One night in November, Itzhak Perlman gave a concert in a theatre. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that becoming a violinist is not a small 1 for him. He had to walk 2 the help of two walking sticks as a result of the disease he caught as a child.

    People sat 3 while he made his way to his chair and began his play. But this time, something went 4. Just as he finished the first few parts of the music, one of the wrings(弦) on his violin 5. We thought that he would have to stop the concert. But he didn't. 6, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then 7 the conductor(指挥) to begin again. The orchestra(管弦乐队) began and he played with such strong feeling and purity as they had 8 heard before.

    Of course, everyone knows that it is 9 for a violinist to play a pleasant work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, 10 that night Itzhak Perlman didn't want to accept that.

    When he finished, there was a terrible 11 in the room. And then people rose and 12 from every corner of the theatre.

    Perlman was excited. He smiled and said, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to 13 how much music you can still make with what you have left."

    So, suppose our task in this fast-changing world is to make 14, at first we should try out best with all that we have. And then,    15 it is no longer possible, try to play it with what we have left.

    A poor farmer had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apples he grew.

    One day, his friend gave the farmer a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it. The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home, he did not know where lo plant it.

    He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the fruit. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come al night and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.

    Finally he planted the tree in his woods (树林) where no one could see it. But without sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.

    Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place. "What's the difference?” the farmer said angrily. "If I had planted the tree near the road, strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree in one of my fields, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit.”

    "Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now you not only have robbed (抢夺) everyone of the fruit, but also you have destroyed (摧毁) a good apple tree!"

    A man was visiting a rich person's house. As he went along, he saw a box of apples on the side of the road. He said, "I do not want to eat those apples. The rich man will give me very nice food to eat." Then he took the apples and threw them away in the dust(尘土).

    He went on and came to a river. The river had gotten so high, and he could not get through it. He waited for some time and said," I cannot go to the rich man's house today, for I cannot get over the river."

    He started to go home. He had eaten no food that day. And he was very hungry. He came to the apples, and he was glad to take them out of the dust and eat them.

    Do not throw good things away. You might be happy to have them later.

    Once upon a time, a proud (骄傲的) Swallow lived in a large tree. He liked his colorful feathers (羽毛) and his long tail so much that he believed nothing could be better than them. One day he saw a Crow and thought. "How silly this bird is! All his feathers are black." He looked at himself lovingly and enjoyed his own feathers.

    Just then, the crow flew and sat on the same branch as the Swallow. The Swallow said, "All your feathers are black and your tail is so short." The Crow smiled and said. "But they help me fly." The Swallow said. "So do mine. But look at how beautiful they are!" He spread (展开) his wings and flew a little closer to the Crow. The Crow saw that the Swallow had lots of blue feathers and some white and pink ones, too. He looked at his own feathers and thought, "It's true. The Swallow's feathers are much prettier than mine."

    The Crow said, "Swallow, you're right. You have lovely feathers and a long tail, but only in summer. Your little feathers cannot keep you warm in winters at all. While you shiver (颤抖) in the cold, my thick feathers keep me warm in the cold winters."

    Blue Ocean Aquarium is a great place for families to take a holiday. Children love to see the sea animals and watch movies about sharks in it.

    Last Saturday morning, Mr. Black took his wife and two little sons to the aquarium. At the ticket office, he asked, "How much shall I pay to get in?" The woman at the ticket office answered, "The price is 20 dollars for each adult(成年人) or any kid older than five. We let kids in free(免费) if they are five or younger. How old are your kids?" Mr. Black said, "The older one is six and the younger one is three. I think I must buy three tickets." The woman was surprised. She said, "Sir, don't you want to save 20 dollars? If you tell me your older son is five, I won't know the difference." Mr. Black said with a smile, "Yes, that sounds right, but my kids will know the difference."

    From Mr. Black's story, we know honesty is very important in the modern society. We should tell the truth to the people around us, especially to the kids.

Last weekend, my parents and I went snowboarding in a village. Early in the morning, we were standing on the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} of a mountain. "I can't wait {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. See you later at the hotel!" shouted Mom, and she quickly went down the mountain. Dad and I {#blank#}3{#/blank#} carefully for many times before we get started. But when we got to the hotel, we found Mom wasn't there. Dad said {#blank#}4{#/blank#} but took out his phone and called Mom, only to find Mom has hurt her foot and can't walk. 

In the end, Dad and I found Mom at the foot of the hill. She was cold and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} she was in the Arctic（北极）. 

"Sorry, but I know: We must walk before we run, " said Mom.