It was a very cold evening. The old man's beard was almost icy. He was waiting for a 1 across the river. The wait seemed 2. The old man sat on the ground waiting for quite a long time.

    3, he saw several horsemen coming. He watched them silently and let the first one pass by without even asking. Another passed by, and then another, till the last rider came near the old man. The old man caught the rider's 4 and said, “Sir, would you 5 giving me a ride to the other side?”

    6 his horse, the rider replied, “Of course not.” But it was so cold that the old man's body was almost 7. He could not get 8the ground. The horseman helped the old man onto his horse. He took the old man not just across the river, 9to the old man's home.

    As they 10 the old man's house, the horseman asked, “Sir, you let several other riders pass by without even asking. Then I 11 and you asked me for a ride at once. Why? 12 I had said 'no' and left you there?”

    The old man looked the rider straight in the eye, and said, “I looked 13 the eyes of the other riders. I quickly saw that they didn't 14. It would be 15 even asking them for a ride. But in your eye I saw 16. I knew that you would help me.”

    The words 17 the rider deeply. “Thank you for what you've said,” he told the old man. “I hope I will never leave others 18 simply because I'm busy, and every American citizen does 19 in my heart.”

    With that, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the US, turned his horse around and made his 20back to the White House.

    When I was fourteen I found Rocky.That spring day,I was catching fish with my grandfather when I1the faint（微弱的）crying and found the trembling wolf cub（幼兽）.As I bent down,he moved2toward me.Little Rocky gained3after I fed a few drops of warm milk to him.Soon he was4and warm.My grandfather finally agreed to let me 5him.

    That summer Rocky and I became6partners.We hunted the grasshoppers.And in the fall,we went to the nearest meadows（草地）7field mice.The winter months were the happiest I could8.Often we would make a fire in the bushes.Rocky would9his head between his front paws,with his eye on me10I told him stories.

    All the pleasure made me forget my Grandpa's repeated11,and one night I left Rocky unchained.The following morning I was told Rocky had12a rooster.My grandpa decided to return Rocky to nature,but it was 13 for me to lose him.

    For the next two years I was very busy,but I would14wonder if Rocky remembered me.Easter came early that year and during the holidays I went to15my cousins.On my way home,it began to snow heavily.I had to16for the night in the forest and hoped that by morning the storm would have17.The next day I realized the storm was even18.Unfortunately I found two wolves waiting to attack me.Then I heard a19to my side and turned my head. It was Rocky,and he had driven off the others.I cried and hugged him20.

    The other night, I had to go to a meeting, which lasted past my daughter's bedtime. I 1  home and was brushing my teeth when I 2, and there on the bathroom mirror was a note in the  3 of a heart. It said, “Hi, Mom! I Love You. Laurel. ” 4, I cut a heart out of a piece of paper, and pasted(贴) a(n) 5 next to hers, saying, “I Love You, too, Laurel. Love, Mom”, which she  6 the next morning.

    Our family has 7 that by integrating(互相) writing into our 8 activities, we become more thoughtful of each other. Meanwhile, our daughter is learning to enjoy writing and becoming a(n) 9 writer.

    While teaching in a primary school, I 10 how influential parents can be as children learn to write. 11 when our daughter first began to scribble（乱涂）, I became 12 by her work. I offered praise for her 13, for I found that scribbling is far more complex and important than I had 14. It was obvious that her scribbles, 15 being lovely art objects, showed a lot about her 16 of the world of writing.

    Gradually, our family began writing a great deal. I sensed that writing helped Laurel learn 17 to read. As a matter of fact, by 18 my own child and her friends and by reading professional books, I became more and more 19 about how writing develops and how 20 can help children become eager writers.

    A friend was cast in The Sound of Music. Tim suggested our daughters might enjoy being a 1 of the musical.

    "You can try out for the band," he said.

    "No, I'm trying out for the show." I answered. But there was one problem with my 2: I'd never been in a musical. And I'd never sung 3.

    My daughters wanted to 4, so we memorized show tunes and prepared to audition (试镜). As our audition 5, I felt nervous and wanted to give up. But I knew 6 would set a bad example.

    "Whether you're 7 or not isn't important-doing your best is who 8," I'd been telling them. Now I had to live it.

    I walked into the audition. To say I was 9 would be an understatement. After all, my last audition had been in high school. I sang my song, trying to look confident. My daughters did a good 10. Then we waited for the result. The good news is that we all 11 it! Not only was I cast-I was a lead!

    To prepare, I 12 to the cat, the shower and the dishes when alone, I knew I'd have to get over my 13of performing in public. After all, this'd be my first time to sing in public. I was a little nervous.

    I told friends and family about the 14. I didn't want the theater to be 15, but I didn't necessarily want it packed either. 16, if it were full, I preferred to fill it myself with 17 faces.

    The show was successful. Friends and acquaintances all 18 us. After that experience, I 19 more auditions and even learned to enjoy singing on stage. And I filled my life with the sound of 20.

    It was a terrible day. Snow had been falling all day long making the trip 1. I would rather have been in my warm home than drive along on such a cold day, but I didn't have a 2. I had to have my paper work handed in and then 3 my son.

    The snow continued to fall as we drove along for the 15-mile trip back home. I slowed the car and 4 at my son in his heavy coat as he looked 5 out of the window with a blank expression. In the 6 of the world he was looked upon as a mentally disabled child. 7, over the years what I saw was a beautiful, kind and 8 soul. He had shown me more about love than I could have ever 9 on my own.

    I slowed the car even more as we 10 a sharp curve (弯). As we rounded it I saw a shivering (颤抖的), young woman in a 11 jacket walking in the snow storm . I pulled over and let her in. She was heading for her Mom's house to visit her 12 whom she hadn't seen for months. She had experienced a lot of disappointments and 13. Yet, she still held out hope for a new job and tried to 14 a new life for her son and herself.

    I took her as 15 as I was able to and dropped her off. She thanked me for the 16 and I told her I wished I could have done more to help. Then as we were about to leave, my sweet son took off his coat, 17 down the window and gave it to her. She put it on, smiled and 18 to us as we pulled out on the road.

    In this world we will 19 many problems and challenges. Sometimes it seems that our entire lives are a trip down a curvy and dangerous road. Yet the power of 20 takes us straight back to a broad smooth highway.

    There were once two 1 sharing the same hospital room. One man was allowed to 2in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain(排空)the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the only wall in the room that had a window. The other man had to spend all his time lying 3 on his back,4 at the white, dull ceiling.

    The men talked for hours 5 with each other. Best of all, every afternoon when the man by the window described all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour 6 where his world would be 7 by all the activity and colour of the world outside.

    The window 8 a park with a lovely lake. Around the lake there were couples 9 romantically arm in arm. Mothers were pushing their baby carts. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.

    One warm afternoon, although the other man couldn't hear the 10 -- he could see the parade in his mind's eye as the man by the window 11 it with descriptive words. He knew now 12 he had to get better, and get out there to see all the wonderful things outside again, as soon as possible! 13, the next morning, the nurse found the man by the window had passed away 14 in his sleep. As soon as it seemed 15, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse agreed to make the 16. Slowly, painfully, he supported himself on one elbow to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a 17 wall. The man asked the nurse what could have 18 his 19roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse 20 that the man was blind. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."