A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.

The conversation soon turned into complaints about 1 in work and life. To offer his 2 coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and 3 with a large pot of coffee and a 4 of cups—plastic, glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), crystal, some plain-looking, some beautiful. The professor told his students to 5 themselves to hot coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “lf you have 6, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 7, leaving behind the plain and 8 ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 9 of your problems and stress.”

    The professor continued, “Believe that the cup itself adds no 10 to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even 11 what we drink. What all of you 12 wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went 13 the best cups.”

    Now 14 this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and 15 in society are the cups. 16 are just tools to hold and contain life, and the different types of cups we have don't decide, nor 17 the quality of life. If we concentrate only on the cups, we will 18 to enjoy the coffee in it. So don't let the cups 19 you enjoy the coffee instead." At these words, the graduates looked at each other in 20 embarrassment.

    “Mum ,can I invite my classmate Brett over to stay tomorrow night, please? It's Friday ,and we don't have any,Can I1 please?”Mum was sitting at the kitchen table. Dad was2next to her, resting his head on his arms. Mum could3that James wanted so badly to have his friend over.

    “I'm so sorry, James,”she said.

    “I'm never allowed to have friends come to the house? Why, Mum?”James asked sadly ,almost in4

    “I know it's5for you,”Mum said softly.“But I'm just worried other people might think we're a little... strange. And then they would make fun of you.”

    “No, they wouldn't, Mum,”James protested.“We're not6at all. We're just ordinary people.”

    Mum sighed heavily.“To tell you the truth, James, my neck has been so painful that it's given me a heavy7And your poor father—he doesn't feel8He really needs a rest.”

    “I can help, Mum!”James said.“9I can make you and Dad feel better ,can Brett come over? Please?”

    “Well...”Mum began.

    “Great !Thanks, Mum!”James almost shouted.“Just sit there ,don't move.”He rushed over to the kitchen drawer and10what he needed—two spanners(扳手).“Hang on, Mum,”he said.“This won't take a second.”After some11, James was finished. With a smile of12on his face he said,“There! How does that feel? ”“Oh, James,”Mum said.“That's much better! How did you do it?”

    “Easy,”James said13“Dad had tightened your neck bolts(螺栓)too much! I just14them slightly !I learned that in robotic science at school.”

    “What about your father? Can you15him?”asked Mum.

    “I'll try,”James replied. He16up Dad's hair at the back of his neck , and plugged the electric wire into Dad's head. Then he turned the17on. Dad opened his eyes and18immediately .“ He just let his19run too low ,that's all,”James said,“Shall I tell Brett to come over straight after school tomorrow?”

    “I guess so,”replied Mum.“Your friends will just have to20that we are a very unusual family. Thanks, son!”

    One day, a well-known speaker was invited to give a lecture to an audience of 200. He started his lecture by1a $ 20 bill. He looked around the room, and asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”2started going up.

    He said, “I am going to3this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He crumpled up (揉皱) the 20-dollar bill. He then asked, “Who4wants it?” Still the hands were5in the air.

    “Well”, he replied,“6I do this ?” And he dropped it on the7and started to step on it with his shoes. He picked it up. Now it was crumpled and8

    “Now, who wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

    “My friends, we have all learned a very9lesson. No matter what I did to the10, you still want it because it doesn't decrease in11It is still worth $20, with12we can buy what we need.

    Many times in our lives, we are13, and trampled underfoot by the decision we14and the circumstances that come our way. We feel15we were worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may happen to us, you will never16your value. Dirty or clean, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives is determined not by17we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are18Don't ever forget it.”

    If you19this lesson in mind, it will help you to20again when you fall. Each time it makes you grow much stronger.

    Many people spend their New Year's Eve getting dressed up and dancing their way to midnight. My brother and I decided to do things a bit1.

    We each filled a backpack with clothes, shoes and other things and headed out to the 2. The first person we saw was a 15-16-year-old boy picking up 3 plastic bottles on the train platform（站台）. We called him over and started up a(n)4. We had a look at his 5 and noticed he had 6 fingernails（手指甲）. We explained that it was 7 to keep short nails and then we 8 cutting them for him. When we were 9 we offered him some chocolate candies, which made him look at us 10. We talked to him some more and began 11 some of the chocolate ourselves. Finally, he 12 took the chocolate himself and then began telling us his 13.

    His name was Raju. After his mother died, his father remarried. Unable to 14 his stepmother（继母）, Raju ran away from 15 and has been living on the streets for 3 years, collecting and 16 empty plastic bottles.

    When we met Raju, he wasn't wearing any 17. One quick look into our backpacks and we18 what we were looking for-a pair of Nike shoes. When we dressed him in them-Raju's eyes were full of19. “These shoes are so great. Nothing will hurt my 20 .Thank you so much!” Touched by our actions, he joined us as we walked around and looked for those in need.

I was working as a lifeguard at Tower 15 on Newport and two blocks to my right was another guard named Mike, working at Tower 17. He called me over the phone and said, “Hey, I have 1 two kids who are swimming in the dangerous zone. I have to give them a warning. Keep an eye on us.” I said “Sure.” In case of 2, anytime we got out of our tower, we were supposed to 3 somebody else.

Mike hung up the phone and 4 the lifebuoy(救生圈). Then he realized that these two kids had been 5and that there was a great tendency for them to be 6 by the wave. 7, Mike rushed toward the ocean. I 8 the water and all I found was two small heads. The mother of the two kids knelt(跪) down on the beach with 9 .

    When I dropped my binoculars(望远镜) and reached the mother, Mike was in waist-deep water, 10 the two kids. I turned to the mum and said, “Hey, it's OK. They are safe.” I saw the terror started to 11. Then she glanced back and got her first good look at Mike. A new kind of 12 washed over her face as though there was another threat to her kids' lives. She snatch(抢) her kids without 13 .

    Mike had some seemingly 14behavior, and his shaved head showed a scar(伤疤). Maybe he had no 15 manners, but his lifesaving ability 16 his unsatisfactory skills in PR(public relation). In the mother's 17 , Mike was a really terrible guy. However, that couldn't change the fact that he had just18her kids.

    Mike just glanced at me and smiled. As I jogged back to my tower, I promised myself I'd never let my own 19 prevent me from 20 a hero when I meet one.

    My mother and her family kept information about my father and his family a secret from me for over half a century. In 2010 I began to 1 my father through Ancestry.com. However, I learned he had 2 cancer on August 6, 1999 in a hospital in Dallas, Texas.

    When I got my father's death 3, the medical examiner told me because my father had no 4 around the city, they buried him in a body bag in a(n) 5 grave in an old cemetery.

    I knew my father 6 in WW2 so I decided to work on getting his remains 7 to my state to be buried in our national cemetery. From 2011 to 2017 I kept working on 8 my debt from a divorce and increasing my 9 score so someday I could get a personal loan.

    That certificate of 10 service proved my father served 43 months in WW2 in the USA Army Air Force fighting the Nazi's. I still did not have the money 11. In July of 2018 a bank approved a $10, 000 personal loan so I had a funeral director 12 a permit to exhume my father. After 4 months of 13 I asked Senator Brown for help again in November. Six days after he contacted Texas officials a permit was 14.

    On July 9, 2019 an airplane will 15 at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport 16 I will be finally 17 with my father and touch his metal casket and the missing piece of my heart will be 18.

    On January 10, 2019 the Ohio Patriot Guard Riders will escort my father's hearse through my 19 to be buried with honors in our states National cemetery and one day in January Senator Brown will have an American Flag 20 over our Nation's Capital to honor my father.

    If you never give up one day your dream will become a reality.