The secret of happiness

    An old man walked slowly with a cane(手杖)into the restaurant .His old jacket, worn-out shoes and warm personality made him stand out from the usual crowd.

    A young waitress watched him move toward a table by the window. She ran over to him, and said: “Here, sir……let me help you with that chair.”

    Without saying a word, he smiled and nodded(点头)a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit. Then she put his came against the table.

    “Thank you, miss.”he said, kindly.

    “You're welcome, sir.”she said.

    After he had finished his breakfast, the waitress brought him the change(零钱)from his bill. He left it on the table. She helped him up and walked with him to the front door.

    When she went to clean his table, she found a business card under his plate and note on a napkin(纸巾). Under the napkin was a 100-dollar bill.

    The note on the napkin read: “Dear miss, I respect you very much and I can see you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. (3)You have found the secret of happiness. Your kindness will shine through to all those who meet you.”

    The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she or any of the other workers had ever seen him in person.

    By Steve Brunkhorst

    “In this life，what did you miss？”

    The wife asked the husband when she was 25．Despondently （沮丧地），the husband replied，“I missed a new job chance．”

    When she was 35，the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus．

    At the age of 45，the husband sadly said，“I missed the chance seeing my close relative before his last breath．”

    At 55，the husband said disappointedly，“I missed a good chance to retire （退休）．”

    At 65，title husband hurriedly replied，“I missed visiting my dentist．”

    At 75，the wife did not ask the husband any more，she was very sick．Remembering the question the wife used to ask him，this time the husband asked the wife the same question．The wife，with a smile and peaceful look，replied，“In this life，I did not miss having you!”

    The husband was full of tears．He always thought that they could be together forever．He was always busy with work and other things．He had never thought of his wife．The husband gave a big hug to the wife and said，“Over 50years，how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me．”

    Life does not last forever，so always live in the now．Don't neglect （忽视）the loved ones who care for you．Express your gratitude （感激）to your loved ones in words．Show your love with actions．Treat every day as the last day of life．In this way，when you are gone，your loved ones would have nothing to feel sorry about．

    In 1961, a man found a strange cat on his farm in Scotland. The cat's ears were bent forward on its head. In fact, this was a new kind of cat. People named it the "Scottish Fold".

    The Scottish Fold has a round head and big eyes. Its neck and legs are short. Its body is generally round, which makes it look very cute. Interestingly, all the Scottish Folds are born with straight ears. And when they are growing up day by day, some cats' ears will begin to fold. So, the Scottish Fold comes in two types: folded ears and straight ears.

    Besides, there is a nickname for the Scottish Fold. It is the "Messenger of Peace". Why? Because the Folds are sweet and friendly animals. They can get along well with other cats. And unlike some other cats, they can even get along well with dogs. In many different environments, such as in a noisy house, or in a cat show, you can see them playing with other animals happily.

    Well, when you come to a new school, do you think it's difficult to adapt (适应) to the new environment? Perhaps you can learn from the Scottish Fold. That is: always be sweet and friendly to others.

①Tom lived with his grandfather, who is regarded as the wisest man in the village. Many people went to grandfather for advice or help. 

②One day, Tom saw three men walking together. They found a single-log（独木）bridge halfway, below which there was a deep river. 

③The first man didn't hesitate（犹豫）to step on the bridge and he made it to the other side of the river. The second man came close to the bridge. When seeing the deep river, he was so afraid that he made no move. Encouraged by the first man, he put his feet on the bridge. Although his right foot was hurt in the middle of the bridge, he got there safely. But the third man was the least brave to cross the river. It was getting dark. Behind him were some hungry wolves, he felt hopeless. But he had to be brave to cross the river. Only after a few steps, he fell into the river. 

④Seeing the puzzled look on Tom's face, grandfather said sincerely（由衷地，语重心长地）, "When in difficulties, the more time it takes to hesitate, the higher price you'll have to pay."

It was so dark outside. There was still two hours 1 my parents got home from the theatre. I didn't go with them 2 I wasn't interested in opera. After finishing my homework, I locked 3 in my parents' bedroom and turned on the TV.

Suddenly, the 4 began to ring. I picked it up and said "Hello?" but nobody answered. I knew someone was at 5 end. Finally? I hung up. A minute later, the phone rang again, but still nobody answered. I became more and more 6 as time passed.

To take my mind off this prank (恶作剧), I called my friend Jane. She 7 me to give my parents a call, but they were not allowed to use phones in the theatre. As we talked, a car drove in our driveway. I 8 the window and saw an unfamiliar (不熟悉的) car. Five minutes passed and the car was 9 there. Anna told me to call the police, but I refused. I thought I'd better find a place to 10 . Luckily, my parents arrived home soon. Since then I haven't stayed home alone and I think I will never be home alone.

Charlotte's Web(夏洛特的网)is a popular children's novel. It was written by Elwyn Brooks White. And it talks about the deep friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Wilbur was taken good care of by his little owner in a barn(谷仓). Wilbur ate and drank all day and felt very happy. He also met a good friend—Charlotte the spider. However, when the weather cooled down, he was going to become a dish on people's tables. Charlotte, Wilbur's friend, was sad about that. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

At first, Charlotte didn't have any plans. But she kept thinking every day when she worked on her web. Finally, smart Charlotte came up with a wonderful idea. She wove(织)a big web above the pen( 猪 圈 )and wrote the message" Some Pig". This made Wilbur a famous pig, and many people came to visit him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Not only did he not get killed, but his owner also decided to look after him well for the rest of his life. However, Charlotte's life was coming to an end. 

Before Charlotte died, she said to Wilbur, "You've been my friend. A spider's life is in a mess with all this catching and eating flies. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}27 Charlotte left behind an egg sac(卵囊). Wilbur took the egg sac backto the barn.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Three of them stayed with Wilbur and continued the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur.