It was the end-of-the-year party at school. I had asked my mother to1us cookies. Mum's chocolate chips were the best.

    But two o'clock passed, and she didn't 2. Most of the other mothers had come and gone, dropping off their cookies, chips and cupcakes. I took my bag and left for 3 The house was empty when I arrived. My heart was 4anger. For the first time in my life, my mother had let me down.

    I was lying on my bed upstairs when I heard her 5 the front door. "Robbie." she called out.

    "Where are you? "I could hear her running from room to room. She was looking for me. I kept silent. When she entered my room and sat beside me on my bed, I didn't move." I'm so sorry, honey," she said." I got busy and forgot." I still kept 6.

    Then my mother began to laugh. I couldn't believe7. I rolled over and faced her.

    But my mother wasn't laughing at all. She was crying, "I'm so sorry. I let my boy down."

    She cried like a little girl. I had never8my mother cry.

    "It's OK, Mum." I reached out and stroked her hair. "We didn't even need those9. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don't cry. It's all right."

    My10made my mother sit up. She pulled me to her. We didn't say another word. We just held each other in a long hug.

    Bill and Cathy wanted to go on a holiday. They chose a place called Maldives (马尔代夫). And they decided to1there for two weeks in spring, because they heard that the weather there was perfect at that time. They worked very hard for several months. Finally, they made enough money for their dream2. But their trip was more like a nightmare(噩梦)!

    The problem began when the flight was put off because of the bad weather. They couldn't leave3 night. They finally got on the plane twelve hours later! But they4fly to Maldives because there was a storm. They had 1o fly to the capital city instead. There they stayed in a small hotel5the airport.

    The hotel was next to the sea, but the sea was6dirty that they couldn't swim in it. And the hotel swimming pool was full of leaves! The food was awful, too. For breakfast there was 7 bread and milk! The worst part was when the storm came, they felt really8. Because of the bad weather, they had to stay for another night in the small hotel. And they had9to do. It was so boring. Finally, they10in Maldives three days later, and someone told them the weather there had been wonderful all the time!

    It was a cold winter day in 1900. A little boy was walking along the street in London. His name was Jack. That day he couldn't have breakfast or lunch. He wanted to buy some bread, 1he didn't have any money.

    Jack's father died when he was very 2. His mother was often very sick, so she couldn't 3 Jack or his brother. Both of them had to work to help their mother. They worked hard.

    Jack was short but his 4was very big. His wish was to be a great man in the world of film. So he worked very hard to sing and dance. Then one day he had a chance. And he did his best in the film. Many people said excitedly, "We have never seen such a (an) 5film."

    Thirty years later, this boy was one of the most famous people in the world. He made many interesting films. A lot of people 6them.

    A girl went to her father and told him that her life was too hard. She said she couldn't work all the difficulties out 1. She just wanted to give up.

Her father said, "I think I know 2 I can help you. 3 me." They went into the 4. Her father put a potato, an egg and some coffee beans into three different bowls of water. Then, he started to boil (煮沸) the water on the stove.

After some time, he turned the stove 5 and took out the potato, the egg and the beans. He then showed each of them to his daughter.

"Look. The potato was hard before I boiled it, but now, it is 6 and weak. The egg was fragile (易碎的) until I put it in the water—now, it is hard inside. But the coffee beans were different. When they met the boiling water, they changed and became delicious 7."

Life 8 problems to us all. The potato, egg and coffee beans were all met with the same problem. But they each solve the problem in their own way. It is up to you to take the difficulties you face and find something good in 9. By making a(n) 10, the father taught his daughter a life lesson.