I have tried to write a ghost（鬼魂） story that won't make you unhappy with yourselves，with each other，with the seasons，or with me．I hope it haunts（飘荡） your houses pleasantly．

    By Charles Dickens One Christmas Eve，old Scrooge and Bob were working busily in his office．It was a cold，foggy day．The fog was so thick that the houses opposite were like ghosts．It was only three o'clock in the afternoon，but it was already quite dark．

    "Merry Christmas，Uncle!"cried a happy voice．It was Scrooge's nephew（侄子）．

    "Bah!"said Scrooge，"Humbug（骗人的话）!"

    "Christmas is a humbug？Surely you don't mean that，Uncle．"said his nephew．

    "I do，"said Scrooge．"Merry Christmas!What reason have you got to be merry？You're poor．"

    "OK，then，"replied the nephew cheerfully．"What reason have you got to be sad？You are rich．Don't be angry，Uncle!"said his nephew．

    "What else can I be？"answered the uncle，"I live in a world of fools!Merry Christmas!What's Christmas time to you？It's a time for paying bills without money？!It's a time for finding yourself a year older，but not richer．

    Everyone who goes around saying 'Merry Christmas' should have his tongue cut out．Yes，he should!"

    "Uncle!Please don't say that!"said the nephew．"I've always thought of Christmas time as a good time，a kind，and a charitable（慈善的）and happy time．And so，Uncle，Christmas has never put any gold or silver in my pocket，but I think it has done me good．And it will do me good．I'm sure．"

    Bob，standing in the corner of the room，applauded．He realized his mistake very soon，and went quickly back to his work，but Scrooge had heard him．

    "One more sound from you，Bob Cratchit，"said Scrooge，"and you'll celebrate Christmas by losing your job!"

    "Don't be angry with him，Uncle．Come and have dinner with us tomorrow．"said Scrooge's newphew．

    "No．"said Scrooge．

I'm sorry you don't want to celebrate Christmas．But I do．So a Merry Christmas，Uncle!"

    "Good afternoon!"said Scrooge．

    "And a Happy New Year!"said his nephew．

    "Good afternoon!"said Scrooge again．

    His nephew left the room．He stopped to wish Bob a Merry Christmas．And Bob replied，"A  Merry Christmas to you，too．"

    There is a pilot (飞行员) and four people in a small plane. Suddenly there is something wrong with the machine while it is flying in the air. The plane begins to fall down. The pilot tells the people there are only four parachutes (降落伞). They all become worried and start to make excuses.

    "I must go," says the pilot, taking one of the parachutes and jumps out. The first person stands up, "I'm a doctor," he says. "I help people live longer and I save lives." He takes a parachute and jumps out.

    The next person says, "I must have a parachute. I am a very clever person. I have to attend an important match. I know I will win the game because I'll be the cleverest person there." He picks up a pack and jumps out.

Two men are left—an old businessman and a young mountain climber. At this time the plane is going down fast. The businessman says, "Young man, I am old but you are still young. You take the last parachute." The young mountain climber smiles. "Don't worry," He says. "We can both jump out because there are still two parachutes. Just now the clever man jumped out with my backpack."

49-year-old Zhang Jianna is from a village in Hebei Province. Recently, videos of her directing foreigners have gone viral (爆红) online. Her beautiful English has deeply impressed the viewers. Zhang had worked as a restaurant server and a store seller. More than 10 years ago, she took on the role of a cleaner in the embassy (大使馆) area of Sanlitun in Beiiing's Chaovang district.

One morning, a foreigner came near to her, gently tapped her shoulder, and spoke a lot of unfamiliar words to her. Standing there, her mind going blank, Zhang didn't know how to react. The foreigner seemed to recognize her embarrassment and gestured (比划) for her to look ahead, giving a thumbs-up while repeatedly saying, "Good, good!" Zhang suddenly realized that the foreigner was praising her work in keeping the streets clean. It deeply moved Zhang and she made up her mind to learn English. "My goal is quite simple. I just want to help whenever someone is in need," said Zhang.

Thus, at the age of 40, Zhang has started a personal challenge. Without a teacher, she began learning English from her children's textbooks, starting with basic words and phrases commonly used for giving directions.

While others rested, she memorized vocabulary and practiced speaking. Upon arriving home after work, she would note down new knowledge points and review them until fully understood. Over the years, she filled over a dozen notebooks with her notes. She reviewed words at night and then repeated them one more time the next day morning. She also downloaded over a dozen English learning apps on her computer and phone, spending any possible moment learning and practicing.

"Growing up in a village without a college education, I sometimes feared being looked down upon. But every time I help a stranger in English, I feel strongly confident," said Zhang. "To serve others makes me happy and it's where I prove my self-worth. After retirement, I also want to introduce my hometown in English and help develop local tourism ."

In a peaceful mountain village, a father named Edward and his beloved son Bob lived in a small farmhouse.

Edward was a hard-working 1 who worked on his land every day. Bob was a lively and innocent (纯真的) boy, and he always followed his father around. The son could often learn something 2 about life from his father.

One sunny morning, Edward took Bob to the yard. He 3 to several huge stones lying on the ground, and said with a smile, "Son, 4 these stones, they are in the way now. What can we do?"

"Can we move them 5 ?" Bob thought for a while and asked.

"Good idea! Maybe you can do it!" nodded the father.

Bob's eyes lit up with excitement, and he rushed over to 6 pushing one of the large stones. However, no matter how hard he tried, the stone 7 there.

Bob, feeling a little sad, said, "Dad, I tried to move it just now, but it didn't move 8 . I have tried my best. I have given it my all. I've used up all my 9 ." Edward smiled softly and replied, "No, son, you haven't used up all your strength. You haven't 10 for help."

With these words, Edward bent down, lifted a heavy stone and began moving 11 . He tried hard and finally moved it to one side of the road. Bob 12 his father in amazement when his father proved his words with his action.

13 Edward moved the stone, he turned to Bob and said, "Facing challenges with a determined (坚毅的) spirit is important. 14 , your own strength is limited. When a task is beyond your ability, you can choose to 15 strength from those around you."

From then on, he learned to ask for help and cooperate (合作) with others, understanding the importance of teamwork.

Mary is studying in a middle school in Shanghai. She likes Chinese {#blank#}1{#/blank#} very much because it is delicious. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Mary is watching the dragon boat race with {#blank#}2{#/blank#} classmates Alan and Henry. 

At noon, they all feel {#blank#}3{#/blank#} so they take a bus to a Chinese restaurant. They want to order (点餐) some Chinese food for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. "I don't want to eat hamburgers. They are not {#blank#}5{#/blank#} for my health," Alan says. "I'd like some rice and chicken. What about you, Mary?" "Many Chinese say if you eat a dumpling with a coin (硬币), you can get good luck," says Mary. "We will have{#blank#}6{#/blank#}important test next Monday, so I'd like to have some Chinese {#blank#}7{#/blank#} to have good luck." 

"Haha! Mary," Alan says. "You can only eat them {#blank#}8{#/blank#} Chinese New Year." "Oh, I know, but now I want to{#blank#}9{#/blank#}some dumplings," Mary says. "And what would you like to eat, Henry?" 

"I'd like noodles," says Henry. "And I'd like some fish, too. It shows you will have lots of money {#blank#}10{#/blank#}fish sounds ‘yu' in Chinese."