Mr Black is a football fan. Every morning he goes to work by train. As he has a long trip, he always buys a newspaper. It helps to make the time pass more quickly. One Wednesday morning, Mr Black turned the important football matches. He knew the Football World Cup would be held in his city soon. He decided to go to watch the football game.

    While Mr Black was excited to be at the Football World Cup, he was disappointed（失望的）at the location of his seat. Peering（仔细看）across the stadium through his telescope（望远镜）he saw an empty seat far away and made his way there. Mr Black asked the man in the next seat, “May I sit here?” “Sure,” the man replied. “This was my wife's seat. She was a super football fan, and we used to come to the games together all the time until she passed away.”

    “I am sorry for your loss,” Mr Black said. “But I am curious（好奇的）. Why didn't you give the extra（多余的） ticket to a friend or a relative?” The man replied, “They are all at the funeral（葬礼）.”

    There was once a spider that lived in a cornfield. She liked this home and planned to stay there for the rest of her life.

    One day, the spider caught a little bug (小昆虫) in her web. Just as the spider wanted to eat him, the bug said: "If you let me go, I will tell you something important that can save your life."

    The spider thought for a little while and listened. "You'd better get out of this cornfield," the little bug said. "The harvest (收获季节) is coming!"

    "I think you are just telling me a story," the spider said with a smile.

    "Oh no, it is true," the little bug said." All the stalks (秆) will be knocked down, and the corn will be. You will be killed by the large machines if you stay here."

    "I don't believe you," the spider said as she ate the little bug for lunch.

    A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told her. She thought to herself: "A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life, and nothing has ever troubled me."

    The next day was a beautiful sunny day. The sky above was clear, and there was no wind at all. That afternoon, when the spider about to have a rest, she noticed something like clouds moving toward her. She could hear the noise of a great engine, and she said to herself: "I wonder what that could be?"

Face—to—face with the New Me

    Jessica's mother noticed Jessica hadn't returned to the dentist waiting room just before her surgery was supposed to start. She walked to the bathroom and found Jessica in here, crying. She took her daughter into her arms. "We're going to say goodbye to the old Jessica," she said. "And hi to the new Jessica."

    Jessica, from St Louis. US, had been wishing for this day since high school, when the bullying about her started. Now that it was finally happening, she was nervous.

    It was a social—media post two months ago that got her here. Someone posted a photo of Jessica with a comment about her overbite. The post was shared many times, with many people making mean remarks about her appearance.

    The bullies didn't know the road Jessica had traveled. She underwent nine operations on her ears from age 2 to 12 years old. She was almost deaf in her right ear. Her adult teeth didn't start coining in until she was 11 or 12, and doctors couldn't figure out why they were pushed outward. It got worse as she got older. Jessica had been trying for years to get her teeth fixed, but it was always too costly.

    When her story got out, Maryann Udy, a dentist, got in contact with Jessica and offered her a new smile—free of charge. The surgery was long and complicated It took several months before Jessica's new smile was ready.

    Later that year, she looked at her old photos online and smiled. "I loved her," she said. She's grateful to be in less pain, to be on the path to a new smile. Sometimes, though, it feels like something is missing from who she was.

    Still, she loves taking selfies and admiring her new appearance. "I looked good before," she said. "I look even better now."

Li Hua and Wang Tao are two students of Class 4, Grade 7. They both like sports. Li Hua is a basketball fan. His favorite sport is playing basketball. Yao Ming is his favorite basketball player. He wants to be a basketball player like Yao Ming when he grows up. Li Hua is on the school basketball team now. Every Friday afternoon, Li Hua plays basketball with his classmates after class.

Li Hua's friend Wang Tao isn't good at basketball, but he is very good at soccer. Ronaldo is his favorite soccer player. Wang Tao is on the soccer team. He plays soccer with his teammates (队友) every Tuesday afternoon.

"Simply avoid her. " Abby listened closely, as I continued, "If she says any more 1 things to you, I'll go to your teacher. I'll make sure you are never in a (n) 2 where you have to sit next to her again."

At that time, Allyson, my then eight-year-old, came to 3 us and listened to every word. Neither of my daughters interrupted (打断) as I finished my heartfelt speech, filled with 4 wisdom. Then, as I was telling them what I thought right, Allyson's real words of 5 came about. "Mom," she said, "I was just thinking. Maybe Abby should be that girl's 6 so that she can bear (容忍) her. In that way, she can let that girl see forgiveness (谅解) and 7 through her."

Hmm, I became the 8 . At that moment, I realized that although I was wearing the "mother's hat", the "hat" certainly didn't make me 9 all the time. In fact, I wanted to pull that hat over my face and hide myself so that they couldn't see my 10 look. 

"Yes, that's a good point," I commented (评论), 11 a half smile at my girls. "Abby, you deal with this situation the way you think is right. " "OK, " she said, giving me a quick hug before walking out of the door and off to school. "Bye, Mom! " Allyson called, 12 her big sister to go out of the door. 

I was left alone—in my slippers (拖鞋). In those following 13 moments, I was lost in thought. I did feel 14 my two amazing daughters—small in size but big in heart. Sometimes our children have great lessons to teach us—15 we are willing to listen. 

That lesson came more than ten years ago, and I'll never forget how much I have learned from my children. 

I live next to a school. There's a wall between my neighborhood and the school. 

One day, on my way home, an apple flew towards 1 . It just landed(掉落) in front of my feet. How lucky I was! I guessed a troublemaker(捣蛋鬼) on the other side threw 2 apple over the wall. Thinking it was a small accident, I didn't care 3 it. 

A week later, when I 4 the same place, an apple came flying again. This time it landed on the roof(屋顶) next to the wall. I was a bit angry, 5 again, I did nothing. 

Yesterday, while I was walking back home, I saw another apple. It was flying so fast! Seeing that, I was 6 than I was last time. If he kept doing this 7 action might hurt others. So I decided to teach him a lesson. 

I told my friends about it first. They advised me 8 the apple back next time. But I didn't want to do that. An eye for an eye ends up 9 the whole world blind. 

Finally I planned to call the school to find out who was the troublemaker. And I wanted all the 10 to learn from his mistakes.