"Some gifts are tiny. Some gifts are needed. And some gifts... some gifts are priceless, "says 26-year-old Sarah Bricker of Minneapolis, USA. She had suffered from（受…之苦） hearing loss until she received the gift two years ago for Christmas --her first hearing aids（助听器）. They were from her parents. Here's what else she says:

    "I remember the moment they were fit to my ears. And I remember every first that came after--The first time I heard my mother's voice. The first time I heard my father cry as he realized 1 could hear my mother. The first time I listened to Winter Wonderland on the radio and heard every word clearly. The first time I heard my best friend's voice, calling from England to wish me a Merry Christmas.

    "My hearing aids are probably the best Christmas gift my parents have ever given to me. It might sound strange to say that, but until you lose your hearing, you never fully understand how unbelievablly valuable it is. How you miss the moment your partner says 'I love you. How you miss the jokes that everyone laughs at. How you miss- life. But now I don't miss life anymore."

    However, he hearing aids were more than Just about hearing. They gave Sarah self-confidence（自信）,more chances to make new friends, the courage to take on new challenges. "Every day, they return to me a moment, a sound, a voice. They return to me the kaleidoscope（万花筒） of a life I'd once thought forever dark."

    The famous director（导演）of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset（日落）over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for over. He sent his camera workers out one evening to film the sunset for him.

    The next morning he said to the men, "Have you provided me with that sunset?"

     "No, sir," the men answered. The director was angry. "Why not?" he asked.

     "Well, sir," one of the men answered, "we're on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise（日出）over the sea, if necessary（必要）, but not a sunset. "

     "But I want a sunset!" the director shouted."（Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one."

    But then a young secretary had an idea. "Why don't you photo a sunrise," she asked, "and then play it backwards? Then it'll look like a sunset."

     "That's a very good idea!" the director said. Then he turned to the camera workers and said, "Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea."

    The camera workers went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful coast. Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director. "Here it is, sir, "they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.

    They all went into the studio（工作室）. "All right, "the director explained, "now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the 'sunset' behind them. "

    The "sunset" began, but after a quarter of a minute, the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera workers to stop.

    The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach.

Dave is my friend. His family is rich. His parents always give himlots of pocket money(零用钱). But Dave thinks his parents work very hard and it's not easy forthem to make money, so he always tries to save money. He has some good ways todo it.

Dave likes books. He tells me he often buys books online, because they'recheaper. And when he is free, he often goes to bookshops to do some reading. Davehas a bike. He usually goes to school by bike instead of(代替) taking a bus. Sometimes whenit rains or snows, he walks. These two ways help Dave keep healthy and savemoney.

Dave brings a bottle of water to school every day. When others drinkjuice, he enjoys water. He says water is the cheapest and the best drink.

Some students think Dave is mean(吝啬的). But I don't think so. I think he is right.

    I'm not much of a crier most of the time. But {#blank#}1{#/blank#} when I was reading a book on a plane, I started crying. Of course, it came as a big surprise when tears came up, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't {#blank#}2{#/blank#} myself.

    Oh no, not this now. I thought to myself. But even as the thought entered my brain. I felt the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} hot drop of salty water coming down my face. I put my head down, hoping that I could go on reading.

    In fact, the harder I tried, the more tears pushed their way out of my eyes. You could guess how surprised the man next to me looked.

    My head {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in shame. He must think I was crazy. Maybe I could turn towards him, hold up the cover of the book and say in my crying voice. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just a really good book!" But I didn't, say anything. Instead, I just put my head back against the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and let the tears run. Do you know what decision I made while I was crying? My decision was that it was OK if he thought I was crazy. I preferred to be crazy instead of being the kind of person who wouldn't cry when the situation called for it, or who wouldn't let {#blank#}6{#/blank#} feel anything at all.

    I've been that girl who has spent so much time trying to make sure people didn't think f was crazy. But now I don't want to be that girl any more —that bored and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} girl. I'd rather {#blank#}8{#/blank#} this girl who is able to forgive (原谅), love and act, even if it means being disappointed or being hurt again and again.

He is always in my heart. I couldn't believe I lost him. As I think of my father, tears fill my eyes and stream down my face. 

My dad always wanted to go to Canada, so he wrote a letter to one of my uncles in Canada for help. My uncle successfully got a visit visa(签证)for my dad. So he flew to Canada, looking for a better life for his kids. That year, I was six. 

After a few months, dad wrote us a letter saying he was fine and happy. That letter, and its many fellows(伙伴)down the years, all with the same words, kept coming to our doors for 11 years. Yet, even as he lived here in Canada, his health was failing him―but fearing we would worry he never let on about his ill health. He spent these years in Canada working hard; finally after 11 years when he got his landed immigrant(永久居民)paper, he wrote us saying all of us could move to Canada. 

We were all happy that we would finally be together. It was to be a huge family reunion(重聚). Sadly my father did not live to see his family reunion as he suffered a serious heart attack. 

Yes, Canada is a wonderful country. So many times I can't help thinking it was here that my dad was taken away from us. When I miss him, I want someone to hold me and give me a hug. And when I see how everyone gives his father gifts on Father's Day, wishing them a long, happy life, I want to do the same. But to whom can I give my Father's Day gift and card? Where can I get the same warm loving hug again?

Kate and Jim are wife and husband. Like many New Age Travellers, they don't live in a house,1 in a truck. For about three years 2 moved around the country with other travellers. Now their daughter, Lucy, is four years old, and Kate wants to 3 their life and come back to the city. 

But Jim likes to 4 his life travelling around. They think they should live on the road. "We have a lot of good friends around us. We live in the open air. 5 fresh the air is! If we like a place, we stay 6 some time. If we don't like it, we move on. I don't like living in cities. There I must  7 in a small box and you should work hard all your time to get enough money to live. That's not life. We should 8 away from cities. Lucy is a nice girl. She can learn real things about life with us on the 9 ," Jim says. 

"Yes, I find this way of life 10 than city life. Travelling is interesting in spring and summer. But 11 is always difficult. It is so cold that Lucy gets ill every winter. The most 12 thing, I think, is that Lucy needs a good education (教育) in school. She also needs to have her own friends and a normal life like 13 kids. That 14 we must live in one place. Shall we move 15 to the city or not?" says Kate. Then Jim loses himself in thought …