It was my sister Sandra's first Christmas without her husband. Last Thursday, she was in the store 1  for an ideal card for her two sons and daughter. Time passed by quickly as she 2the many choices. She wanted a card that sent something 3to each of them, as she knew they would have a(n)  4  place in their heart this holiday season.

        Finally, she found the one that expressed the  5 feeling. 6 , a sharp pain pierced (穿透) her heart when she realized that the card was 7  “mom and dad”. She stood, holding it close for a long time, unable to move from the spot.  8 began to run over her cheeks.

       “Is there something I can do for you?” a 9  voice asked. She  10 to face a stranger, a woman. “Uh..oh...OH!” Sandra  11 , “I can't give this card to my children because…because my husband died and this is the12   card.”

        The stranger's face softened with  13  and love. She reached out and 14my sister into her arms, giving her unspoken 15  to cry in the protection of her embrace (拥抱). She 16  held my sister until her 17 returned.

        During her telling of this event I was feeling  18  that I hadn't been there. My sister needed me and a stranger had to do my 19  . “You know,” she went on, “a friend suggested that it was like meeting with an Angel.” My guilt 20   in an instant. My sister required an Angel, and I think that is exactly what she got.

    With his leg lame（瘸的）and his teeth uneven, the boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He 1 played with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always 2 his head without a word.

    One spring, his father brought home some saplings（树苗）. 3 of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, “Whoever 4 his sapling best shall get a favorite gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get his father's gift. 5 seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, an idea 6 him: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never 7 it.

    Several days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was 8 to find it not only didn't die, but also grew so many fresh 9. Compared with those of his brothers and sisters, his appeared greener. His father kept his 10, bought the little boy one of his favorite gifts and said from the tree he planted, he would surely become an outstanding 11 when he grew up.

    From then on, the little boy slowly became 12 and confident. One night, he suddenly 13 biology teacher once said that plants  14 grow at night. Why not go to see his tree?

    When he came to the courtyard, he found his father was working near his tree! Instantly he 15 his father had been secretly 16 his small tree! He returned to his room, with tears 17 in his eyes.

    Decades passed. The little boy didn't become a botanist. 18, he became the U.S. president. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

19 is the best nourishment（滋养品）of life. 20 it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

    They tell the story of a mountain climber who, desperate to conquer the Aconcagua, started his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the 1 all to himself, therefore, he went up 2.

    He began climbing and it was becoming late. He did not prepare for 3, and decided to keep on going. Soon it got dark. Night fell with heaviness at a very high altitude. Visibility(能见度) was 4. Everything was black. There was no moon, 5 the stars were covered by clouds.

    As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, he 6 and fell. Falling rapidly, he could only see marks of darkness that passed. He felt a terrible sensation of being 7 in by gravity. He kept falling and in those painful moments, good and bad memories 8 his mind. He thought certainly he would die.

    But then he felt a jolt(震动，摇晃) that almost 9 him in half. Yes! 10 any good mountain climber he had supported himself with a long rope 11 to his waist. In those moments of stillness, hanging in the 12, he had no other choice but to shout, “Help me, God! Help me!”

    All of a sudden he heard a 13 voice from heaven, “What do you want me to do?”

    “Save me”.

    “Do you really think that I can save you?”

    “Of course, my God.”

    “Then 14 the rope that is holding you up.”

    There was another moment of silence and stillness. The man just held tighter to the rope. The 15 team says that the next day they found a 16 mountain climber handing strongly to a rope … TWO FEET 17 the ground.

    As the story suggests, sometimes you have to have some 18.If you cut the rope and 19 the result might be out of your 20.

    Dale Carnegie rose from the unknown of a Missouri farm to international fame because he found away to fill a universal human need.

    It was a need that he first 1 back in 1906 when young Dale was a junior at State Teachers College in Warrensburg. To get an 2, he was struggling against many difficulties. His family was poor. His Dad couldn't afford the3 at college, so Dale had to ride horseback 12 miles to attend classes. Study had to be done 4 his farm-work routines. He withdrew from many school activities5he didn't have the time or the 6. He had only one good suit. He tried 7 the football team, but the coach turned him down for being too8 . During this period Dale was slowly 9 an inferiority complex (自卑感), which his mother knew could 10 him from achieving his real potential. She 11that Dale join the debating team, believing that12 in speaking could give him the confidence and recognition that he needed.

    Dale took his mother's advice, tried desperately and after several attempts 13 made it. This proved to be a14 point in his life. Speaking before groups did help him gain the15 he needed. By the time Dale was a senior, he had won every top honor in 16. Now other students were coming to him for coaching and they, 17, were winning contests.

    Out of this early struggle to 18 his feelings of inferiority, Dale came to understand that the ability to 19 an idea to an audience builds a person's confidence. And, 20 it, Dale knew he could do anything he wanted to do—and so could others.

    I remember how hard the rain was in New York City one morning. It was as if pebbles(鹅卵石) were 1 from the sky. I was walking to the 2 and saw a little girl huddling（蜷缩）under her mom's arms, doing her best not to get 3. Our eyes met as her mom asked her to 4 as the light was about to turn red for them to walk across the street.

    I was feeling 5 and all of a sudden the rain was a shower of help as opposed to a problem. I offered my 6 to them and they were so overcome with the 7 that the mom offered me money. I 8 and said, “You just 9 the umbrella and give the money to your daughter 10she gets good grades.” The little girl 11 up and down and 12 her mom to take the umbrella. She did and we smiled. I told them to have a good dry 13 and I walked into the supermarket.

    I found the few goods that I needed and went to the checkout counter. But I noticed that the 14 was the longest I had ever seen. The woman who was next 15 that I had just a few items and 16 her place. I smiled and thanked her. I 17 my items and went home 18- and cooked one of the best breakfasts for myself as I watched the beautiful blessings of rain outside my 19. I love kindness; I will take and receive 20 everywhere I go.