I grew up in a poor family where none of us kids believed in Santa Claus. My parents refused to let us believe in him. They couldn't provide us 1 expensive presents. And they didn't want us to think we weren't as good as other kids who, on Christmas morning, found all kinds of toys under the tree that were 2 to be left by Santa Claus.

    That year when Christmas came, we had no money at all. On Christmas Eve, Dad took us three kids out into the night one after 3. I had a blanket (毛毯) with me, and when it was my turn, I offered to share it with Dad, but he said," No, thanks. "The 4 never troubled him. I sat next to Dad and we looked up at the sky.

    "Pick out your 5 star. It'll be your Christmas present," Dad said.

    "You can't give me a star! No one owns a star. "

    "That's right," Dad said. "No one else owns a star. You just have to claim(认领) it 6 anyone else does , just like Columbus claimed America. "

    I 7 it for a while. "I want that one," I said.

     "That's Venus(金星). It is a planet. It shines only from reflected (反射的) light. "I like it anyway," I said.

    "It's Christmas. You can have a planet if you want. "

    That evening, we discussed outer space and I realized Dad was a man with much 8 of the stars and planets. We all 9 about the other kids who believed in Santa Claus and got nothing for Christmas but some cheap plastic toys. "Years from now, when all that they got are broken and long forgotten," Dad said. "You'll 10 have your stars."

    Hello, everyone. I am going to tell you something about my 1.

    My brother Tom is a tall and nice boy with short brown hair. He 2 basketball at school, so he is very popular. 3, he is very funny. He often tells me funny stories and makes me 4.

    I have two sisters, Rose and Mary. They're twins. They look 5. They both have long blonde hair and small eyes. 6 in some ways, they are different. Rose swims very well, and she wants to be one of the best 7 in the future. Mary dances very 8. She hopes she will be a dancer when she grows up.

    I am a shy boy. I wear glasses. I don't like to talk with others very much. I am 9 than my brother and sisters. So I want to make friends with who are very different from 10 .

    From Monday to Friday students usually get up at seven. Then they wash their faces and have breakfast. They usually have eggs, bacon(熏肉), bread, fruit and a glass of milk. After breakfast they go to school on foot or by yellow school 1. Some students ride bikes. They get to school at about half past eight. Then they put their 2 in their lockers(柜子) and take only one book, a notebook and a pencil to each class. In middle school students have3for six hours. Their classes are English, writing, maths, 4and so on.

    At noon students have lunch at school. They usually5meat, fruit, vegetables, bread and a drink.6most students like pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers better. Students don't have a short7. They go back to have classes 8 lunch until three o'clock. Then they go home.

    Students usually play or watch TV before9. They have supper at six in the evening. The supper usually has soup, meat, 10, rice or pasta(面食). After supper they do their homework. Sometimes they play or talk with their parents.

    This is a story about a mountaineer named Phillip. Phillip belongs to a mountaineering team that planned to climb a mountain. He had a keen desire to be successful and well-known. Therefore, in order to enjoy the1of being the first to reach the mountaintop. Phillip went to climb the mountain alone one night while the other mountaineers were sleeping.

    Clearly, climbing at night wasn't a smart decision. But he still wanted to give it a go. After several hours' climbing, he2got to the top. How excited he was to see the top a few metres forward! But he suddenly slipped and started to fall. At that moment, his entire life flashed before him.

    While thinking about how close he was to death and how3he was, he felt the rope around his waist suddenly tighten around him. His body was hanging in mid-air.

    He screamed, "Somebody help me!"

    Suddenly, a low voice came from the valley(山谷), "Cut the rope!"

    "What？"He couldn't believe what he heard.

    "Cut the rope around your waist!"

    It was dark all around, so he couldn't see his surroundings. He4to cut the rope but to hold onto it as tightly(紧紧地) as he could

    The next morning, when his fellow mountaineers found him, he had died of exposure to the low temperature, holding tight to the rope in his hands. But he was only ten feet5a big rock!

    If he had cut the rope, he might have landed in a safe place, build a fire and6someone who passes by. Then he might have survived. So sometimes giving up is the way forward.

    When one door of happiness closes, another opens. However, we often look at the 1 door so long that we can't see the one that has been opened for us. It's true that we don't know 2 we've got until we lose it, and it's also true that we don't know what we've been 3 until it goes away.

    Giving someone all your 4 doesn't mean that they'll love you back. Don't expect love in return. Just 5 for it to grow in their hearts.

    There are many moments in life when you miss someone so much that you want to bring them into your 6 and hug them for real! Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, and 7 what you want to be, 8 you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

    Happiness lies in those who have cried, those who have been hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can understand the 9 of their lives. The 10 future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in your life until you let your past failure and heartaches go.