Mr. Black was over fifty years old. He sometimes made some mistakes in his work, and he lost his work. So he had 1 time every day to do something. Then he often met his old friends under a big tree. They had a drink there and 2 anything they liked.

    One day, some old men were sitting together again and talking about young people in this world. They all agreed that the old people were 3 than young people. Then one of the old 4 said that young men were stronger than old men.

    5of them agreed that this was true, 6 Mr. Black didn't. He said, "No, I am as strong now as when I was a young man." His friends were surprised 7 what he said.

    "Well," said Mr Black. "Near my house there is a big stone. When I was a young man, I used 8 to move it. But I couldn't because I was not 9. I am an old man now, and when I try to move it, I still 10. So I am as strong as when I was young. "

      Each morning a rich man found a poor man sitting on a park bench（凳）．The poor man always 1there, looking at the big   2  in which the rich man lived. One day the rich man got out of his car and said to the poor man, “Excuse me, but I just want to know 3 you sit here and look at my hotel    4 ”.“Sir ,” said the poor man, “I am a failure. I have no money, no family, no home. I sleep on this bench, and every night I dream that one day I'll sleep in that hotel.”

      The rich man said, “Tonight your dream will  5  . I will pay for the   6  room in that hotel for you   7  a whole month.”

      A few days later, the rich man  8 the poor man's room to ask him if he was enjoying  9  .To his  10 , he found that the man had moved out of the hotel, back to his   11 .When the rich man asked why, the poor man said, “You see,   12    I'm down here sleeping on my bench, I dream I'm up there , in that big hotel. It's a    13 dream. But when I was  14  there, I dreamed I was back to this cold bench. It was a terrible dream , and I   15  get any sleep at all.”

    The day before my daughter Norah's fourth birthday, I picked her up from preschool. On the way, she said, “I like old people best because they walk slowly like I walk slowly and they have soft skin like I have soft skin.”What she said marked a 1beginning.

    The following day—her birthday—again on the way home, she asked 2 we could stop at the store to buy cakes for her. How could I say3 to a birthday girl? After paying for the bill, I noticed that Norah was standing up in the cart,4announcing, “Hi, old person! It's my birthday today!” However, the old man in front of her didn't show he was5 by my talkative child. He 6 with a smile, “Well, little lady! And how old are you today?” After a few minutes' chat, Norah offered to take a photo with the old man called Mr. Dan, his expression changed from surprised to delighted. We exchanged our phone numbers. There was magic happening in the store that day, and we could 7 feel it.

    During our first visit in Mr. Dan's home, We walked with him to his front door. He pulled out a knife and 8the only blooming red rose. He spent ten minutes cutting every thorn（刺）9 the stem（茎）before handing it to his new friend. Norah keeps that rose, now10as a bone, under her pillow for a long time.

    Norah asks about Mr. Dan every day. She worries about him. She wonders if he's 11 or cold. She wants him to be OK. She wants him to feel loved. Mr. Dan thinks about Norah too. After 12 recent visit, he said that he had 13 had a whole night's sleep since his wife died. “Norah has healed me since meeting her.” he said. That left me 14 and my eyes wet with tears. Somehow, their hearts and souls seem to recognize each other from long ago. Sometimes talking to strangers can 15 beautiful new beginnings.

    Thanksgiving Day was coming. A teacher gave her class an interesting task—to draw a picture of something to express their 1.

    The teacher thought most of her 2 would draw turkey or some other traditional food of the festival. And so they did. But Douglas made a 3 kind of picture.

    Douglas was a child of unhappiness. 4 other children played together, Douglas always stood close by his teacher's side.

    His picture was special. When he was asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand! 5 else. Just an empty hand.

    His work caught the attention of his classmates. Whose hand could it be? Scone guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raised turkeys, others guessed it was the hand of God, because God helped everyone. The discussions 6, and they even forgot to ask the artist himself.

    When the discussion stopped, the teacher asked Douglas whose hand it was. The little boy said in a low voice, "It's 7, teacher."

    She got surprised at his words. Then she 8 that she often took his hand. Sometimes she said, "Douglas, take my hand, we'll go outside." Sometimes she said, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil." And she 9 said, "Let's do this together."

    Her eyes were full of tears. She had done these to all her students. She didn't know these were so 10 to him. She hugged Douglas and decided to give him more love.

    When Mr. Jones went to a restaurant one day, he left his coat near the door. There was nothing in the pocket of the coat when he left it, so he was 1 when he took his coat after his meal and found the pocket full of jewellery.

    There was a waiter near the door. 2 Mr. Jones said to him, "Somebody 3 a mistake. He put some jewellery in my coat. Take it, and when he comes back, give it to him." The waiter took it and went away.

 Suddenly another man came in with a coat just like Mr. Jones'. "I'm sorry," said the man 4. "I made a mistake. I took your coat and you have got mine. Please give me my coat and jewellery." Mr. Jones answered. "I give the jewellery to the waiter. He will give it to you."

    Mr. Jones called the manager of the restaurant, but the manager said, "We have no waiters here. We only have 5." "You give the jewellery to a thief," shouted the other man, "I shall call the police." Mr. Jones was afraid and paid the man a lot of money 6 the jewellery.