Yesterday evening，when l went to town with my  1  ，we met a strange old man．It was raining ham and we had no  2 ．We were trying to get into a taxi when he came up to us．He was 3  a nice umbrella and he said that he would give it to us for only a pound．He had forgotten his   4 ，he said，needed taxi—fares(出租汽车费)to go back home．My mother didn't believe  5 he had said at first，and asked him a lot of questions．Finally we bought it and he left  6 ．We followed him and found he went into a pub(小酒店)and  7  himself a glass of whiskey(威士忌)with the pound．

8 he drank it，he put 9   his hat and took up one of the many wet umbrellas at the entrance and went off．Soon after that，he sold it again．What a(n) 10  experience I had !

    As I was leaving to meet Lynne, my roommate told me that I'd better take some money. But I didn't listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me. I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I'd been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of restaurant and a waitress came and took our order.

    The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours, the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said, “Oh! I forgot my wallet! Can I call my roommate, please?” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate. In a few minutes, he arrived with some money, but he couldn't hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home. Now, I think it's funny too, but at that time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner in the United States meant the same thing as that in China. I guess you have to understand that your customs are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country, you have to learn about their customs, too.

    Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Many heroes are not even human, such as dogs, horses and cats. They are so brave and helpful that human beings are proud of them, too. Lucca, a 12-year-old dog, is a great animal hero. She is a retired US Marine Corps dog. On April 5, 2016 she received the Dickin Medal from PDSA in London, England. And PDSA will provide free medical care for the sick and wounded animals in need. The Dickin Medal was founded in 1943 by Maria Dickin. The Medal is the highest prize for animals working in wars in the world.

    Lucca is the first U.S. Marine Corps dog to receive the medal. As a search dog, Lucca's work was dangerous. She was trained to find hidden weapons and explosive devices. According to the US Marine Corps, Lucca protected the lives of thousands of soldiers, and no soldiers were killed while she was going around. She completed over 400 dangerous pieces of work during six years in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2012, she lost her front left leg in an explosion while working in Afghanistan.

    Lucca is the 66^th animal to receive the Dickin Medal. 30 dogs (including Lucca) have got the Medal as well as 32 World War II messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat.

    Last year, I went to Beijing Qizhi Special Education School for community service (社区服务). Before we took the bus, my friend asked me a question, "Why are you here?" I did not know how to answer the question.

    The school was not far from my school, but it looked like it was in a different world. A group of children were waiting for us. A boy walked toward me. He held my hands and pulled me to the ground. I kissed the earth and tasted nature.

    I could not understand what he was doing at first, then I was very angry. Though I was very angry, I controlled my anger.

    A teacher stopped this awkward (尴尬的) silence when she shouted at the boy. "What are you doing right here, right now?" she said. "You will never see your mum again if you keep doing this. Now, say sorry!" "Sorry," he cried fearfully and nervously. I said nothing, but I realized something about this child. After lunch I asked the teacher for information about the child's parents.

    She said that the child was very different from other students because of an illness. His family could not afford to treat him. He needed the kindness of his family, but they had abandoned him. So he depended on the support from the ' teachers and community service workers like us.

    I suddenly realized I could answer the question my friend asked me at the beginning of the day.

    Community service workers help others and make everyone feel better. There are so many people in the world that need help. Playing with lonely children may not make a big difference. But it can light a corner in the children's hearts, making them know they are loved by people.

    A couple of sparrows(麻雀) lived happily in a huge tree in a jungle. The female sparrow had laid her eggs and they were expecting their babies soon.

    One day, an elephant was unable to tolerate the heat of the summer sun. He destroyed all trees, including the tree where the sparrows lived.

    The sparrows managed to escape by flying away, but they lost their babies. The eggs fell down to the ground and broke into pieces. They cried loudly and decided to kill the elephant.

    They asked their friends, a woodpecker and a fly for help. The fly took them to meet one of his friends, an old frog. The frog was wise and he came up with a good plan soon.

    The frog explained, "Fly! Your task is to buzz in the elephant's ears in order to make him sleepy. The woodpeckers task is to hurt his eyes and make him blind. In this hot summer days, he will certainly search for water. I will sit by the nearby pit(深坑) and shout at the top of my voice."

    He continued, "When the thirsty elephant hears me, he will think there is a pond or lake nearby and follow my voice. And when he does so, he will fall into the pit and die."

    The others agreed to the frog's plan. Everyone did their tasks perfectly. Finally, the elephant fell into the pit and died.