Shutting the door heavily, seven-year-old Vito stormed into the room after school. He1himself into the sofa and cried loudly, “Dad, I am very 2.

Vito's father was quietly listening while working. Vito said, Joaquin made me lose 3 in front of my friends. I hope he 4 a few particularly bad luck things. ” His father went to a corner5a bag of coal and said to Vito, “Son6 that white shirt as Joaquin, and the bag of coal as some bad luck things. Use coal to hit the white shirt7 that every time you hit one on the shirt, Joaquin met with a bad luck thing. When you finish hitting all the coal, see what will8.

    Vito thought the game 9. He picked up coal to throw into the shirt. However, the shirt was hung in the10 rope. He tried again and again. He11throwing all the coal, but only a few on the shirt.

    Father asked Vito, “How do you feel now?”

    “It12me, but I am happy now.”

    Father saw his son did not understand his13 so he let Vito look in a large 14.What he could only see from his face was white15.

    Then the father said, “You see, the white shirt did not become particularly dirty, but you have become a 16 person'. You want a lot of bad luck things on others; the 17 is that the most unfortunate thing 18 on ourselves. There, our bad 19 may cause others to suffer bad luck, but the stains left to us is difficult to 20.

    There was my mother, standing in a fuzzy (毛绒绒的) pink bunny(兔子）costume. This can't be, 1 I thought to myself. Being ten was 2 enough.

    Our class was taking a trip to a convalescent home（疗养院) that day.I had 3 to stay at home pretending I'd caught some rare disease. My mother who's a(n) 4, sent me to school anyway.

    When we got there, I 5 wished for that 6. I'd fall to the ground and be 7the humiliation (耻笑) of anyone ever knowing that I 8every day after school there, dressed as a bunny.

“Hi, Shelly!” The residents waved at me, “ Do you know them?” someone asked. “No! They 9 me for someone else. I'm Machille,” I responded. I didn't look up 10 I might make eye contact with them. Then, Mrs. Deist, our teacher, handed us tulips (郁金香) to give to the residents. I quickly went to the back of the 11. My mother just went along her way— hopping（单足跳跃）. Last year, we hopped together. 12, “I'm too old for that now”, I thought.

    I hid behind my class. “ Shelly, how about a game of Fish?” Lou asked. My class and teacher 13 and stared. “ Machille, do you know these people?” Mrs.Deist asked me.

“Um….yes！”  

    “Well you should 14 the way,” she said, smiling. So I stepped forward, handed a tulip to Rose, waved to Frank and gave Mr. Blusso a high-five.

    “My mother is in a convalescent home. I wish she could have someone like you to 15 her.” Mrs Deist said. My mother hopped over then. “This is my mom. Every day she looks after these special people who need nurses' care.” I stood straight as I 16 the information. My mother then explained a program where kids can 17 after school. The residents cheered at the18, and my class seemed excited, too.

    I realized how 19 it made me to make other people smile and feel good. I should never be 20 of that.

    The life of George Washington was well-known for punctuality. For him, being on time was a way of showing  1 for others, and he  2 to be treated with the same level of respect  3.

    Once Washington asked a man to bring some  4 he was interested in buying at five in the morning.  5, the man arrived fifteen minutes late. Washington's groom（马夫）told the man that the general had been  6 there at five, but had now moved on to other business. Washington said that he wouldn't be able to  7 the horses again until the following week. The man left with his horses, feeling a deep sense of  8.

    When he told Congress（国会议员）that he'd meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found walking into the meeting room just as the clock was  9 twelve.

    Washington's punctuality extended to his 10 as well. He ate dinner each day at 11 four o'clock. When he 12 members of Congress to dine with him, and they 13 late, they were often  14 to find the president halfway done with his meal or even leaving the table. To his shocked, late  15 he would say, "We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour has  16."

    And when Washington's secretary arrived late for a meeting, and blamed his  17 for his lateness, Washington quietly replied, "Then you must get another watch, or I another  18."

    Washington, one of the most respected presidents in American history, is a good example to us all. Today, punctuality is still a(n) 19 part of the character of a nice person. So next time when you are struggling with arriving  20, think of these stories about the punctual president.

    It seemed like any other day when fitness instructor Chantelle Lister set off to work at 7 am. It was the school holidays, so her daughters Loren and Mollie, 17 and 6, and 11-year-old son Charlie were still 1 in bed.

    But within an hour, the family home in Kettering, England, went up in flames (火焰). The 2started downstairs, and deadly smoke started 3 the second floor, where the children were sleeping.

    4, the family's beloved dog, Bailey, rushed to their 5 . Although the thick smoke 6 to climb the staircase, the 4-year-old dog made his way 7 and kept barking outside Loren's door until she 8 .

    Loren opened the 9 to thick black smoke covering the stairs and the sound of smashing (粉碎) glass. Struggling to 10 , the teenager ran into the other 11 and managed to get the 12 children out through a window and onto the roof.

    After successfully raising the 13, Bailey ran back downstairs to try to get out. 14, he was trapped in the 15 house.

    “The firemen pulled Bailey out and tried to 16 him, but he was dead,” Chantelle said. “They put a blanket over him and I kept 17, 'That could have been one of my children.' Bailey was such a character and so 18. The children wouldn't be here 19 him. He's my hero and I'll be 20 to him forever.”

    A month ago, my friend Nick and I experienced a(n) 1 event. It was the evening of the fourth day on our hitchhiking(搭便车) trip to Morocco. We were 2 on the side of a main road in the cold 3. It was nearly dark. To our 4, there wasn't a single bit of grass where we could put up our tent. Finally, we reached a small town after 5 for about an hour and a half.

    We found a bar where we thought we might be able to 6 ourselves first. Then we would 7 where we are going. We each bought a coffee, but the barman, José， brought over some bread 8. Full of thankfulness for his generosity(慷慨), we explained to him what we were doing. He showed much interest in our 9.

    Then, we asked José if we could 10 on his floor. We were very worried he would refuse. 11, he said yes! Thinking he lived upstairs, we waited for him to lock us in 12 he could be sure we didn't 13 anything. To our surprise, he gave us the keys! He showed us how the 14 worked, said goodnight and was off.

    We all stood in 15. In only a few hours we had gone from standing in the cold rain to owning a 16 bar. All the fridges were 17 and there was a fair amount of money on the sideboard. We were amazed at how much he 18 us. Then it was a good night's sleep. The next morning, he 19 and we let him into his own bar. 20, he gave us a free meal, and then we were on our way.

    The park bench was deserted as I sat down beneath an old tree. I was feeling 1  for the world was trying to drag me down. And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath 2me, all tired from play. He stood right before me and said with great 3, “Look what I found!”

    In his hand was a flower, and what a4sight, with its petals(花瓣) all worn. 5him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I forced a6smile and then turned away. But instead of leaving, he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his 7and declared with overacted(夸张的) surprise, “ It sure smells pretty and it's 8 , too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you.”

    The flower before me was dying or dead. But I knew I9take it, or he might never leave. So I10for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.” But11 placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I 12for the very first time that the boy could not 13.

    At that moment I heard my voice14; tears shone in the sun 15I thanked him for picking a very best one. “You're welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the16he'd had on my day.

    I sat there and wondered 17he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old tree. Perhaps he'd been blessed with true 18from his heart. Through the eyes of a blind child, I19 could see the problem was not with the world; it was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I20 to see the beauty in life and appreciate every second that's mine.