I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many 1 that “proved” his nonexistence. Always2by nature, I was determined to use 3to decide whether Santa Claus was 4.

    The first test5when I was 5, I decided that if I6all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really came down the chimney7 that was a useless8 I fell asleep that year, and when I woke up, I saw a 9 wrapped present under the10

    At the age of 7, I came up with another test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn't send out my Christmas letter to Santa because I wanted 11for Christmas. But this turned into a plot. By then, I 12knew Santa wasn't real, but I wanted enough13to support this. That year was 14. Because on Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart led me around the toy section. I 15 to say a word, but did let my eyes16on a ballet set. I17that “Santa” wouldn't know what I wanted because he shouldn't be able to read my 18However, my mother would know everything that caught my eyes in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. On Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree again.19I didn't use it much, my mother ended up returning it a few days later. She20 Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my task to discover the existence of Santa.

    I was eighteen years old and I was the golden girl. I was president of the college drama society, a member of the student senate and so on. I was the 1of all my friends and I was in a state of 2.

    The old Greek tragedies 3us that when pride rises, punishment falls. My universe 4with great suddenness. The scenery（舞台布景道具） fell on my head and I was left almost 5for the next four months.

    My memory was in a mess and within a few months all my 6were taken away. I was even told that I would have to leave the college at the end of the spring term 7, clearly, I couldn't do academic work."

    Sad, I took one last 8by Dr. Jacob Taubes. He was the most brilliant teacher I had ever 9and in his class, I began to raise a tentative 10and ask an occasional question. He would answer with great intensity, and soon I found myself asking 11questions constantly.

    One day I was walking to the bus when I heard Dr. Taubes 12me, "Miss Houston, let me walk with you. You know, you have a most 13mind."

    "Me? I have a mind?"

    "Yes, of course." Then he asked my understanding of some problems discussed in the classes.

    From that day on, Dr. Taubes continued to14me to the bus, always 15me with intellectually vigorous questions. Within several weeks my eyesight came back and my spirit 16.

    What I acquired from this experience was a 17sense of life. I remain deeply 18for the attention Dr. Taubes had shown. He 19me when I most needed it. I swore then that I would try to20and acknowledge the unlucky person as I had been acknowledged.

    Mrs. Walker sat down at her desk and sighed. "OK. Tell me, Winston, how your homework became part of the ecosystem."

    "Yesterday," he began, "after I finished my math homework, I needed a(n) 1. So I took out my bubblegum tape(泡泡糖) to 2. Michael and I are having a contest."

    "Yes." 3 Michael, "We are."

    "I thought the more gum, the bigger the bubble. I kept 4 gum and my bubble kept growing. Pretty soon I was blowing bubbles so big they 5 my face."

    "Wow!" one girl behind him exclaimed in whisper.

    "Then it 6. I blew a bubble as big as a beachball." He 7 his arms over his head to show how big it was."

    Some kids murmured in disbelief. But Winston 8 them and went on.

    "All of a sudden a gust of wind 9 the bubble right out of my mouth! The bubble 10 over my desk and out the window. As it sailed away, I noticed something yellow stuck to it. Like paper. Then I noticed my 11 was missing."

    "So?" Mrs. Walker asked.

    "I ran after it into Mrs. Roosevelt's garden—she lives next door. I saw her cat 12 the bubble. The bubble broke. All I saw then was the cat running madly away.

    "Mrs. Roosevelt helped me search the 13. But my homework was nowhere to be seen."

    Mrs. Walker did not look 14. Shaking her head, she said, "15, Winston, why didn't you just tell me that the homework was 16 and…"

    Just then, the office assistant walked in with an envelope addressed to Winston.

    Everyone watched him open the envelope and take out his 17 homework page and a note that said, "For Winston's teacher."

    Winston must have 18 to turn this in. He's responsible. I have no idea how his homework got stuck to my cat, but I'm sure Winston can give you a(n) 19.

Mrs. Roosevelt

    Mrs. Walker 20. "It was all true!"

    "Yes, Madam". Winston said quietly.

    It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon some fifteen or sixteen years ago. I took my two kids to the local playground. As soon as we got there my daughter headed for the swings(秋千)and asked for a 1. I noticed another little girl 2 to get her own swing going high as I was 3 my daughter to go higher and higher.

    I walked over to the little girl and asked 4 she needed help. She smiled and said YES and I soon had her feet flying towards the 5 while she laughed happily. For the next two hours I found myself pushing swings and playing games with my daughter and the little girl. By the time we headed home, I was 6 tired, but my spirits were flying 7 than those swings.

    Three years later I was 8 again after a day's work. Still, I needed to 9 my kids from their school before heading home. I stood in the 10 waiting area waiting for my children. Suddenly, I felt two 11 arms wrapped around my legs. I looked down and there was the little girl I met 3 years before on the 12 smiling up at me. She gave me a big hug before running away to 13 the school bus. As I watched her 14, I didn't feel tired any more and my spirits were once again 15 with that swing.

    The love we 16 with others will find its way back to us. It will travel from heart to heart. It may take seconds or it may take 17. The law of love, 18 is never broken. We will get back what we give. We will harvest what we 19. The kindness we give and the joy we create will always come back to 20 us.

    One day, when I was a teenager, I was home along doing two of my favourite things: I was eating a huge plate of spaghetti and mealbails and I was 1.

    At the time, my family pet bird - a big white cockatoo named Luke was free from his 2 and flying around inside the house. Luke, which wasn't3 to use real words, was chucking (咯咯地叫) away, 4 me, but I wasn't paying attention to him. I was 5 on reading my detective book. 6 Luke decided to get closer and before I 7 it, he'd landed right on top of my spaghetti and meatbails! I was so surprised - my mind went8. My reaction was the same as yours would be: I shooed (用"嘘"声吓唬)him off my food! This wouldn't have been so bad 9 one thing: Luke had 10 my spaghetti. So when he 11 again, the spaghetti still winded in his12 went flying everywhere. He landed on my shirt. He hit me in the 13. As I pulled noodles out of my hair, Luke 14 spaghetti sauce all the way. He wasn't15, except for his16the sauce in his beautiful white 17 turned him splotchy (油渍斑斑的)orange for several weeks.

    See how funny spaghetti can be? And see how 18 reading can be? So go ahead and enjoy a good book. But if you like to read while you eat, you'd better keep an eye on your food. And if you find a19 novel at the 20 with red, splotchy (油渍斑斑的)spots on two pages near the middle, you'll know that I've read that book, too!

Hummingbirds (蜂鸟) are a very important part of Mexico's ecosystem, but because of the ever-spreading city landscape, they face all sorts of serious dangers. That's where 73-year-old Catia Lattouf de Arida comes in. As a self-taught hummingbird care-taker, she devotes most of her free time and resources to nursing the tiny birds back to health. Her home in Mexico City has become known as a hummingbird hospital.

Catia's story as a hummingbird nurse began in 2011, at a very difficult moment in her life. At that time, she focused on her battle with cancer and fell into a depression (抑郁) . She was walking on the street one day when she noticed a hummingbird that had suffered a serious eye injury. The kindhearted woman took it home and named it Gucci. She managed to nurse Gucci back to health, but she said it was Gucci that saved her. Why? Because the hummingbird managed to pull her out of the sadness and loneliness that had taken over her life. 

Word of her success spread among Catia's friends, and before long some of them began bringing her injured hummingbirds. She didn't repulse them at all. She began to study the bird and their habits in order to better take care of them, and after 11 years of experience, the 73-year-old woman is considered an expert on hummingbirds. 

In order to raise awareness of the difficult situation of hummingbirds in Mexico, Catia Lattouf de Arida started posting videos of the patients in her Mexico City apartment on social media, and many of them became popular. That's when the need for her nursing services really blew up. She has cared for hundreds of hummingbirds in her 11-year career, when she has had as many as 50 of them in her apartment at any one time. She spends pretty much all her time looking after the tiny birds.