Martin is a fifteen-year-old boy. He used to be a "problem child", but a recent 1 with his mother changed his life. He didn't use to give his mother many problems. 2 , after his father's death a few years ago, Martin's life became 3 more difficult. His mother couldn't afford to pay for her child's education. To do this, she 4 work, and so she was often not at home. His mother looked after him as 5 as she could. Unfortunately, Martin still caused problems. He was not 6 in studying and he often got into trouble. Luckily, his mother was very 7 and didn't give up trying to help him. In the end, she 8 a difficult decision: to send him to a boys' boarding school. Martin hated it and used to cause a lot of trouble. One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school. The teacher said it was necessary for Martin to 9 with his mother. Martin called his mother, but to his 10 , this phone call changed his life. "It was exactly 11 I needed," he said. "My mother helped me to understand how much she had given me. She also told me that even though my father was no longer with us, he was 12 me and would always take pride in everything good I do. That's when I decided to change. I realize that 13 my father died, I have been afraid of being alone, and have tried to make my mother pay more attention to me." Now Martin has 14 changed. He has been working hard and is now one of the best students in his class. How was he able to change? His mother's 15 helped him to feel good about himself.

    In 1995, Oseola McCarty gave a present of $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi. She wanted to help poor students. It was a very generous thing to do. But her friends and neighbours were surprised. McCarty was a good woman. She went to church. She was always friendly and helpful. But everyone in her town knew that McCarty was not rich. In fact, she was poor.

    How did a poor 86 year-old woman have so much money? Oseola McCarty was born in 1908 in Wayne County, Mississippi. She had to leave school when she was eight years old to help her family. She took a job washing clothes. She earned only a few dollars a day. Oseola washed the clothes by hand. Then she hung the clothes to dry. She did this for nearly 80 years. In the 1960s, she bought an automatic washer and dryer. But she gave them away. She thought they did not get the clothes clean enough! At that time, many people started to buy their own washers and dryers. McCarty did not have much work, so she started to iron clothes instead.

    McCarty never married or had children. Her life was very simple. She went to work and to church. She read her Bible(圣经). She had a black-and-white television. But she did not watch it very much. It had only one channel.

    McCarty saved money all her life and eventually had about $ 250 ， 000.When she was 86, a lawyer helped her make a will. She left money to the church, her relatives, and the university. McCarty just wanted to help others. She thought she was not a special person. But then people found out about her present to the university, She received many honours(荣誉). She even flew in an airplane for the first time! Oseola McCarty died in 1999. She was a shy and ordinary woman who became famous.

    It was midday when I got the call that my grandfather was not well and he was quickly getting worse. My family didn't know how long he would stay in the world. I knew I had to get to the hospital to tell him how much I loved him. As I drove to the hospital, I pictured him before I got to tell him how much he meant to me. Trying to fight back the tears, I wanted to stay calm when I saw him.

    When I got to the hospital, I hurriedly looked for his hospital room. I found him in a semi-conscious state*. On my knees, I said softly, "Hello, Grandpa."

    Still feeling shy, I decided not to leave his bedside without letting him know. When I asked about how he was, he told me, "I'll be fine, Henry." But we both knew that wasn't true. Then he asked me with a smile how I was doing.

    Hearing what my grandpa said, I was much moved. I made the decision that I had to show my gratitude for him. As I found all the courage* I had, I hold his hand tightly. I cried out, "Grandpa, I just want to let you know how much I love you. I hope you already know that yet. I just want to make sure." By this time, the tears were rolling down my face. All those years of love that I had shut and not let him know became free.

    Smiling, he said," I know. Thank you for telling me that." "All I have on this planet is my family and my love for them. If there is anything I could ask of you, I want you to be good to your family: your mother, your father, and your brother. That's all I want of you."

    From then on, I began telling people how much I loved them, cared for them, and respected them. I got in touch with others to show my thanks. I went down into the city once a week and tried to help the homeless. I woke up every morning and listed everything I was thankful to in my life.

Once, a king showed two men a large basket in the garden. He told them to fill it with water from a well. After they their work, he left them, saying, "when the sun is d{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, I will come and see yow work."

At last one of them said, "What's the use of doing this foolish work? We can never f{#blank#}2{#/blank#} the basket."The other man answered," That is none of your business." The first man said. "You may do as you like, but I am not going to work at nothing so f{#blank#}3{#/blank#} ."He threw down his bucket and went away. The other man said no w{#blank#}4{#/blank#}, and kept on carrying water. At last the well was almost e{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. 

As he poured the last bucket of water into the basket, he saw a bright thing in it. He picked it up. It was a beautiful gold ring. Just then the king came. As soon as he saw the ring, he knew that he had found the kind of man he w{#blank#}6{#/blank#}. He told him to keep the ring for himself. "You have done so well in this little thing, " he said," that now I know I can b{#blank#}7{#/blank#} you with many things."

My pen friend, Li Hao, comes from Taiwan—one of the biggest {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (岛屿) in China. His parents are scientists and they work in a{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(研究) centre. They are working hard to help all the animals in{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (危险). He is also{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (感兴趣的) in helping the animals live in peace. Last weekend, he wrote a letter to me. He told me that most of his classmates wanted to help. So they decided to {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(筹钱) money in their school. They{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(提出，提议) to put on a play {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（叫做）Teahouse, which tells the changes in Chinese {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (社会) in the first half of the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (第二十) century. At the end of the performance, they were very{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (开心的，满足的) because they could help the animals. What exciting news it was!

National parks are large areas of public land. They provide a safe home for local plants and animals. They help keep the air and water clean. They also provide us with the best trip. Forbes has listed 12 of the most beautiful ones in the world that will surprise you with their amazing landscapes, geographic wonders and colourful plants and animals. 

The Grand Canyo n National Park of the US is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is best known for its size and depth. It is about 446 kilometres long, up to 29 kilometres wide, and 1. 8 kilometres deep. The immensity of the canyon makes people think big. Every year, about 5 million people visit there. The South Rim offers visitors the park's full view, while the North Rim shows beautiful wild flowers. 

If you love animals, you'll like the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The "Big Five" live there. They are the lion, the African elephant, the African leopard, the black rhinoceros and the African buffalo. The name "Big Five" comes from the five animals that are the hardest to catch. Now they are what people most want to see in the wild. If you visit the park, you should never miss the migration(迁徙) of tens of thousands of wildebeests and zebras every year. This is the most famous site of the park.