Hello. I'm Tom. I'm a middle school student. It's nice to meet you here. First, let me tell you 1 my family. Five people are in my 2, my mother, my father, my two sisters and I. But I have 3 brother.

    My father is a worker. My mother is 4 English teacher. My sisters are sixteen. I'm fourteen. We go to the same school. We all like 5 football games. We think they're interesting. I also have a cat. 6 name is Mimi.

    There is a big tree and some small trees  (树) around my house. The big one is a pear tree and the small ones are apple 7.  8 a photo of my room. Please have a look. When(当) you 9 my room, you can see three English dictionaries on my desk. I like 10 very much.

    Yesterday was my grandmother's 60th birthday. My parents and I got up early in the morning, and then we took the subway to 1home. After we arrived, my mother 2 lunch in the kitchen. My father played 3 with my grandfather in the living room. They like to play chess and they are in a chess club. I 4 with my grandmother about my school life. She was very interested in it. At lunchtime we gave our 5 to my grandmother. My parents 6 a beautiful dress for her. I drew 7 picture as her birthday gift. We sang the birthday song (歌) together (一起), 8 she made a wish before blowing out the candles. We had a very delicious lunch. 9 lunch, we went to the park and took many photos. 10 happy we were!

    Once upon a time, there was a teacher and his student lying down under a big grass area. Suddenly, the student asked the teacher, “Teacher, I wonder 1 I can find my soul mate（灵魂伴侣）? Can you please tell me?”

    2 for a second, then the teacher answered, “Well, it's a pretty hard and easy question.”

    The student 3 hard.

    The teacher continued, “Look that way, there is a lot of grass there. You just walk there but please 4 walk backwards(向后地), just walk straight ahead. On your 5, try to find a beautiful grass and pick it up and then give it to me. But just one.”

    The student replied, “OK ，wait for 6.” Then he walked straight ahead to the grass field.

    A few minutes later the student came back.

    The teacher said, “Um, I don't see any beautiful 7 on your hand.”

    The student explained, “On my journey, I 8 a few beautiful grass, but I thought that I would find a 9one, so I didn't pick it up. But I didn't realize that I was at the 10of the field, and I hadn't picked up any 11you told me not to go back so I didn't go back.”

     “That's what happened in 12life,” the teacher told the student.

    What is the message of this story?

    Grass is people 13 you. Beautiful Grass is people that draw your attention. Grass field is time.

    In looking for your soul mate or your right job, please don't always 14and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, you'll 15 your lifetime ,because “Time Never Goes Back.” So the moral (寓意)of the story is LOVE & take the chance that you have now! Treasure it, don't wait until you lose it.

    My great-grand mother, Winifred Hastings, got rich in a mining（采矿）town out West. But her 1 didn't come from gold or silver, but from soup, steak, apple pie, and good coffee.

    In the early 1900's, Winifred arrived in Silver City with her husband. But he caught a fever and died suddenly. With the little money she had, Winifred decided to open a practical restaurant to 2 all the hungry miners in town.

    The restaurant had only wooden boxes for tables, but business was very good 3. The miners 4 that Winifred was a great cook, 5 they ate in her restaurant every day.

    One time, Winifred had a small accident in the restaurant. A fire started in the kitchen and her customers had to put it out. The town mayor walked in 6 there was still a lot of smoke in the room. “Winifred,” he said. “What are you cooking back there?” Everybody 7.

    In 1905, Winifred got married again and moved out of town. On her 8 day in Sliver City, a photographer took her picture. The picture is over my desk at home. It shows Winifred with about fifty miners standing in front of the restaurant. At the top of the photo 9 says: TO WINIFRED THE BEST COOK IN THE WEST. 10 YOUR BOYS.

    Donald was not very good at maths. He could not understand the teacher's 1. Even when the teacher explained something again, Donald still could not 2it. “Never mind,” Donald told himself. “I'm quite good at other 3. I cheat (作弊) in the maths exam, then I won't be in4.”

    “My deskmate Brian Smith is best at maths,” he thought, “and I'll be able to 5his answers.”

    The day of the exam came, and Donald sat 6Brian Smith, who always sat at the front of the 7. Donald carefully copied Brian's answers onto his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher 8the papers and graded (评分) them.

    Then she said, “Well, boys and girls, I've decided to give a9to the student who got the highest grade. It's 10for me to decide whom I will choose, however, because two students, Donald and Brian, got the 11grade.”

    “Let them share it.” one of the 12said.

    “I've thought about that,” the teacher said, “but I've chosen Brian.”

    Donald was 13when he heard this. He stood up and said, “That's not fair.”

    “That's 14,” the teacher said. “However, Brian's answer to Question 18 was 'I don't know.' Yours was 15do I.' ”

    Whenever my child caused me to change my schedule, I thought to myself, "We don't have time for this." Therefore, the two words I most commonly spoke to my child were: "Hurry up". But my promise to 1 was made almost three years ago, and I began my journey to grasp what 2 in life.

    My younger daughter is my living reminder of why I must keep trying to slow down.

    The two of us had taken a bike ride to the 3. After buying an ice cream for my daughter, she sat down at a table 4 admiring it she held in her hand. Suddenly a look of worry came across her face. "Do I have to rush, Mama?"

    I could have 5. Perhaps the pains of a 6 life don't ever completely disappear, I thought sadly. As my child looked up at me waiting to know 7 she could take her time, I knew I had a choice. I could sit there in sorrow thinking about the number of times when I rushed my child through life…or I could 8 the fact that today I'm trying to do things 9. I chose to live in today.

    "You don't have to rush," I said 10. Her whole face immediately brightened and her shoulders relaxed. And so we sat side-by-side talking. There were even moments when we sat in 11  just smiling at each other.

    When she got to the last bite, she held out a spoonful of ice crystals and sweet juice for me. "I 12 the last bite for you, Mama," my daughter said 13. I realized I just got the deal of a lifetime. I gave my child a little time… and 14, she gave me her last bite and reminded me that things taste sweeter and love comes 15 when you stop rushing through life.