My grandfather dug water wells in Indiana and started his business during the great depression.

Although nearly everyone was out of work, people still needed 1, so he didn't lack jobs. 2, in those days, it was awfully hard to get paid for what you did. One morning, a farmer showed up with a 3—a whole side of fresh beef on his shoulder. “I 4 this ought to make us equal on that digging, ”he said to my grandfather．Grandfather 5.

    It was wintertime, so the beef stayed fresh under damp cloth on the cold back porch(门廊). Each day, Nana stepped out onto the porch, 6 good piece of the meat, and carried it into the kitchen 7 it were pure gold.

    After a few days, Nana noticed the 8 had been moved. She asked grandfather if he had touched the beef. He hadn't. “Well, then. ”she said, “somebody's been eating our meat. Do you always lock the back door?” My grandfather told her not to 9. She probably had moved the cloth herself, and had 10 forgotten.

     This 11 for many days. Nana was 12 that someone was taking their meat, and grandfather just insisted she was 13 things. It wasn't until much later that we learned the real story.

     On the morning after grandfather set the meat out on the back porch door, he 14 some footprints near the door. He 15followed the footprints to where they began. Soon the footprints in the snow led my grandfather to a house he instantly 16. It was the home of a poor single mother with two young children. Grandfather 17 turned around and walked back home. He didn't say a word about it to anyone.

    From then on, Nana would carefully 18 the lock on the porch door each night to make sure it was 19. Then grandfather, after waiting for Nana to go to bed, would return to the porch and 20 the lock again. Nana never knew about the family they were helping to feed that winter.

    A father and his teenage son were out together at a shopping mall one day. The son wanted to buy a new pair of 1 at the sports store.

    2 they were making their way through the crowded food store, a young woman holding a number of bags 3 and the contents of several of them spilled (洒落) across the floor.

    The son stepped around the woman and continued with the flow only to 4 that his father wasn't next to him. Looking around he 5 his father bending down and helping the woman 6 the spilled items.

    Feeling a bit bad he hadn't thought to stop and help, he simply stood and 7 from the distance. He was 8 when his father handed the woman her things and she simply took them away without 9 him and said “I can do it myself!” When his father returned, the son expressed his 10 at how impolite the woman had been.

    In the sports store the son was so 11 about the incident that he spent most of the time complaining. They soon left without the shoes.

    Later at 12 the son told his mother the story13 her to be just as angry as he was at the woman's14 His mother looked at her husband 15 enjoying his meal and said, “Son, your father left that woman behind hours ago. Why are you 16with her?”

    When we hold onto 17 feelings, all it does is to leave us stuck (陷入) in the past and18 to move forward. One of the best things you can do to stay happy is to 19 to let things go. It is okay to show anger and unhappiness.20 don't let them affect you and how you see the world.

    Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were the first people to climb the West Face of the Siula Grande in the Andes mountains. They reached the top 1 ， but on their way back conditions were very 2. Joe fell and broke his leg. They both knew that if Simon 3alone，he would probably get back 4. But Simon decided to risk his5and try to lower Joe down the mountain on a rope.

As they6down，the weather got worse. Then another 7occurred. They couldn't see or hear each other and，8 ， Simon lowered his friend over the edge of a precipice（峭壁）. It was9 for Joe to climb back or for Simon to pull him up. Joe's 10 was pulling Simon slowly towards the precipice. 11 ， after more than an hour in the dark and the icy cold，Simon had to 12. In tears，he cut the rope. Joe 13 into a huge crevasse（裂缝） in the ice below. He had no food or water and he was in terrible pain. He couldn't walk，but he 14to get out of the crevasse and started to 15 towards their camp，nearly ten kilometers 16.

    Simon had 17the camp at the foot of the mountain. He thought that Joe must be 18 ， but he didn't want to leave 19. Three days later，in the middle of the night，he heard Joe's voice. He couldn't 20 it. Joe was there，a few meters from their tent，still alive.

    Many years ago, I was working in an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had large 1 that look out over a busy street. I was standing by one of those windows one day when a woman in a 2 car looked up and made eye contact. Naturally I 3. As she turned and tried to identify me, a quiet laugh4my lips. My co-workers began taking an interest, and stood back watching the 5 I received, and laughing happily. Then the stress of work was 6 away.

    Christmas approached, and job 7 were announced. Several of my co-workers were losing their jobs, and everyone was 8. While I was working a night shift, a red jacket , a box of foam packing and strips of tape in the corner caught my 9. They could be Santa's jacket and beard! Then I folded a red file into a hat and tied the 10 to it. With the red jacket , a Santa's Costume appeared.

    The next day I walked 11down into the office in the costume. My co-workers 12around me and laughed for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, my boss came to me, 13, shook his head and then left. I feared14. Then the phone rang.

    With a bead of sweat 15 my forehead, I entered the boss' office . 16, he laughed: "Thanks, Mike! It's been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the laugh. I 17it."

    That evening, I stood 18 by the window and waved at my fans, with my heart 19 with joy. For a few minutes of that day, we'd been able to forget our 20.

    It's not easy for me to forget the guy, whom I call Bean. For the past year and a half, I1Bean almost every workday morning. In the beginning I2Bean. After all, he's just a beggar on the freeway off-ramp (匝道) who3people at a stoplight that seems to always be red.

    Over time a few things dawned on me. The first was that it was always the4guy at this off-ramp. The next was that he never actually5anything. He just danced and waved at everyone. Then6, and perhaps the most important, was that he was ALWAYS7. Some days he was dancing and playing a guitar. Most days he'd wave a cardboard at cars, smiling.

    Bean slowly became part of my8routine(常规). I noticed this one day, only because he wasn't there and9danced and waved at me. I10him. I worried something had happened to him. I11to look for him every morning as I came down the ramp to that red light.

    One morning, after one of these12, I was so relieved to see him that it was like the sun had come out after a week-long storm. I sat at the red light, watching his morning13. I realized that I, too, was smiling and14myself waving back. Wow, something as15as a wave brought16to my whole day. I finished the drive to work that morning, feeling lighter and happier.

    I17you now. Look around you. Look at your life, your surroundings, and18just your grocery store with eyes that truly see. What19lies in front of you. Do you have a Bean in your life you haven't noticed yet? Watch for them. They will20your life in ways you can't even dream.

Every weekend my parents give me $100. I bet you think I'm really spoiled (宠坏的). Think again!

It all started when I wanted a really cool 1 . I asked my parents to buy it for me but they said I would have to buy with my own money. "But it's only $100!" I 2 . An hour later, my parents 3 there would be a family meeting at dinner.

They 4 the meeting with the words, "We've been thinking about how to give you more 5 in our family." They brought up several "new ways" I could "have more say." One way was to allow me to 6 for the family. Each Saturday, I was to be given $100 — along with a shopping 7 . It was up to me to buy everything on it. Whatever money was 8 , whether two dollars or thirty, was mine and I could 9 however I wanted — whether to buy toys, books, jackets, or even a bicycle. My parents' $100-a-week plan gives me real 10 to shop for the best bargains (特价商品). I 11 prices on every single item on my list before I 12 what to put in my basket.

My parents' clever plan has turned me into a 13 shopper. Now, when I finally save enough money, that cool bicycle doesn't just 14 a mere purchase; it stands as a symbol of my 15 success.