My father was a self-taught mandolin（曼陀林琴）player. He was one of the best players in our town. He could not 1 music, but if he heard a tune（曲子）a few times, he could play it. When he was young, he was a2 of a small country music band. They played at local dances and the radio station.

    At home, Dad often got out his mandolin and played for the family. We three children sang along. 3 played the mandolin like my father. He could 4 your heart with the music that came out of that old mandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing. You could see his 5 in his ability to play so well for his family.

    But Dad had to find another 6 in a factory later because the money he made atthe band wasn't enough to7 the family. Unluckily he had an 8 one day and lost one finger. He couldn't play as 9 as before. From then on, every time we asked him to play, he would make up reasons to 10 down our request. However, we missed his performance so much. 11 , he agreed and said “Okay, but remember, I can't hold down on the strings（琴弦）the way I 12 to”. When he played the old mandolin, it carried us back to a 13,happy time in our lives.

    Dad was that kind of man. 14 was what he was doing all his life. If he could give 15 to others, he would, especially his family. He was always there, sacrificing（牺牲）his time to see that his family had enough in their life.

    A long time ago，there was a king in India．The king's 1 game was chess．

    One day，a wise old man 2 to the palace and the king challenged him to 3 game．The king promised the old man．"You can4 any prize if you win the game．"

    The old man5 ， "If I win the game，I'd like one grain of6for the first square of the chessboard，two for the second，four for the 7 ， and then double the amount for each of the 8of the squares．"

    "Is that all？"asked the king，"Wouldn't you like gold or silver9？"

    "No，just rice．"replied the old man．

    The king and the old man played the game 10  a long time．Finally，the old man won．11  the king ordered his men to collect a bag of rice．He12  one grain on the first square，two on the second，and so on．The king quickly realized the13—even with all the rice in the country，he would14  not have enough rice to put on all the 15 ．

    There was once a boy who would never get dressed when his parents told him to. He1 to dress in a much stranger manner, but above all, he liked to take his time. His parents were 2 in a hurry, and wanted him to be a lot quicker,3the boy didn't like this, and he would slow down even more.

    One day, his parents were in their usual hurry, and they got so4when he refused to dress, that they told him that he would have to go out naked (赤裸的). The5didn't mind (介意) this at all. So they went out.

    While the boy was standing naked outside his house, waiting for his parents to6the car, the local pig farmer came along. The pig farmer was hard of hearing and had poor eyesight. Not only that, but he'd also forgotten to put his7on that day. When he saw the little boy's pink skin, he thought it was one of his pigs. With a bit of shouting and pushing, the farmer8to get the boy safely back to a pigsty. He was there for the whole day, living 9the pigs and sharing their food and home.

    Finally, though, his parents found him. The boy had had such a10day that never again did he want to be mistaken for anything except a human being. Nowadays he's the first to get dressed, and look perfectly neat and tidy.

Louis's Dream Came True

Louis is a thirteen-year-old boy. Writing is one of his {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(业余爱好) and he is good at it.

Once his school {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(派遣去) him to enter an international writing competition. He made up an interesting story about a {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(塔). To his surprise, he won first {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(奖项) and he got the chance to travel in Europe for free. It had been his {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(梦寐以求的) journey. But he couldn't{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(付得起) that because his family didn't have much money. Before the journey he {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (数)down the days every day. How excited he was!

Then he travelled to England, {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(德国), France, Greece and Italy. He visited many {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(古老的;古代的) buildings and talked a lot with local people. In this way, Louis learnt a lot and now he still {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(想念) everything there.

Charles Darwin

Early years

Charles Darwin was one of the six children from a big family. His grandfather and father were doctors and the young Darwin went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. However, he hated to see blood and he soon realized that he couldn't be a doctor. He then went to Cambridge University and discovered that he had a great interest in studying plants, insects and animals. Luckily, one of Darwin's university teachers helped him join the perfect trip for a biologist: a voyage around the world to study nature.

The Beagle

In 1831, Charles Darwin left Plymouth on The Beagle, a ship that took him around the world for five years. While he was travelling, he studied the plants and animals in the countries and on the islands that the ship visited. Darwin also spent his time on The Beagle writing notes about the things he had seen. When he finally arrived back in Britain, Darwin was already starting to create his famous theory that all living things had a common ancestor (祖先).

Down house

At home at Down House, a place that you can still visit today, Darwin wrote many articles and books about his travels, but he didn't want to make anything about his theory known to the public. He worked in his study, where he wrote 250,000 words about his theory of evolution (进化论), but he was frightened about what people might say about his idea that monkeys were the ancestors of humans. He thought the public would be against it and was so frightened that he became ill with worry. However, when another scientist started to write about similar ideas, Darwin decided to print his book, On the Origin of Species.

Most scientists accepted Darwin's theory and people continue to study it today. On 12th February, the day he was born, Darwin Day is celebrated around the world to encourage more people to study the natural world.

He is always in my heart. I couldn't believe I lost him. As I think of my father, tears fill my eyes and stream down my face. 

My dad always wanted to go to Canada, so he wrote a letter to one of my uncles in Canada for help. My uncle successfully got a visit visa(签证)for my dad. So he flew to Canada, looking for a better life for his kids. That year, I was six. 

After a few months, dad wrote us a letter saying he was fine and happy. That letter, and its many fellows(伙伴)down the years, all with the same words, kept coming to our doors for 11 years. Yet, even as he lived here in Canada, his health was failing him―but fearing we would worry he never let on about his ill health. He spent these years in Canada working hard; finally after 11 years when he got his landed immigrant(永久居民)paper, he wrote us saying all of us could move to Canada. 

We were all happy that we would finally be together. It was to be a huge family reunion(重聚). Sadly my father did not live to see his family reunion as he suffered a serious heart attack. 

Yes, Canada is a wonderful country. So many times I can't help thinking it was here that my dad was taken away from us. When I miss him, I want someone to hold me and give me a hug. And when I see how everyone gives his father gifts on Father's Day, wishing them a long, happy life, I want to do the same. But to whom can I give my Father's Day gift and card? Where can I get the same warm loving hug again?