Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. Once at midnight, an old lady in her 80s took my taxi. She gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

    "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

    "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice (临终关怀医院）. I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long time."

    I quietly shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

    For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived, the place where she danced as a girl. As the sun was rising, she asked me to go to the address she had given me.

    "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

    "Nothing," I said.

    "You have to make a living," she answered.

    "There are other passengers."

    "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

    I drove into the fine morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I drove aimlessly（漫无目的地），lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run?

A group of people in my city spend their free time cleaning up the countryside. They look after the places such as fields, rivers and forests. Before my last birthday, I was not to join them because I was too young, I have to be at least thirteen years old. and now I am.

    On the first Sunday of every month we spend hours making the countryside a good place for animals, Often people are the cause of the problems. They find a great place of a picnic. But they do not take their rubbish home with them, The rubbish looks ugly and it not good for wild animals.

    However, nature also sometimes makes life difficult for some animals, Last Sunday, we spent all afternoon clearing overgrown(杂草丛生的)plants from a river. Now the water is flowing freely again. The fish can swim along without anything in their way.

    Some of our work does not bring changes so quickly. New trees will take several years to grow before they are big and strong. Birds can build homes on them then, but it is nice to know that we are trying to help.

    On Christmas Eve a few days ago, an English couple, the Hardens, got a very special call. It was only a 20-second call but it was very 1. The Hardens' 15-year-old daughter has gone 2 six months before. On Christmas Eve she rang them. ＂I'm phoning to wish you a happy Christmas,＂ she said, ＂I love you.＂ Ronals and Edwine Harden were so 3 that they started a special telephone service （服务）called ＂Alive and Well＂. The service helps 4 to get in touch with children who have run away from home.

    Young people can phone ＂Alive and Well＂ and leave a message for their parents. The telephones are answered by answering machines. So 5 can speak to the child or make him return home. Parents of runaway children who are 6 eighteen can ask the police to bring their children home. So children do not want to tell their parents where they are. Through ＂Alive and Well＂ they can telephone their parents and they do not 7 about this or give out their addresses.

    The Hardens and their helpers 8 the telephone messages and connect（联系）the addresses given. About 30,000 British teenagers have left home and many of them are probably in 9. For only two pence（便士）they can go into a telephone coin box and call their parents. They can dial 5675339 and 10 a parent worrying: Is he dead or alive?

Sara walked slowly home from school kicking stones along the sidewalk and thinking about the assignment（作业）. Mrs. Peters, her teacher, gave the 1 in class right before school finished so that students could think about the assignment over the weekend. "This assignment will be a 2 one!" she said. "Each of you will find something that you are good at and write a report for the class. I'm sure you'll be happy to do it!"

As she had expected, students immediately began to talk about all the ideas that they had for the report 3 in class. Sara's best friend, Betsy, loved to play the piano and was already a skilled pianist. Tom was the captain of the school team and would write his report about basketball. Everyone seemed to have an idea for the project except Sara.

"It's impossible for me to choose 4 ," thought Sara, as she walked in through her front door—remembering her basketball for the wrong team and her strong dislike of running! She loved to sing and dance, but she did it only for fun with her friends. As for art, she believed that her paintings were about the same quality as her little sister who was five. Sara 5 what in the world she would write her paper about.

The minute Sara walked through the door, her sister came running towards her to give Sara her daily after-school hug! Suddenly, Sara 6 the happy moments with her sister. Every day, Sara tried to think of something special that they were going to do together. Sometimes, they went out for a walk or played in the backyard. Other days, they stayed inside the house to read or watch their favorite show on TV. Today, Sara was planning to help her sister make a castle out of pillows, chairs and blankets. With a smile, Sara considered how much she 7 being a big sister.

As Sara gathered blankets, pillows and snacks to eat in their castle, her sister shouted happily. Then an 8 came to Sara—she was an expert at something! Sara smiled as she knew that she also had a wonderful report. She believed she would hand in an excellent assignment next week.

One year, a British expedition（探险队）got lost in the Sahara Desert（撒哈拉沙漠）. The sun was burning hot. Everyone quickly ran out of {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. If they made a wrong decision, then they could all {#blank#}2{#/blank#} soon. 

At this time, the leader took out a water kettle （壶）and said, "I found a kettle of water in my bag. But before we pass through the desert, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} is allowed to drink it." The kettle of water {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the faith（信心）for everyone to cross the desert. . 

Finally, the expedition made it out of the desert. With tears of joy, they opened the kettle with shaking {#blank#}5{#/blank#} —but sand not water! 

Was it a kettle of sand that {#blank#}6{#/blank#} saved them in the desert? The answer is no. Their deep faith in the hope of survival（生存）, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} a seed（种子）, had taken root（植根）and grown in their hearts. That is what led them out of the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} situation in the end. 

In fact, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} hard time you face, as long as there is a seed of faith in your heart, don't give up {#blank#}10{#/blank#} , then you'll succeed（成功）.