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.

    Joey O'Leary, a ten-year-old boy, lived in a small town, in the USA. He had a pair of green pants that he 1 most, but the pants were already short for him. One day, his father thought of a(n) 2. He said to Joey, "Let's put your green pants into a big bottle(瓶子), and then float it 3 the river. We can put a note with your name and 4. So whoever finds the pants will know that they are your favourite pants." Joey thought that it was a5 idea, so they just did that.

      The bottle floated for weeks. Finally, it got to the Gulf of Mexico. It was caught by a 6 Mexican boy Pablo and his father. They were so poor that they sometimes had nothing to eat. When they caught the bottle and saw the pants and note in it, Pablo was so 7. The pants were just what he had wanted. He later tried them on and was surprised to find that they were 8 for him.

      When Pablo got home, he wrote a 9 to Joey. After that, Pablo and Joey wrote letters to each other every week. They became lifelong 10. It was all because of a pair of green pants.

    Tom travelled to London. He 1 the railway station quite early. The train would not leave until five to twelve. He saw 2 people waiting there. Some were standing in line, 3were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying 4 them in line. Tom looked around, 5there was no place for him to sit.

    He walked 6 the station coffee shop. He found a seat and sat down in front of a large mirror on the wall. He looked at the clock. It was only eleven. Just then, Tim, one of Tom's workmates came in and sat with him.

    "What time is your train?" asked Tim. "There is7 time," answered Tom.

    They talked while 8. Then Tom looked at the clock again. “Oh! It is going backwards!”he cried.

    "You looked at the clock in the mirror," said Tim. Tom was so 9. The next train was not to leave for another hour, and from then on Tom10liked a mirror.

    Homeless(无家可归) is everywhere. Even in France, one of the1countries in the world, thousands of people live in the streets or parks.

    Mr. Muller and his wife Rita have spent eleven years making2for the homeless of Paris, France's capital. They first3one hot summer. When most Frenchmen were4on holiday. The Mullets stayed at home, made sandwiches. 5a table in the street and gave food to the homeless.

    The Mullers soon found that food and clothing weren't6. “What these people also need is warmth and7." says Rita. They gave their phone number to the street people and told them to phone8. They also told that their home was always9to anyone who needed help.

    The Mullers were soon10all their time and money, so Mr. Muller visited food and clothing companies to11more help. Today, over thirty companies give away food and other things to them. And more volunteers join them, too.

    Mr. Muller and his wife12no payment for their hard work. “We feel like13." says Rita. "And parents shouldn't expect money14helping their children. The love we get in the streets is the best present for us. We enjoy the feeling of making15in the world."

    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?"

    Last summer, we had a volunteer activity in a village school. In the school. I saw a name Feng Aiguo on a list. This man offered much money to the school. I thought he must be a1 man.

    One day, on my way home from school, my bike was broken. Luckily I found a repairing stand(修车摊)across from the street. An old man was 2 a bike. He was wearing a clean suit. He looked energetic(精力充沛的). While waiting. I knew 3 about him from the old men chatting there. He was Lao Feng and 4to repair bikes after he repaired(退休). Two months ago, his family moved to a new house. His son didn't want him to repair bikes any longer. He bought him suits and asked him to 5 them and rest at home. But it didn't work. The old man continued his repairing work in his suits.

    After a while, the old man got my bike repaired. 6 I was leaving an old lady came and called him "Aiguo". 7 the name on the list of the village school came into my mind. But how could such a common repairman 8so much money? I asked him if he knew that village. He told me it was his hometown and the 9there still needed help. So he always saved money by repairing bikes to help them. Then I was sure that he was the person on the 10.