"It's over! Thank goodness!" school was 1 and I was tired. I 2 at the front of the school bus.

    Janie, the driver, tries to 3 the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of talks. I try to listen politely, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day, however, her talk was worth 4.

    "My father's ill ," she said to no one in particular(特别地). I could see worry in her 5. I had never seen her like this before. She always meets students 6 a smile.

    With a sudden change of interest, I asked, "what's wrong with him?"

    With her eyes wet and her voice unusual, she answered, "Heart trouble." Her eyes lowered as she continued. "I've already 7 my mum, so I don't think I can stand losing him." I couldn't answer. My heart ached for her.

    I sat on the 8 thinking of the great pain my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, and still is, for her. I wouldn't want to anyone to go through that.

    Suddenly I realized Janie wasn't only a bus 9, that was just her job. She had a whole world of family and cares 10. 

    I suddenly 11 very selfish. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as unimportant.

    I shouldn't have been so selfish and self-centered. 12 people is an art.

    My father was born in a poor village in the north of Jiangsu, China. When he was a young boy, he went to school in the morning, and then 1 in the fields till sunset. And then he did his homework until midnight. Life was hard, because they had no 2!

    At the age of 14, my father heard of the United States of America. It was the 3 of gold, the land where poor people can become rich.

   “Why don't I go to America?” he thought to himself, full of 4.

    So, my father came to America. “I had thought it was easy to 5 money in America.” he told me. “But when I arrived there, I realized it's not 6. They didn't like to hire(雇佣) me because I spoke little English. Later, I worked in a small restaurant, cleaning up tables, 7 dishes and sweeping the floor. Life was hard for the first few years. I worked from 10 a. m. to 11 p. m. I wanted to go to school to learn English, but it's impossible. I couldn't 8 the schooling(学费).”

    My father 9 working hard，and reached his goal.

  “Alan,” he often told me. “If you want something, you have to work for it and never give up. Things do not come  10 in life.” That's what I learned from my father.

    It was a fine spring day with beautiful flowers in the park. A young man arrived early and waited for his 1 under a big tree. But he was so short-tempered (性急的) that he wasn't in the mood to 2 the scenery.

    Suddenly, an angel appeared, "Here is a button (按钮). If you don't want to 3, just turn the button to the right. You can skip over (跳过) any time period if you want to."

    The man happily held the button and turned it softly. Oh! How amazing! His girlfriend appeared before him and was gently 4 him! "How I wish our wedding ceremony could be held now!" He turned the button once again. A great wedding 5 in front of him. The beautiful bride (新娘) was standing next to him and the band was playing 6 music. He lost himself in it deeply.

    The 7 in his heart kept coming out: I also want a big house with a garden in the front. He turned the button. Then he wished for children. All of a sudden, a group of lovely children were playing 8 in the huge living room. Again, he jumped at the chance to tum the button to the right.

    How time flew! Before he could see beautiful flowers in the garden, everything had been covered in deep snow. Looking at himself again, he found his hair totally 9. He had already become so old.

    He felt so sad. He would rather enjoy life step by step than watch it go by in such a hurry. He quickly turned the button to the 10.

    Once again, he was waiting for his lovely girlfriend under that big tree.

    I left school against the advice of my parents and became a worker in a factory. However, I still tried to 1 my studies in literature (文学) at evening classes.

    It was a long walk on cold winter nights and it was 2 to put my heart into Shakespeare with wet shoes and trousers. So I started writing 3 at home.

    By chance, I won some prizes for literature. One day a woman from a TV 4 came and told me I had won a national poetry prize. I looked at her 5 and disbelieved what she said. They made a short film of me reading one of my poems. Literature became more 6 for me and I didn't want to 7 in the factory. So I told my parents l wanted to get back to 8. They were greatly surprised, of course, also 9. They asked me if l was sure. I told them nothing could 10 me. So, again I came back to class.

    Many American people like to have their holidays in other countries. One day an American 1comes to China. This is her first time to China so she knows2. She wants to 3some friends there. She meets a Chinese. This Chinese wants to 4English with the American. When he sees her, he comes up and says "5" to her. Then he begins his first talk with someone 6 a foreign(外国的) country. "How old are you?" the Chinese says. "I'm 7I can't tell you. Please don't ask a woman this 8." The American says. The man is surprised(感到惊讶的). He doesn't know9. Can you help10?

    The man doesn't know, in Western(西方的) countries，a woman sees her age(年龄) as a secret.