I joined a club called "Passing Help" last month. Now let me tell you 1 I joined it.

    One2 this February, my old car broke down on my way home. It was far away from my home. I wanted to get a ride in somebody else's car, but it was dark and there was no car. It was also 3 to take a taxi. I decided to take a bus home. I went to a bus stop nearby.

    After a while, a bus came, but it did not go to my town. The bus driver was a young woman. She was 4 and she told me which bus I should take. I waited there for about half an hour, but no bus came. 5 a car came to me and a woman came out of the car. She was just the bus driver.

    "When I reached the bus station, I 6 to know that there was no bus to your town at this late hour, so I returned here. I just can't 7 you here," she said. "Get in my car and I will take you back to your home."

    "It is a long way, "I said.

    "8^, sir, "she said. "Let's go."

    On the way she told me a story. A few days ago, her car ran out of gas(汽油). An old man drove her up to a gas station and then back to her9^.

    When we got to my home, I wanted to give her some money to thank her, but she didn't 10 it. "I only want to help others and do something nice for somebody. Pass it along," she said.

    A little girl thought she was not beautiful and nobody liked her. So she was always 1 and didn't like to talk to others. However, one day, her mother 2  her a beautiful hair clip (发夹). When she wore it, she looked much more beautiful than before. She decided 3 it to school.

    On her way to school she found that 4 who saw her smiled at her. Most of her classmates said “hello” 5 her, but this never happened before. She thought that the beautiful hair clip had brought them all to her. She was so happy about all of the wonderful things.6 she didn't tell her classmates about her beautiful hair clip, they all wanted to know what had happened to her.

    When she went 7 home after school, her mother 8 her, “Did you know you dropped your hair clip? I found it by the door this morning.” At this time, the girl understood that she hadn't worn the hair clip to school at all.

    It is not important 9 we wear or how we look. The most important is how we think about 10.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock

    Andreas watched the clock moving very slowly. This was his last class of the day - biology. Usually, Andreas really liked biology. But today was 1. Today there were tryouts（预赛） for the basketball team after school.

    There was only one thing that Andreas liked more than biology: basketball. Because of the tryouts, Andreas had been 2 for months.

    Tyrell had been Andreas's best friend since kindergarten. He was also trying out for the basketball team that afternoon. Andreas was glad he'd have his best friend by his 3.

    Suddenly the bell rang and class was over. Andreas and Tyrell walked down to the gym: When they got there, Andreas's heart sank (下沉). There were at least 60 boys crowded there, but the basketball team only had 4 for 20 people. Andreas and Tyrell looked at each other. What if only one of them made the team? That would be 5 than not making the team at all.

    The coach blew a whistle and the tryouts began. Andreas and Tyrell were separated into different groups. As soon as he 6 his hands on the basketball, Andreas felt better. This was why he loved the game. All the nights of practicing paid off as he took shots from the 3-point line.

    When the tryouts were over, the coach said he was posting a list of who made the team the next day before school. Andreas felt his stomach tighten. He knew he had played well, 7 was it good enough?

    "It's OK," said Tyrell. "I'm sure you made it. I just don't know if I did."

    "Playing on the basketball team wouldn't be any 8 without you," a little upset.

    They walked the rest of the way home in silence.

The next morning Andreas hurried to school and went to see the 9. Tyrell's name was at the very top—--he had made it! But Andreas didn't see his name anywhere.

    "Andreas!" He heard Tyrell's happy voice. "We made it!"

    "What do you mean?" asked Andreas. "My name's not on there."

Tyrell 10 up the first sheet of paper and pointed to Andrea's name at the very top of the second sheet. They shouted and gave each other a high-five（击掌）. They were going to be on the basketball team together.

    When I was eight years old, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go someplace 1. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important or 2. I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would be getting something better than a toy. She said I would get "access(通道)to a world of toys."

    I had no idea why she was being so 3that day.  4, I had no real idea what she meant.

    "Access to a world of toys?" Did that mean we were buying a toy store?

    But we did not 5 at any toy store. Nor did we finally see anyone we knew.6, Mother pulled her car into a parking lot in front of a building that looked like 7 out of the past.  It didn't have a modern look at all. And as we 8 the car, I still had no idea what this place was.

    We took stone steps up to the entrance. Only then did I find out what this place was, because there was a sign that 9"Marcy Public Library". We pushed the door open, and Mother led me to the front desk. "I'd like to get my daughter a library card", she told the man 10the desk. He asked her to fill out a form and smiled at me. "What kind of books do you like?" he asked. I was too shy to 11 them. I simply smiled back and shrugged my shoulders. "Well, you'll find it out in time," he said.

    I do not remember 12 I checked out that first day, but  I know  that  in  the years  that followed I read everything  I could  find 13 at that old library. I read through all the Nancy   Drew books before working on Judy Blume, then the 14: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. Then I read books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I 15 knew existed (存在).

    So Mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.