Today is Mary's birthday, but her mother had to work late tonight. She 1 Mary that they could have a party next week. Mary was very disappointed.

    Mary walked to school and hoped her friends would 2 that she was eight today.  “Hi, Mary. Happy birthday,” Julie said.

    Mary smiled 3 and asked, “Julie, can you come to my birthday party next week?”

    Julie said, “I'm sorry, Mary. I can't.” The rest of the day didn't go much better. All of her friends said they could not go to her party next week. Mary was very 4. Cindy tried to cheer her up, but it was not  5. Her big day was turning out to be 6. She had to wait until it was time to go home.  Evening came, and Cindy's mother drove to Mary's home with Cindy and Mary. When Mary opened the door, the house was 7. Her mom didn't come back home. She turned to ask Cindy and Cindy's mom to wait. “Surprise!”

    Mary 8 and all the lights in the house went on. Her mother and all of her friends were there! The coffee table in the living room was 9 presents. She ran into the kitchen. Her mother had 10 her favorite meal. Mary stood next to her mom. “Thank you!” Mary said happily. She had a happy birthday party with her friends together.

B

    I'm Henry, from America. This is my first time in Japan. One day some new colleagues (同事) invited me to 1. At first, I was quite happy and learned to use chopsticks with them, but later 2 started.

    That day, I had a 3. I felt uncomfortable with my nose, so I turned away from the table and blew (擤) my nose. My colleagues looked at me 4. They explained to me that in Japan, people don't blow their noses in public — especially at table.

    When I was trying to stick my 5 in my bowl of rice, one of my colleagues said, “Don't do that. Just leave them on the table.” Later, I found that leaving your chopsticks in your rice means death 6 Japanese culture!

    The next time I needed to blow my nose, I left the table and went to the toilet. 7 I returned, it was nearly time to leave. I noticed there were some small bowls with water in them on the table. It smelt good and I started 8 it before it got cold. Then I saw some of my colleagues cover their mouths. They were trying not to 9. “What's the matter?” I asked the colleague next to me.“It's for washing 10 fingers,” he said. For a moment, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

    In 2011, Henry and I took our children to London to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. We 1 Buckingham Palace at nine o'clock in the morning. The wedding was at eleven o'clock, but the streets were 2 crowded.

    There were big screens around Buckingham Palace and we watched the wedding service at Westminster Abbey 3 the screens. Kate looked beautiful. She wore a nice white dress. Prince William wore a smart red uniform.

    4 the wedding service, Prince William and Kate left for Buckingham Palace. We waited 5 . Everyone was shouting and cheering. Even the policemen were happy and making 6 . Suddenly we heard the sound of music and drums. A group of soldiers(士兵)were 7 along the street. They were walking and playing music. After them we saw a beautiful carriage(四轮马车).

    8 the carriage came close to the place where we were standing. People around us were cheering loudly. My 9 were shouting excitedly. Henry was taking photos. Prince William smiled and waved at(向……挥手)us. He looked so happy and friendly. It was a fantastic experience and I will never 10 it.

    We look at the world around us everyday, but somehow we don't manage to see it until what we've become used to suddenly disappeared. That's to say that you may get used to some places and some 1 around you. For example, the neatly-dressed woman I used to see --or look at on my way to work each 2.

    For three years, no matter 3the weather was like, she was always waiting at the bus stop around 8:00 a.m. On 4 days, she wore heavy clothes and a pair of woolen gloves. Summertime turn out clean cotton dresses and a hat pulled low over her sunglasses. 5, she was an ordinary working woman. Of course, I 6all this only after she was seen no more. It was then that I realized how 7I expected to see her each morning. You might say I 8her.

    "Did she have an accident? Something 9?" I thought to myself about her disappearance. Now that she was gone, I felt I had 10her. I began to realize that part of our  11life probably includes such chance meetings with familiar strangers: the milkman you see at dawn, the woman who 12walks her dog along the street ever morning, the twin brothers you see at the library. Such people are 13markers in our lives. They add weight to our 14 of places and belongings.

    Think about it, while walking to work, 15we mark where we are by passing a certain building, why not mark where we are when we pass a familiar, though unnamed , person?

The Sweetest Sight

    I was in the most beautiful city in the world, yet I only wanted home.

    It was an amazing week for my husband and me –the trip of a lifetime. Months ago, when my husband told me that he would have a meeting in London. I expressed my1to go to Europe together with him. Then we asked his mother to 2our two children and started off.

    During the week's time,3visited London and Paris –as much as we could, Big Ben, the Louvre and so on. All these were beautiful places we expected to see before. We really enjoyed ourselves.

    On our last night in Paris,4we enjoyed the night view(夜景) of the Eiffel Tower, my husband called home. His mother5the phone. In a second, my husband's face fell and he looked so worried. I could feel something 6happened.

    "What's wrong?" I asked.

    He didn't answer and continued to listen. A few minutes later, he said 7to me that Tony, our seven-year-old son, had fallen off his bike and 8his leg. He must be sent to hospital at once.

    At that moment, Paris suddenly lost its charm(魅力).

    "I don't want to be here! I shouldn't be here! I should be home 9 my kids!"

    We hurried back to our hotel and then to the airport …

    Finally, we got home. We rushed into our children's bedroom. Seeing our two children, I suddenly realized the truth: there is no 10 sight(风景)in the world than your children's faces that greet you at home.

    When I was 13 years old, a boy gave me an important gift. It was a smile.

    It was the early autumn of my first year at a junior high school, and my old school was far away. As a result,  1 knew who I was. I was very lonely, and afraid to make friends with anyone.

    Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing. I felt my 2 break. I couldn't talk to anyone about my problem, and I didn't want my parents to worry about me.

    Then one day, my classmates talked happily with their friends,    78   I sat at my desk unhappily as usual. At that moment, a boy entered the classroom. I didn't know who he was. He passed me and then 3 back. He looked at me and, without a word, smiled.

    Suddenly, I felt the touch of 4 bright and friendly. It made me feel happy, lively and warm.

    That smile changed my life. I 5 to talk with the other students and made friends. Day by day, I became closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now.

   One day, I asked him why he smiled, but he couldn't remember smiling at me！

    It doesn't matter because all the dark days have gone. Now I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you think you are lonely, you might always be alone. So smile at the world and it will smile back.