I have been collecting stamps since I was a little kid. I began to collect stamps1I was eight years old. At that time, my mother  2 at an international bank. Every Friday, she 3 home stamps from all the letters she had received during that week. I 4had many pen friends in different countries, and we 5 letters to each other very often. By the 6 I was twelve, I have collected more than l, 000 stamps from fifty different countries! I've7  collecting stamps, but now it's  more  8 . My mother retired(退休) from her job, and my pen friends send me  9 messages instead of letters. The Internet has been very  10  for my stamp collection !

    Thomas was a good student but he didn't respect others. One day，his aunt gave him a1as a birthday gift. He went around the classroom playing his drum. When others asked him to keep 2or play somewhere else，Thomas refused.

    Thomas's classmates couldn't 3the noisy drum，so they stopped playing with him. Joe, one of his classmates，invented special earplugs (耳塞)which allowed people to hear normal sounds, but stopped the bad ones. Thomas got very4with Joe. He even had a big fight with Joe.

    A few days later，a clock was put into the classroom，just next to the desk of Thomas. The clock was making the5like “Tick tock, tick tock.” Thomas couldn't concentrate on his study at all.6 ， the others，with their special earplugs，were OK. Soon Thomas started to 7how much he had disturbed his classmates with the drum，and how silly it had been to fight with Joe. In order to change the situation，Thomas decided to say8to his classmates. What's more，he9played his drum in the classroom. Seeing Thomas's great changes，his classmates10forgave (原谅)him and decided to play with him again. From then on，Thomas changed a lot and got along well with his classmates.

    Alvin wants a new laptop（手提电脑）. His family is8 poor because his parents lose their 1.

    Alvin can't ask his parents for a laptop. He decides to2his rich uncle Todd for help. He ride Todd's house. Todd's house is very3There are five bedrooms and four bathrooms in the house. And there are4paintings on the walls. Alvin wishes he could live there.

    Tod gives him something to5Alvin says, No, thanks. I already ate, "Tod asks him why he is6. Alvin does not know what to say. "My laptop is really old, and I need a new laptop for school. I would ask my7, but they don't have jobs anymore, "Alvin says.

    "I understand," Todd says. Todd8Alvin 5800, Alvin feels very happy. He jumps up and down He has never felt so9in all his life. His mom asks Alvin why be is so happy, Alvin doesn't say10. He doesn't want to make his mom feel bad.

    My mum works on Saturdays, so every Saturday my aunt, Jenny, takes me somewhere interesting. For example, once she took me to the sea museum, and then she made me do a project (专题研究) about my favourite 1.

    Last Saturday, Jenny took me to an old people's home. She was a volunteer there, so she 2 went there in her free time. There were a lot of old people there. Jenny introduced 3 to some of them. Then she asked me if I would like to read the newspaper to them. I was glad to do that. I read 4 so they could hear me. They said my reading was excellent. I felt really 5.

    Later, Jenny and I had 6 with them. I sat at a table with one man and two women. During lunch, they told me stones about their lives. The man had been a guide. The two women were from other 7. Mrs Wang came from China, and Mrs Guleed was from South Africa. They 8 their lives in their hometowns. It sounded different.

    After lunch, Jenny 9 the piano. Some of the people sang along to the music. The people there were very kind to me. I liked them so much that I began to 10 them as soon as I got home.

    A man asked his friends one evening, "What's the most beautiful  1in the world?" "The sound of bird  2?" one of his friends said.

    "No, it's the sound of a piano." the 3one said. "No, no," the third said. "It's the sound of a guitar." The three friends 4. Soon they were shouting.

    "Stop! Stop!" the man cried out. "You'll never 5each other this way. Come to dinner next week. I'll help you agree on what's the most beautiful sound in the world."

    A week later, the man's three friends came to his house. They were looking forward to （期待） a good dinner, 6the table was empty. Time passed and still there was no  7.

    At last, it was midnight. The man's friends were very 8 but they were too polite（礼貌的）to say 9. Then, as they were standing up to leave, they heard the "click, click" of dishes. A servant came in and put the dishes of food on the table.

    Soon they were all enjoying a fine meal. "Tell me now." the man said  10with a smile, "What is the most beautiful sound in the world?" And this time they all gave the same answer.

    A girl complained to her father about her hard life. She didn't know what she had to do and wanted to give up. She felt tired for fighting and fighting, one problem had been finished but another came.

    Her father, who was a cook 1 her into the kitchen. He poured water into the pans (锅) and boiled it. When the water was boiling, in the first pan he put some carrots, in the second he put some eggs and the last he put with coffee. He 2 them a few minutes without any words.

    The girl closed her mouth and waited impatiently, not knowing 3 her father was doing that. After about 20 minutes, her father turned 4 the stove, took out the carrots and put them in a bowl. He took the eggs and put them in another bowl. After that the 5 was poured into a cup. Turning back to his daughter, he asked, "What do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she answered.

    Her father told her to 6 her eyes and let her touch the carrots. She did and felt that the carrots were soft. After that he asked her to take the eggs and 7 them. Then she got boiled and hard eggs. At last, the father asked her to smell the coffee. "What is the meaning, Father?" He  __8 that each one had the same experience -the boiled water, but 9 had a different reaction(反应). The strong and hard carrots had become soft and weak after being in the boiling water. The eggs became hard after being cooked. The coffee was very special and it changed the water. "Who are you?" asked her father, "When calamity(厄运) 10 your door, what is your reaction? Are you carrots, eggs or coffee?"