The first week is always a bit hard in my writing classes. I'm unfamiliar 1 the students, most of them trying to 2 themselves to their new environment. When Jennifer 3 me with a question on the second day, I was 4 for the chance to connect at least one name with a face.

    Her writing wasn't perfect, 5 her effort was. She worked hard and pushed herself to achieve. She was excited to 6, which made me enjoy teaching her. I didn't 7 then how much she would also teach me. One Friday afternoon, Jennifer stopped by after class. She wasn't asking a question 8a paper I'd returned. 9, she said quietly: “I didn't attend classes yesterday. I was at the health center the whole day.” I gave her a sideways look, 10. “It was just a virus (病毒). I'm fine now,” she 11 me. Then she was gone.

    Two nights later, her father called to tell me that Jennifer would be 12a few classes. She had been in hospital with meningitis (脑膜炎). I heard from him again a few days later, and again after that. Her condition grew 13. We made trips to the hospital room. I was 14 frightened when I saw the pale, thin and weak girl who, only ten days earlier, had displayed life and warmth in my classroom.

    A week later, Jennifer herself called me to tell me she was on the road to 15. “I'll be back to school one day,” she said. “I have no 16 that you'll be with us.” I told her, 17 tears. I remembered what her father had said in his first phone call: “school 18 everything to Jenny.”

    Then five weeks later, I walked into my classroom to find Jenny in her seat,   19.   She 20 all of her missed homework, completed with thought and excellence. The strength of her will to overcome shone out of her pale, weak, eighteen-year-old face.

A Good Man

    It's a late Saturday afternoon in early March, and I am sweating in search of the only gift my son wants from Los Angeles: a 1 to the homes of the stars such as Brad Pitt and Jet Li.

    A cheerful taxi driver says, “No problem. Map sellers are everywhere!” When the taxi stops, a fellow 2 with a thin folded sheet and says: “Ten dollars.”

    Ten dollars! With absolute 3I inform him, “That's too much.” The map man leaves. I begin walking, certain I'll find a (an)4 star map soon.

    I am 5. There's hardly anybody on the street. There don't seem to be many real stores, just cars and bars. No maps. No stars. Blocks pass. The sun begins to sink. At the edge of West Hollywood6fellow wanders ahead, selling star maps to some teenage girls.

    Ten dollars7. Forget it. My son will 8.

    That night, I call my wife. “Did you get one of those maps to the stars? He's been talking about 9else.”

    This10is hard to ignore. It's late. At all-night markets: no maps. I head back to the hotel. Morning is coming. There will be one last11. After I check out, I take a taxi. But at nine in the morning, map sellers are 12 to be found.

    “You know,” says the driver, “The guys with the maps just aren't up yet!” He's right.

    “Forget it. Let's go to the airport.”

    “Well,” says the driver, “I could 13 you one if you like.”

    Sure. Trust this guy? I might as well throw cash onto the freeway. But exiting the taxi, I14 my last chance. I hand him $13 and my business card. Three weeks pass. I've15 on the star map. My son has stopped mentioning it.

    Then one afternoon, sticking out from under piles of flyers, there it is: a big white envelope. There is a small note. I can hardly read it16 I make out a few phrases一“forgive17 “taxi's been down” and, finally, “here's map for your son.” There's no return address. It's signed, “kind regards, M.”

    I hold the note in my hand18 what my son said to me when I got back from Los Angeles.

    “Did you meet any 19 Dad?” he asked.

Now I know what to tell him.

    “Yes, I did. I met a guy named M.”

    If you never 20 anybody, you'll never find the good guys.

In 1882 a baby girl caught a fierce fever. She 1 but the fever left its mark—she could no longer 2 or hear. So how did this child grow up to become a world-famous 3 and public speaker?

    The fever cut her off from the outside world. It was as if she had been 4 into a dark prison cell from which there could be no release. 5 she was not someone who gave up easily. Soon she began to 6 the world by using her other 7. She followed her mother wherever she went, hanging on to her skirts. She touched and smelled everything she came 8. She learnt to 9 people by feeling their faces or their 10. She could also tell where she was in the 11 by smell of the different plants and the feel of the ground under her feet.

    By the age of seven she had 12 over 60 different signs by which she could talk to her family. If she wanted bread, for example, she would 13 to cut a loaf and butter the slices. But even so she had 14.

    At five she began to realize she was different from other people, which made her so 15 that she used to kick and scream in the room. As she got older, her frustration 16 and her anger became stronger and stronger. Fortunately, with the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan, she 17 to be a remarkable scholar. While she was still at college she wrote The Story of My Life, which enjoyed immediate popularity and 18 enough money to buy her own house. She 19 the country, giving lecture after lecture and she also received many 20 from foreign universities and kings. The girl was Helen Keller.

    Every time I look at my parents or even think of them, I feel proud of them. I especially admire their1of our coming to Singapore.

    Our native country was Yemen. Forced to2the war, we had to leave our home and all our3and go on a long boat journey to Singapore. At that time, I was six years old and the youngest of seven children. I thought I could have been such a4on my parents but they had always5I had everything l wanted. This6was not easy for my parents, but throughout it they thought of their children first. I was even told that they once ate only apple peels, 7the fruit part for me.

    Our journey to Singapore was not the last of our8.We were also faced with starting a life in Singapore with9. Of course, our beginning years were hard, living on just10food bought with food stamps and wearing second-hand clothes.11, my parents had to work very hard to build a better life. I would always12how my dad used to walk in the13hours to an English language school while my mom went to work. After a few years my dad went on to get a14in business and a better job. My mom got another job and our living status slowly began to15.

    Then, we moved out of the16apartment, leaving all the hard times behind, and moved into our house, starting our new life. Today we own three cars and two houses, and we live very 17. My parents' great18make me know that nothing is impossible, To this day they are 19by people they have inspired. I greatly admire my parents and therefore l would like to give them a sincere20for accomplishing their goals to give us a happy life.

    Nick was not the kind of boy I had expected to spend my summer with. I was hoping to have a1the summer before my busy senior year, but my mother asked me to do her a2. One of her colleagues needed a full-time3. "You planned to volunteer at the local hospital, why not volunteer to4Nick instead?" Then she told me that this six-year-old boy was not a5 child.

    Nick was a lovely little boy who suffered from many disorders. Normal day-care centers would not6him. As a baby, he had serious ear infections which left him with equilibrium(平衡) problems.

    He couldn't7or run properly. I was8if I was to take the job when my mother9.

    "Don't you want to be a nurse in the future? I doubt if you even have the10."

    Then I told her I was11for the job.

    The day started at 7:00 a.m. Nick was my wake-up call! With so much energy and very little 12, he was quite a mix.

    At the park, when he saw all the other children play on the jungle gym and swings(秋千), the boy's face 13up—How he wished he belonged to the group of his age! You would think it would be 14to get a child to go down a slide. Believe me, it wasn't! It took time, a lot of time. But with patience and support. Nick took one step up the slide each day. We worked together to face his 15and gradually he got closer to taking the slide of his life.

    Halfway through the summer, he16it to the top of the slide. With my arms holding him tightly, we flew down the slide! I waited for his17. After realizing that he was safe and sound, he gave me a big18and asked, "May I go down again, alone?"

    I had never been happier in my life when I saw this little child climb the ladder and enjoy what other children19for granted.

    This20child taught me that being a nurse means respect, kindness and patience.

In choosing a friend,one should be very careful.A true friend can help you study.You can have fun together and make each other happy.Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends(不能共患难的朋友).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But when you are down,they will run away.How do I know when I have found a true friend?I look for certain qualities(品质) of character.

Above all else,I look for understanding in a friend.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}He is not quick to judge.Instead,he tries to learn from others.He puts himself in the other person's place,and he tries to think of ways to be helpful.He is also a good listener.

At the same time,a true friend is honest.He does not look for faults in others.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In short,a true friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a true friend is reliability(可靠性).I can always depend on a true friend.If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time,I can be sure that he will be there.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That is to say,if I am in trouble,he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}We should enjoy our lives,and we would enjoy our friendship together.That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with.A true friend likes the same things I like.We share experience and learn from each other.

A.He notices their good points.

B.A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C.Don't make friends who are not careful.

D.If I need a favor,he will do his best to help me.

E.A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun.

F.They will be with you as long as you have money or luck.

G.A true friend tries to understand how another person is feeling.