends and strangers——and I thought that a small of act of kindness is the 10 gift of all.
While I was trying to 11 what to do; I saw the encouraging notes on my 12. I took down some of them and walked 13 my neighbor's house, putting them 14 on the window, the door and the wall.
It made me smile to think of the good friends. They 15 these notes a few months ago and to see how the love would travel around my neighborhood.
Sometimes, I doubt (怀疑) if there is any love between my parents, They 1say: "I love you." For them, it's really difficult to say. Every day they are2trying to make money. They don't act in the romantic (浪漫的) way that I read in books and I see on TV.
One day, my mother was sewing (缝) a3.
I sat down beside her quietly.
"Mom, I have a4to ask you," I said after a short time.
"What?" she replied, 5doing her work.
"Is there love6you and Dad?" I asked her.
She didn't answer and still 7. I was worried8I thought I had made her unhappy. After some time, she said to me with a smile, "Susan, look at this thread (线)," she said. "Sometimes it appears, but most of it9in the quilt. It makes the quilt strong.10life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. You can hardly see it anywhere or anytime, but it's really there. Love is11."
The next spring, my father suddenly got very sick. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. After they 12, she helped my father walk slowly down the road every day. To my surprise, Father was weak but really very13.
"Dad, how are you feeling now?" I asked him one day.
"Susan, don't14me," he said. "I just like walking with your mom."
Once, I thought love meant flowers and gifts. Now, I know that love is just a 15 in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm...
There is a saying goes, "No pains, no gains". Here is a story about it. Bob is the son of a farm owner. One New Year's Day when he was 15, his father1him to work on the farm for one year when Bob was2. Bob was3with his father's idea. "That's not my job. I have 4schoolwork to do. "Hearing this, his father said, "I can give you the best present if you 5 finish one year's work. "Bob thought for a while and 6.
Starting one Sunday, the boy got up 7and worked hard until evening, just like any other8. Time passed quickly. Bob's crops (庄稼) grew well. On the 9day of the year, the father said, "I'm happy to see that you have worked very hard the whole10 . Now, tell me11you want. "The boy smiled and 12 his father a big piece of bread made from his wheat. "I have already got the13present. No pains, no gains. I think this is what you wanted14to know. "His father was very15to hear that.
Students these days often have a lot of worries. Sometimes they have problems with their schoolwork, and sometimes with their friends. Some people think the worst thing is to do1. Laura Mills, a teenager from Washington, agrees. "Problems and2are normal(正常的) in life," says Laura. "But I think3to someone helps a lot. If we don't talk to someone, we'll certainly feel4."
Laura once lost her purse, and worried for days. She was5to tell her parents about it. She even6three miles to school each day because she didn't have any money. She just kept thinking. "If I tell my parents, they'll be angry!" But7she talked to her parents and they were8understanding. Her dad said he sometimes made careless mistakes himself. They got her a new9and asked her to be more careful. "I will always10to share my problems in the future!" Laura says.
Robert Hunt, an expert (专家), advises students about common problems. He feels the11way as Laura. "It is best not to avoid (避免) our problems. We should always try to solve (解决) them." He thinks that you can first find someone to talk to and this person doesn't need to be an expert12himself. Students often forget that their13have more experience, and are always there to help them.
In English, we say that14a problem is like cutting it in half.15you're halfway to solving a problem if you talk to someone about it!
A boy and his family left their country because of war. They lived in a small room. They had no toys or books, and only 1food. One night, Father went to the market to buy 2. When he came home, it was nearly dark. He carried a long roll of paper under his arm.
"I bought a map. " He said happily.
" 3 is the bread?" Mother asked. "I bought a map. " He said again.
Mother and the boy said 4.
"I had enough money to buy only a small piece of bread, and we would still be 5, " Father said, feeling very sorry.
"No dinner tonight, " Mother said 6. "We'll have the map instead. " The boy was very angry, but he had to go to bed hungrily.
The next day, Father7the large map. The map was so large that it took up the whole wall. Their dark room was full of 8.
"What a colorful map!" It surprised the boy and made him very 9 it. So he began to spend long hours looking at it and studying it carefully and drawing on any small piece of paper that he 10 find. He learned many different names of places on the map. He even traveled to faraway countries without 11 the room.
The boy landed in deserts. He ran on beaches. He climbed snowy mountains. He saw birds singing on the top of temples. He went 12 forests with lots of fruit trees, eating as many fruits as he liked. He drank fresh water and 13 under tall trees. He came to a city of tall buildings and counted thousands of windows, falling asleep 14he could finish.
So he spent many hours far, far away from his hunger and 15 days. He understood that his father was right at last.
I started to love running at a young age. I loved to race my father and my sister around our big 1.
I wished I could run in the Olympics and win lots of medals.
One day my mother saw an advertisement for a race in a newspaper. "Would you be2taking part in this race?" she asked me, "Yes, of course," I answered.
I3the next few days practicing for my big race. My sister set up a table in the backyard so she could4me water and time me.
On the day of the race, just before the race, my father said to me, "Don't run out of all your energy (能量) at the5of the race. You need to have energy6you can run much faster at the end.
The race began. Following7words, I didn't run as fast as I could. Then the other runners started 8me. I began to feel nervous and tired, and I started slowing down and breathing9.
Just at that moment I heard, "10, Kelly! You can do it! Don't give up! Keep running!" Out of the comer of my eye I saw Dad running beside me around the outside track(跑道).
I took a deep breath and tried my best to11on running. I didn't win the race.
I came fifth, 12I felt like a winner. I tried my best, and I hadn't given up.
I felt thankful that my dad had13left my side. He always encourages me when I14giving up. I'll remember my dad's15forever, "Never give up. You can be a winner even if you lose. "
It was already half psst seven and I was running late. My wife, Eleanor and I agreed to 1 at a restaurant at 7:00.2 it was already 7:30 when I arrived. I said "Sorry” and told her I didn't mean to be 3.
"You never mean to be late. She answered. It was 4 that I made her angry. "sorry. " I said again. Then I told her about my 5 meeting. But my explanation (解释) seemed to make things 6. That started to make me angry, too.
Several weeks later, when I was 7 the thing to my father, he smiled, "You made a classic (经典的) mistake. Although you explained so much, the 8 was that you were late. You did a wrong thing. Then he told me the 9 way to say sorry to Eleanor.
“I see you are angry. You were 10 here for about 30 minutes and that's making you 11. I'm really sorry you had to be here to 12 for so long. All these words really worked. When I made Eleanor angry again, this way helped me win her smile.
When you did 13 that made someone angry, you should always start your words by telling 14your actions impacted (影响) the other person. Never try to find more 15to say why you did this.
