Bill, a thirteen-year-old boy, thought he had grown up to be a man, but his parents told him, "You won't be a real man until you begin to 1 helping others."

    One morning, his parents gave him some money to 2 some milk for them. Outside a shop he saw a homeless old man who looked very 3. Bill went to him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

    The old man answered, "I'm hungry. I haven't had any food for two days." At the thought of his parents' words, Bill said to the old man, "Let's go to the 4." When they got there, Bill asked the waiter to bring out bread and coffee to the old man. The old man finished the meal quickly. After the waiter 5 the plate and the cup, the old man said, "Sorry for giving you so much 6, I'm fine now. I'll 7 forget your kindness! You are a very good young man."

    Bill was 8 when he heard this. Just when he wanted to pay for the meal, the waiter came. Bill and the old man learned 9 that the food was free 10 it was the birthday of the boss, and they were the first customers(顾客)that day.

    An old friend from the US whom I was looking forward to staying with telephoned from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was still at the 1  at that time, but I had got everything ready for his arrival. After letting him know where my house was, I told him that I had left the  2under the doormat(门垫),  3  I was likely to be home rather late. I told him to go into the 4 and help himself to food and drink. Two hours later my friend 5 me from the house. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my records after having just had a truly wonderful 6 . He had found a cooker and  7  two eggs and he helped himself to some cold chicken from the ice box. He said he was drinking a glass of orange juice and he hoped I would 8him. When I asked him if he had reached the house without difficulty, he answered, "I was not able to find the key,  9 luckily, the living-room windows Just by the apple tree were left open and you know what I could do." I listened to all this in 10 . In front of my living-room there was no apple tree at all.

    An artist went to a beautiful part of the country for a holiday, and stayed with a farmer. Every day he 1 out with his paints (绘画颜料) and his brushes and 2 from morning to evening, and when it 3 dark, he went back to the farm and had a good 4 before he went to bed.

    At the end of his holiday he wanted to5 the farmer, but the farmer said, "No, I do not want money, but 6 me one of your pictures. Because in a week the money will all be used up, but your painting will still be here."

    The artist was very 7 and thanked the farmer for 8 such kind things about his paintings.

    The farmer smiled and answered, "It's not that. I have a son in London. He wants to 9 an artist. When he comes here next month, I will 10 him your picture, and then he will not want to be an artist any more, I think."

    Jack's love for birds started when he made his first birdfeeder about six years ago. He filled the feeder with seeds (种子), put it in his backyard and then 1 started coming. He got really 2 in birds as more came. Then he joined a local society. As he realized that more and more birds were dying very 3, he wanted to try his best to help them.

    Besides what he has done, he has his own group called Protecting Out Birds. He does 4about birds, run a website to teach people about birds and how to help them, and 5 boxes for birds. Not long ago, he found that the bluebirds were nesting（做窝）in the dead trees which were often cut down, 6 he began to make bluebird boxes for the birds in order to save them. Now he wants to use these boxes to 7 the dead trees. He hangs these boxes up in trees and takes 8 down every week to see if the birds are nesting in them. He also writes articles, hoping that more people will 9 protecting natural ecosystems(生态系统). “Researching birds is10 to protecting birds,”jack says, “In order to protect birds, we have to learn and really know about the birds. ”

    My great-grand mother, Winifred Hastings, got rich in a mining（采矿）town out West. But her 1 didn't come from gold or silver, but from soup, steak, apple pie, and good coffee.

    In the early 1900's, Winifred arrived in Silver City with her husband. But he caught a fever and died suddenly. With the little money she had, Winifred decided to open a practical restaurant to 2 all the hungry miners in town.

    The restaurant had only wooden boxes for tables, but business was very good 3. The miners 4 that Winifred was a great cook, 5 they ate in her restaurant every day.

    One time, Winifred had a small accident in the restaurant. A fire started in the kitchen and her customers had to put it out. The town mayor walked in 6 there was still a lot of smoke in the room. “Winifred,” he said. “What are you cooking back there?” Everybody 7.

    In 1905, Winifred got married again and moved out of town. On her 8 day in Sliver City, a photographer took her picture. The picture is over my desk at home. It shows Winifred with about fifty miners standing in front of the restaurant. At the top of the photo 9 says: TO WINIFRED THE BEST COOK IN THE WEST. 10 YOUR BOYS.