As we slowly drove down the street on that cold December evening we spotted the porch（门廊）light."This1be the house."I told our "Positive Teens In Action" group with certainty.We2in front of an older home with the porch light shining.We gathered up our3books,walked up the steps,and4on the door.We heard a5voice from inside say,"Come in.The door is open."We opened the door.

    There in a rocking chair6an elderly woman with a big7on her face."I've been8you,"she said weakly. Ruth was one of our "Meals On Wheels" stops I had9.I had phoned her and told her about it.Going along with me were the10church members who11singing carols（颁歌）.We12Ruth the basket of delicious food the teens had prepared earlier that evening.Then I asked Ruth what carols she would like to13.Ruth was smiling cheerfully when she14singing each song.

    15we hugged Ruth good-bye she said to me with tears in her eyes,"The day you16I was still in bed.l had just finished17.I asked God if it would be possible to have some Christmas carolers come to my home and18this year.Thank you for being the19to my Christmas prayer."

    Wow,what an awesome20to have the opportunity to make Ruth quite content!

    I was walking around in a Big Bazar store doing a shopping, when I saw a cashier talking to a boy who didn't have enough money to buy what he wanted. The little boy was still holding the doll 1 his hand. At that time, I walked toward him and I asked him who he 2 to give this doll to. “It's the doll 3 my sister loved most. I wanted to 4 her for her Birthday.” His eyes were so sad while saying this.

    “My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could 5 the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart 6 stopped. Then he showed me a very nice 7 of him. He then told me “I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won't 8 me, I love my mommy 9 I wish she doesn't have to leave me.”

    I quickly 10 for my wallet and said to the boy. “Suppose we 11 again, just in case you do have enough money 12 the doll?” I added some of my money to his, without him seeing and we started to count it.

    The little boy said, “God heard my 13 last night. Thank God for giving me enough 14 to buy it.”

    Then I remembered two days before a local 15 reported an 16 in which a woman and a little girl were badly 17.The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a 18 state. Was this the family of the little boy?

    Two days 19 , I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away.I couldn't stop myself from going to the 20 . Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever.

    My 9-year-old daughter and I were flying from our home in Carolina to spend a week with my husband in Florida. We were 1 about the trip because we hadn't seen him for five months, and my daughter 2 her Dad terribly.

    As usual on the Charlotte-to-Miami flight, the plane was totally 3. Because we did not get our boarding passes until we 4 at the gate, Kallie and I could not get seats together and were 5 by the aisle (过道). I asked two passengers in my row if they would switch places with Kallie and me, 6 we could be together. They 7, saying they thought they should stay in their assigned seats. Meanwhile, a mother and her three children were in a 8 several rows ahead of us. There had been a mistake in their boarding passes, and 9 the whole family had been split up. The passengers in her row10 refused to move elsewhere. She was very 11 about the younger boy sitting with strangers. She was in tears, yet nobody 12 to help her. There were a troop of Boy Scouts(童子军) on 13. Suddenly the Scout leader stood up and said, “Ma'am, I think we can help you.” He then14 five minutes rearranging his group so that enough space was  15 for the family. The boys followed his directions cheerfully and without 16, and the mother's relief was obvious.

    Kallie, however, was beginning to panic at the 17of not being next to me. I told her that there wasn't anything I could do. 18, the man sitting next to the Scoutmaster, 19to me and asked, “Would you and your daughter like our seats?” 20 to himself and the Scoutmaster. We traded seats and continued our trip, very much relieved to be together and watch the scenery from Kallie's window sea.

Remembering My Father's Vest(背心)

    People get into trouble because they don't know enough to keep cool. As a child, I had a lot of1that had been held back and not released. Worse still, I was not good at2.

    Once as I was getting ready for school, my mother3me my father's vest instead of mine. This was around the time when I was going to be larger in4than my father, so as I put on the vest, I felt like I was being choked(使窒息) in it! I 5 that it was a small oversight(疏忽) on my mother's part, but6the feeling of being choked drowned me and I got very angry.

    I took my anger out on my mother7thinking much. I was so upset when she had handed me the wrong vest, and I8by violently tearing it apart from my chest!

    Later, my mother shared her own9with my father:" See what your son has done."

    Instead of scolding or abusing me, my father10responded by asking my mother to11the vest. He then wore it to work the next day.

    When my mother told me about my father's response much later, when I had 12from my burst, I immediately felt a great sense of13for my violent behavior, just 14that he was spending the entire day wearing a(n)15vest. At the same time, I was filled with great16for my father, whose gentle kindness taught me a life lesson I would treasure forever.

    On that day, I made a17never to let anger get the better of me. I learn to 18others when I think that they behave in an unfair, cruel, or unacceptable way,  19forgiveness is a tool to turn anger off. And whenever I have difficulty20my strong emotion, I try to remember my father's vest.

    From childhood. Moira loved to write, Throughout school she 1writing, but pursuing(追求）it  2was never a possibility. Her father was a doctor, her mother a nurse "Medicine was a fairly 3option," Moira says. "And writing was a career where it wasn't a 4that you'd have high income."

    She became a doctor but still wanted to do some writing. However, being a doctor was so 5that she didn't take up writing until her thirties. She 6 a novel — a fictionalized version of her travels in China after university. She got excellent 7 . Moira sent it off to as many agents as she could find and found one who wanted to 8her. Suddenly it seemed she was on her 9as an author.

    "I had one lengthy phone call with the agent where we 10 all possible areas she thought needed 11I worked on those and sent it back to her but didn't hear anything. It was not long 12Moira found another agent who was 13 if she was willing to rewrite" it from the first person to the third person. She did the hard work and sent it off again. "I got back a really brief letter." Thank you. I'm no longer interested. It was really 14.

    A decade went by, and Moira found herself itching to write again, this time15for her own enjoyment. She16herself the challenge of creating a thriller and chose Western Australia as her setting.

    As she was writing just for herself, something surprising began to happen. "The characters 17 a life of their own; they started doing things I hadn't thought about. It just 18out." One day, an agent called from Australia. Three weeks later, Moira had a publication deal. Her novel, Cicada, was published in March.

    " 19 it hadn't been published I still gained so much from the 20 ," says Moira.

    It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and the old headmaster was giving the students a speech about important things in life and about1ourselves to what is important to us. This is2the story went: An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he3wake up every morning and go to the4, where he got the train right to Central London, and then sat at the street corner,5. He did this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and it smelled6. The neighbors could not7the smell anymore, so they asked the police officers to8the place. The officers knocked down the9and cleaned the house. There were small bags of10all over the house that he had11over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a12. They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more13he was a rich man now. He said14at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the street and15to beg.16, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying17the things we enjoy doing. We should remain true to our course, which may mean devoting yourselves to things that people around you may disapprove. Let nothing prevent us from being happy, let nothing else decide our fate (命运), but18. What makes us happy is what19in the end…not what we gain.

    This particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I don't focus on courses, I20myself of this story.