Every year on my birthday since I was 11，a white gardenia （栀子花） was sent to my house．No card ever came with it．Calls to the flower shop were not helpful at all．After some time I stopped trying to find out the sender's name and was just pleased with the beautiful flower，in soft pink paper．

    I couldn't stop imagining who the giver might be．Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming（幻想 ）about the sender．My mother encouraged these daydreams．She'd ask me if I had been especially kind to someone．Perhaps it was one of my classmates Perhaps it was the old man who I once helped．As a girl，I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy that I had met．

    A month before my high school graduation（毕业），my father died．I was so sad that I became completely uninterested in my coming graduation dance，and I didn't care whether I had a new dress or not．My mother，in her own sadness，would not let me miss （过） any of those things．She wanted her children to feel loved．In fact，my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia：lovely，strong and perfect．

    My mother died ten years after I was married．That was the year the gardenia stopped coming．

    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.

    There was once an ugly fairy living in a fairy country. She was the kindest and cleverest of all fairies. However, no one liked her, because they strongly believed that the most important thing about a fairy was her beauty. Every time she was ready to help a child or anyone else in trouble, before she could say a word they were already shouting at her, "Ugly! Get out of here!"

    Although she was little, she had great magic power. More than once she thought about using it to make herself beautiful. But she remembered what her mother had always told her, "My dear, you are what you are."

    One day, the witches (女巫) came and caught the fairies, putting them in prison. The ugly fairy, just before being caught, put a spell (咒语) on her pretty dress. Helped by her ugly face, she succeeded in making herself look like a witch. That way she was able to follow the witches back to their country.

    The fairy used her magic power to prepare a big party for everyone there. While they were enjoying themselves, she left quietly and let free other fairies. When all of them got out of the prison, they worked together on one big spell and succeeded in putting the witches inside the mountain for the next hundred years.

    From that day on everyone remembered the brave and clever fairy. And for the next hundred years, and more, when someone ugly was born in that country, everyone was filled with joy.

    Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would say: Confucius(孔子). September 28is his birthday. He was born over 2, 000 years ago, but people still remember him on this day. Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, part of today's Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. His childhood was sad. His father died when he was only 3 and he had to work to help his mother. But young Confucius didn't give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

    Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children from rich families could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3, 000 students in his lifetime.

    Today, people still follow Confucius' lessons. He told us that everyone has something worthy to be learned. "When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I select their good qualities and follow them. I take their bad qualities and change them in myself. "He also taught us, "All study but no thinking makes people puzzled(困惑的). All thinking but no study makes people lazy."

    Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. "A kind person should care for others. Be strict with yourself, but he kind to others," he said.

    Janie shook her bank. It was not heavy. She shook it again. It made very little sound.

    She sighed (叹气). How could she buy dad a gift? Father's Day was almost here. She went to talk to mom.

    "Mom," said Janie, I need money. "What do you need money for?" asked Mom. "I need to get dad a gift for Father's Day." "I will not give you the money," said Mom. "I will help you to make it." "What do I have to do?" asked Janie. "You can help me," said Mom. "You can help with housework. I will make a list of jobs. Each one will be worth a price. When you do a job well, I will give you the money according to the price." "OK. That's a good idea." said Janie.

    Mom quickly made a housework list: sweeping the floor, $2; making the table, $0.5 ; washing socks, $1; making the bed, $1; washing the dishes, $2; taking out the litter, $1; cutting the grass in the garden, $3; tidying the room, $3.

    After that, Janie helped with the housework happily every day, "What a pleasant surprise father will have when he gets the gift!" Janie often imagines (想象).