"Some gifts are tiny. Some gifts are needed. And some gifts... some gifts are priceless, "says 26-year-old Sarah Bricker of Minneapolis, USA. She had suffered from（受…之苦） hearing loss until she received the gift two years ago for Christmas --her first hearing aids（助听器）. They were from her parents. Here's what else she says:

    "I remember the moment they were fit to my ears. And I remember every first that came after--The first time I heard my mother's voice. The first time I heard my father cry as he realized 1 could hear my mother. The first time I listened to Winter Wonderland on the radio and heard every word clearly. The first time I heard my best friend's voice, calling from England to wish me a Merry Christmas.

    "My hearing aids are probably the best Christmas gift my parents have ever given to me. It might sound strange to say that, but until you lose your hearing, you never fully understand how unbelievablly valuable it is. How you miss the moment your partner says 'I love you. How you miss the jokes that everyone laughs at. How you miss- life. But now I don't miss life anymore."

    However, he hearing aids were more than Just about hearing. They gave Sarah self-confidence（自信）,more chances to make new friends, the courage to take on new challenges. "Every day, they return to me a moment, a sound, a voice. They return to me the kaleidoscope（万花筒） of a life I'd once thought forever dark."

    Mary likes English very much. She works hard. She reads English every morning. She likes speaking English. She often listens to the radio. She watches TV only on Saturday evening. Does she like dancing? No, she doesn't. But she likes drawing and singing. Her parents like her very much. And all the teachers and her friends like her, too.

Tina is a thirteen-year-old middle school student. Last year, she went to {#blank#}1{#/blank#}summer school in France and stayed with a local family, the Truffauts. 

At first, things didn't go well {#blank#}2{#/blank#}she couldn't speak French. Simple things like finding the right bus stop {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (become) big problems. The Truffauts helped her a lot and treated her like part of the family. They played {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (game) and had traditional food with her. On the weekend, she {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(join) a club. For most of the time, she used body language to talk with. People showed {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (they) thanks with smiles and she would always smile back. Language was not a problem {#blank#}7{#/blank#}her. As a new member of the club, Tina was invited to have parties with the other members. Day by day, she made more friends. Tina decided {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (love) her new life. "A smile is a second language. It is also the best gift I have got, " she said {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(happy). 

Smiles and a helping hand can always make people {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (close) than a language can. 

 Hello, everyone! I'm Li Ming. I am a student in No.1 Middle School. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do you want to know him? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Peter is my good friend. He is an English boy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} He likes sports. He has a great collection. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Peter has much free time(空闲时间) for sports. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} After school, he plays baseball with his friends.

Tommy loved ice cream. It was his favorite dessert. His parents let him have a small dish each night after dinner, if he ate all of his vegetables. Tommy loved eating ice cream at home. He always tried a new kind of ice cream each time. When he turned eight, he had a checkup at the doctor's office. Dr. Katz said, "It's fine to have a little ice cream once in a while, but not every night."

That night at supper, Tommy ate all his vegetables. But there was no ice cream for dessert. Instead, Mom came up with a new rule.

"If we want to eat ice cream, we'll have to earn it by walking to the ice cream stand," she said. Tommy would like to give it a try, so they decided to take their walk on Saturday afternoon. According to the map, the ice cream stand was a mile away.

Saturday was a sunny day. The sun was so bright that he had to almost close his eyes. Tommy asked, "How much farther is it?" Mom checked the map on her phone and then said, "We're not even halfway yet. Do you want to turn around?" Tommy did want to turn around, but he also wanted ice cream. Walking was the only way to get it.

The sun beat down so strongly that even Mom was sweating （流汗）. Tommy's legs felt heavy. He wanted to sit down, but there were no chairs. He wanted to give up. He looked up to tell Mom he was ready to turn around. But when he did, he could see the purple flag at the top of the ice cream stand. They were almost there! Tommy started to walk faster. He could almost taste the cool, creamy ice cream already. It was a long walk, but it was certainly worth the effort.

Lee loved tennis. He got a few old tennis balls and an old racquet(球拍)from his grandfather, who used to play tennis a long time ago.

Lee hoped that he would become an Olympies1 one day. 

However,  there was one 2 . Lee's family couldn't afford the tennis lessons, the white clothes or a new racquet and balls. Lee had tried playing with the other boys on the courts, but they had just 3 his old racquet and clothes. So Lee spent his time4 them play and then practising exactly what he had seen them do, against the wall at home.

The manager of the tennis club 5 Lee and offered him a job sweeping the tennis courts. Instead of getting paid. Lee was offered 6 tennis lessons. Through hard work, his tennis skills were improving so7 that he was invited to play in a competition, Lee won all his matches. A world-famous coach in the audience was so impressed that he offered Lee a 8 at his tennis school. There Lee would receive the best coaching possible.

Then came the day of Lee's first world competition. He played well but the other player was too good for Lee to9 . Finally, he came second. 

Lee didn't mind. He had come a long way from the boy who just stood and watched others playing. There was 10 time for winning in the future. For now, he was happy that he was on the road to the Olympics.