I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a 1 over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always2. Not knowing we were poor, my kids(孩子们) just thought I was 3. I've always been glad about that.

    It was Christmas time, and although there wasn't 4 for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big 5 for the kids was the fun of Christmas 6.

    They planned weeks ahead of time, asking 7 what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for 8 to share by all five of us.

    The big 9 arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and 10 them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would 11at the “Santa's Workshop”.

    Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, 12 my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually 13. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies— fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn't say anything 14 we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door,15 to be angry again. This is what she told me：

    “I was looking 16 thinking of what to buy, and I 17to read the little cards on the 'Giving Trees'.One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she 18 for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and 19 the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn't have anything.”

    I never felt so 20 as I did that day.

    A man worked in a post office. His job was to handle(处理) all 1 that had unclear addresses. One day he came across a letter which was 2to God. He opened it and it 3 ， “Dear God，I am an 83­year­old woman and I live on a very small pension(养老金).Yesterday someone stole my 4.There was a hundred dollars in it，which was all the money I had 5 until my next pension comes. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day，and I have invited my last two friends for 6.Without that money，I have 7 to buy food with. I have no family to 8 ， and you are my only 9.Can you please help me？” The man was 10 ， and went around showing the letter to all the other workers. Each of them 11 their wallets and donated a few dollars. By the time he 12 his showing，he had collected 96 dollars. 13then he sent it to the old woman. Thanksgiving Day came and went. The workers 14forgot about it. Then one day，there came another letter from the old lady to God.All the 15gathered around when the letter was16.It read，“Dear God，how can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me？Because of your kindness，I was able to 17 a lovely dinner for my friends. We had a very 18 day，and I told my friends about your19 gift. Thank you very much！” Seeing this，all the workers felt 20 with the nice thing they had done. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

    My first full time job after high school was selling vacation packages via telephone for a well-known company. One day, the dialer 1me to a man who answered the phone and2a bit out of breath. I started with my normal pitch（推销), and3to hear the normal, "I don't want any," and be hung up on.

    Instead he spoke in a low, weak voice and told me how he wished he could take a4like the one I was offering, but couldn't5he was dying of emphysema (肺气肿). He 6how he was on oxygen, and it took almost all his7just to get to the phone to answer the call. I8 and my heart fell into my stomach. He asked me if I smoked, which I did, and then begged me to stop. He told me smoking is 9was killing him, and how horrible it was. He told me to 10every day with my loved ones, and tell them all the time how much I love them. At this 11, I was in tears, and couldn't control myself, and he could tell.

    After a few moments, I decided to write down his name and 12, and just send him a card telling him that I13his advice and that I would pray for him and his family. Shortly after, I received a nice letter back from Frank, along with a picture of him and his wife. We continued to write back and forth over the next few months or so, and became very 14of each other. He was old enough to be my grandfather, and in many ways, I felt 15he were.

    It was about a year later I received a letter from his wife, and when I started to read it, my eyes were filled with tears. She told me how Frank's 16with the disease had finally come to an end, and he 17shortly before Christmas .She wanted to thank me for the letters I had written to Frank, and then explained how Frank touched many lives over the years. At his 18  to show just that, they read the 1st letter I had written to Frank to show how he 19a 19-year- old person he had20even met.

    I will never forget how much that meant to me.

    “The Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was definitely a life changing experience,” says Alaa. “I had lots of 1 and expectations when I left Jordan and headed to Chicago to become a YES program particpant."

    During it, Alaa had the chance to be a part of two wonderful host families. “I 2a lot by living with my host families,” says Alaa “The first one was a single older person that 3me to most of American cultures. My second family was kind enough to have me stay at their house and 4 me like one of their own kids. I am 5 both host families forever.”

    6Alaa learned a lot from her host families, she realized that 7 a new culture and new family comes with its own growing pains.

    “There was a huge 8 between me and my first host mom,” says Alaa. “She worked all the time,9 I was expecting her to interact with more peole. But that was too 10She goes her own way”

    “The education system we have in Jordan is quite different from here, so the 11 to the education system was hard too. I went to Schaumburg High School, where everything was so organized and the teachers were so nice. I started an Arabic program12the gifted students in the school,” states Alaa. With my assistance, they13to know the beauty of my language. By the end of the year, I received Christmas card from the students with their names and 14 in Arabic. To my 15in no time they 16 were able to talk to me in Arabic without difficulty.”

    “My YES program was soon17” Alaa said. “But it had a deep18on me.” Thanks to the YES program, Alaa had conquered fears.19 new skills, and finally changed the course of her life forever. “I don't let anything get in the20of achieving my dreams.” says Alaa.

    I was walking down a dimly (昏暗) lit street late one evening when I heard 1 coming from behind bushes. 2 I slowed down to listen and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing were the sounds of a struggle. Only yards from where I stood, a woman was being attacked.

    Should I get 3?

    I was frightened for my own safety, and I hated 4 for having suddenly decided to take a(n) 5 route home that night. "What if I'm hurt too? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?" Although it felt like a century, my thought process had only 6 seconds.

    But already the cries were growing 7.

    I knew I had to act fast. "How could I walk away from this?" I asked myself.

    "No", I finally resolved (决心), I could not turn my 8 on the fate of this unknown woman, 9 it means 10 my own life.

    I am not a brave man, nor am I 11. I don't know where I found the moral courage and physical strength, but 12 I had finally decided to help the girl, I became suddenly changed.

    I ran behind the bushes and 13 the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, 14 we fought for a few minutes until the man jumped up and escaped.

    15 heavily, I got to my feet and 16 the girl, who was sobbing behind a tree. In the darkness, I could certainly 17 her trembling shock.  Not wanting to frighten her any further, I at first spoke to her from a 18.

    "It's OK," I said soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now."

    There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered (说) in 19.

    "Dad, is that you?"

    And then, from behind the tree, 20 my youngest daughter, Katherine.

    God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right time.

    It was 7 in the morning. I was on a train to another city when I started a(n)1with a young man sitting next to me. From what he said, I2that he came from a farming family and was now doing very well in the IT industry. He was3enough to give me a window seat, help a co-passenger when he dropped his coffee, etc. These small4showed what a good person he was!

    I was lost in reading a biography(自传) on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger has played a huge role in my life5I haven't met him. Reading a6about him is great fun.

    Now my co-passenger7to see the book, so I handed it to him. Minutes passed into hours. From the train window, I8him reading the book carefully. Towards the end of the trip, I even saw him9everything about the book including the publishing house and code number. He turned to me and asked where he could buy this book.

    "You can10 it," I said. "This is the second time that I've read it anyway."

    I was lying! Actually it was last weekend that I bought it. I loved it so much and how I11to hold on to it myself! 12, when I thought of his kindness, I thought I should do something too. "Wow," the man said to me. "This is really13. Thank you so much."

    "No problem. Don't worry about it."

    I got off the train and walked into the new city with a sense of14. I did not regret giving the book to him as I believed15each other is really a good thing.