“Mommy, I got something for you!” Cody ran through the door after school. His face wore the biggest smile ever. He waved something above his head. “It's a pen. But not just any pen. It's a lucky pen!” He handed me the pen 1 , waiting for my reaction（反应）.

I looked at the pen in my hand. There was nothing 2 about it. It looked just like any other ballpoint pen. I had a drawer full of them. At that moment, I didn't realize how special it was or how much I would come to treasure（珍爱）it.

I had made the decision to be a(n) 3 . I had dreamed about it for a long time but I was afraid of being refused by the publishing houses. The night before, I told my husband my 4 when I thought Cody wasn't listening. “What if 5 likes my writing and I fail?” But Cody did 6 what I said. Now he stood in front of me, watching me examine the pen. “You don't have to be afraid now,” he said. “This pen will make your 7 great and everyone will love you.”

Tears filled my eyes. Refusal and failure didn't seem like such a big problem any more. Even if I 8 sold the first book, I had everything I could ever need. I knew that pen would bring me luck, though. And I felt 9 already, just by having Cody in my life, especially when I heard what he did to get it.

In the lunchroom, Cody heard an older boy talking about having a lucky 10 . He decided to get it for me. The boy was a tough negotiator(强硬的谈判者) but Cody didn't 11 . In the end, he 12 his favorite Matchbox car, two army men his brother gave him, a crayon, and a piece of candy—his most important things, for that pen. Just to make 13 feel better.

I still have that pen, though it's long out of ink, in a cup on my desk. When a refusal letter arrives and I start feeling 14 , I look at it and remember just how lucky I am. For while I value that pen, it's Cody who I really 15 in my life.

    About five hundred years ago, an earthquake (地震) happened in a small village. Luckily for them, nothing was destroyed (毁坏) and no one was hurt. But a huge stone fell from a nearby mountain and stopped in the middle of the road.

    When the earthquake stopped, many people came to the road and saw the stone. Some of the strongest men tried to lift the stone out of the road. But they couldn't move it. They tried to push it but failed. They tried to pull it with ropes but nothing worked.

    "Well," they said sadly, "there's nothing we can do about it. We'll have to change the way."

    At this time a boy about 12 years old said, "I think I can help you to move the stone away.

    "You?" they shouted. "What are you talking about?" The men all laughed at the boy.?

    The next morning, some people came into the road. One of them shouted, "The stone is gone." More people ran out to see what had happened. It was true. The stone wasn't on the road any longer. It wasn't even near the road.

    The boy walked over to where the stone had been and said, "I buried it."

    The people looked rather surprised. "You see," he said, "I dug a deep hole next to the stone and I dug a small incline (斜坡) up to the stone and the stone rolled (滚) down into the hole itself. Then I covered it with earth."

    The villagers shouted, "Clever boy! Clever boy!" And some of them said, "Why didn't we think out this good idea?"

    One Friday morning, I booked an Uber car to the train station When the car arrived, I just saw the car number and got in. "Please be 1 I need to get to the train station in half an hour," I said.

    The driver said, "Yes, ma' am."

    I was surprised (惊讶的) when I heard a female(女性的) voice! The 2 was a young woman! I travelled in Uber cars for hundreds of times, 3 I never saw a female driver here in India. In India, many people may think that it's dangerous for women to drive Uber cars. So I 4 to know more about my driver.

    "If you don't 5 can I ask you some questions?" I asked

    "Yes, ma'am."

    "Are you well-educated (受过良好教育的)?"

    "Yes, ma' am. I have just got my MBA."

    "Wow! So why did you choose this 6 ?"

    She smiled and said, " 7 is may interest, ma'am. No job is too small. I  8 want a job from which I can get real happiness. I tried other jobs, but I like this one most ……"

    About 20 minutes later, I arrived. I said thank you to 9 I really enjoyed the ride and learned something 10 the young woman.

    Chrissy had only been in heaven for a few days. She was a (n) 1 angel there. Even though she was the newest angel, Chrissy had been given a very important task (任务). She was in charge of the 2 . Every Monday and every Thursday, she had to be 3 that the clouds get together and spread their raindrops all over the world. Every living thing on the 4 needed rain. Trees needed rain to grow 5 and strong. Grass needed rain to 6 green. All the animals had to have water to 7 and to take baths in. And of course flowers needed the rain to look lovely and smell wonderful. So making the rain come was a very important 8! But no one had told Chrissy how to make it rain, and she didn't know what to do at all.

    Chrissy asked one of the old angels if he could 9 her. "The angel that had the job before you used to tell sad stories to the clouds, and that made them cry," said the old one. But Chrissy was a very 10 little angel and she didn't know any sad stories. So she didn't think that would work.

    "You don't understand me!" I shouted. Then I ran out of the house and got on a bus. I didn't know1it was going. I just wanted to get away from home as2as 1 could.

    I couldn't3what had just happened to me. My mother, the person I believe in, had just read all of my 4 from my close friends! It shouldn't have happened to me. She read my letters and told me not to write to5any more! I couldn't6the tears from falling when I thought about this.

    Later that day, I went to my close7house.8my friend gave me a cup of water, the phone rang.

    "It's your mother," she spoke to me in a low9.

    "Tell her that I'm not here!" I replied. However, my mother heard it. "Tell her not to leave! I'll be right there!" Then she hung up the phone10a "goodbye". In fact, I should say that I was a little11. I couldn't imagine what would happen.

    But to my12, when my mother arrived, "sorry" was the first word she13to me. Her14 told me that she had been crying and her voice told me that she was really tired. "Will you forgive me?" at last she asked. I didn't know what to say. I just15her, and gave her a big hug.

    She held me so tightly. You know, at that time, I felt so warm. I really love you, Mum!