A little girl took out the bottle. She 1 the coins carefully. The total number had to be exactly perfect. No chance for2.

    Carefully placing the 3in the bottle, she walked to a drugstore and waited patiently for the pharmacist's (药剂师) 4, but he was too busy.

    She 5her throat. Nothing. 6she put a coin on the counter heavily. That 7!

    “What do you want?” the pharmacist asked 8. “I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't9for ages,” he shouted.

    “My brother,” Tess answered, “is really 10and I want to buy a miracle (奇迹).”

    “Pardon?” said the pharmacist.

    “Andrew has something bad growing inside his head. Dad says only a miracle can11 him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

    “We don't sell miracles. I'm sorry,” the pharmacist said.

    “I have money. 12 it isn't enough, I will get the rest.”

The pharmacist's brother asked the little girl, “What miracle does your brother need?”

    “I don't know,” Tess replied with tears. “Mum says he needs a(n)13. But Dad can't14 it, so I want to use my money.”

    “How much do you have?” he asked.

    “One dollar and eleven cents. And it's all the money I have.”

    “A dollar and eleven cents? That's the 15 price of a miracle for your little brother,” smiled the man from Chicago.

    He took her money in one hand and held her with 16, “Take me to where you 17. Let's see if I have the right miracle.”

    That man was doctor Carlton Armstrong.

    The operation was done with no18and soon Andrew recovered. Mum and Dad were happily 19 the miracle.

    “The operation,” Tess's mom smiled, “was a real miracle. How much did it cost?”

“One dollar and eleven cents and the 20 of a little child.”

    Here is a story. A young man while walking in the desert1a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so2, he filled his leather canteen so that he could bring some back to a tribal（部落）3 who had been his teacher.

    After a four-day4 he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled 5 and thanked his student sincerely for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a 6 heart.

    Later, the teacher let another student 7 the water. He spat(吐) it out, saying it was 8. It obviously had become smelly because of the old leather 9.

    The student asked his teacher, "Master, the water was smelly. Why did you 10 to like it?" The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the 11.The water was 12 the container for an act of loving-kindness and 13 could be sweeter."

    I think we understand this 14 best when we receive gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a post card or a birthday cake, the natural and 15 response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea 16 the gift.

    Gratitude(感恩) doesn't always come naturally.17, most children and many adults value only the thing given 18 the feeling included in it. We should 19 ourselves and teach our children about the beauty of feelings and expressions of gratitude.20, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

    A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had 1 a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and 2his father could well 3it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    On the morning of his graduation day his father called him into his own study and told him how 4he was to have such a fine son. He handed his son a beautiful gift box.5but slightly disappointed, the young man6 the box and found a lovely book. 7, he raised his voice at his father and said."8all your money you give me a book？"and rushed out of the house, 9the book in the study.

    He did not contact his father for a whole year10 one day he saw in the street an old man who looked like his father. He 11he had to go back home and see his father.

    When he arrived at his father's house, he was told that his father had been in hospital for a week. The moment he was about to 12the hospital, he saw on the desk the 13new book, just as he had left it one 14ago. He opened it and began to15the pages. Suddenly, a car key16from an envelope taped behind the book. It had a tag(标签)with the dealer's name, the 17dealer who had the sports car he had 18.On the tag was the 19of his graduation, and the 20 PAID IN FULL.

    It was quite a bad time for me. I was in low 1 and felt tired physically. Probably   2 this I hadn't shaved (剃须) for a few days 3 because I had been doing some repairs at my daughter's house, I was 4 quite scruffily (邋遢的). Boarding the 5 to go home, I saw it was almost 6 so I found a rail to rest against.

    That was when a young woman, siting with her child, stood up and 7 me her seat. “Wow!” I thought, surprised. Out loud I said, “Do I look that old and tired?” She 8 to me with; a smile. You look like you've had a tough day." I thanked her sincerely and stayed where I was standing.

    A moment later a man 9 from his seat at the back of the bus and made his way 10 towards me, walking past several people on the way. He told me that he had a serious alcohol addiction 11 and wanted to ask my advice. We 12 about life for a few minutes and then he went back to his seat.

    13 him go, I also looked at the bus-load of people 14 me and his seat. He hadn't 15 to talk to those strangers. He chose to talk to this stranger for whatever it 16 to him and whatever comfort it brought him. Why?

    That's when it 17 to me that he must have thought that I had been where he was. I probably 18 a man who would understand a difficult life. I was a little sad at first, but then I was inspired by the 19 that even when we are at our lowest we can still 20 others if we look like we might be able to meet them where they live or walk a while in their world.

Finding Home

    "I hate New Orleans! I wanna go home!" I 1 to my mother as we moved boxes. 2 , going home was not easy because my home was 1, 100 miles away.

    I was born and 3 in northern Virginia. Virginia was my home, and I never expected that to 4. In 2014, my family experienced a tragedy (悲剧), so my parents decided to move to my mom's hometown of New Orleans.

    Only three months after my parents made the 5 to move, I found myself moving boxes into our new house. My announcement to my mother that I 6 the new environment was partly motivated by how hot it was, but it was mostly due to the fact that I felt like my entire life had been turned upside down. 1,100 miles away from everyone and everything I had ever known, I was 7. To make matters worse, I was starting high school in two weeks Beginning high school is a scary 8 on its own.

    I spent my first few months in New Orleans, 9 wanting to go home to Virginia. But after a few months of missing home, I 10 that I had a choice. I could continue thinking about how much I missed my old home, 11 I could start trying to build a new home right here. I chose the latter.

    As soon as I stopped giving all my 12 to how much I missed Virginia, I was able to begin accepting the love that people were already giving me. I joined some clubs at school, which gave me the chance to make friends. My neighbor taught me how to cook some New Orleans food, and I found a wonderful 13 of fellow cooks and neighbors. Overall, I seized every possible opportunity to 14 myself and to rebuild my life.

    Because of my resilience (复原力) in creating a new home for myself and the 15 that people have shown to me, home is right here.

    As the saying goes, roses given, fragrance in hand. I am always in the 1 of giving money to every beggar or homeless person I pass by. My friends say it is not good to 2. We may come across beggars or homeless people begging every day and all beggars have their ability to survive. It 3 them that I never listen.

On a 4day, my friend and I were walking to the bus stop 5 I passed a beggar lady. I had seen her several times before and had always given her a few 6. That day, I gave her 2 Euros. I was waiting for the bus and reading a book when I 7 to see that lady standing in front of me. She 8 me a piece of paper covered in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting9. She stood there, looking at me 10. Putting away my book, I took the paper, which 11 she and her family had to 12 their country because of floods, and she was 13 to support them. She had got a bit of money, but she needed five 14 Euros to get home. I 15 into my pockets and found 20 cents. My friend 16 a 5 Euro note. I asked her to give it to the lady, and said that I would 17 the next day. When she got the money, the lady hugged us and said thanks again and again, and went on her way. Later on the bus, I wondered where her home was and 18 she had gotten to this country. In her story, I felt that my friend and I would always remain part of it as the 19, who helped her get home on a rainy day. But for me, helping a stranger did bring me happiness, giving me a pleasant 20 .