I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a 1 over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always 2. Not knowing we were poor, my kids just thought I was 3. I've always been glad about that.

    It was Christmas time, and although there wasn't 4 for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big 5 for the kids was the fun of Christmas 6.

    They planned weeks ahead of time, asking 7 what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for 8 to share by all five of us.

    The big9 arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and 10 them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would 11 back at the “Santa's Workshop”.

    Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits(情绪), 12 my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually 13. She had only one small, flat(瘪的) bag with a few candies—fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn't say anything 14 we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, 15 to be angry again. This is what she told me.

    “I was looking 16 thinking of what to buy, and I 17 to read the little cards in the ‘Giving Trees.' One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she 18 for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and 19 the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn't have anything.”

    I never felt so 20as I did that day.

    Jay Ruckelshaus won a full scholarship to Duke University. Then, just weeks before he was 1 to arrive on campus, he broke his neck in an accident.

    At the Shepherd Center, Jay had eight hours of exercise a day,2 his muscles and working on his 3. “Before, was 4 setting goals and achieving them. But this was not what you could achieve.”

    5the breakthrough came: He was able to 6 on his own, eat, and use an iPad. “The iPad was great, ”he said, “That gave me 7 to the world.” To stretch his mind further, he 8 for courses online.

    Most people, he said,9 he would change his plans to study after his accident. But throughout his 10 his place at Duke University was what kept him going. For Jay, there was never any 11 he would go to Duke. “There was also no doubt from the university, which was wonderful, and wouldn't have been the 12 at some other schools.

    Finally getting into Duke a year later than planned,13being in a wheelchair, he was 14 to have a fun college life. He needed 15, but soon made great friends. In 16 studying for a degree and sitting co-editing a journal, he was able to hang out with friends.

    Also, he thought of other wheelchair users and decided to help them. “I 17I was having an amazing time and meeting amazing people,” he said. The feeling was almost 18. Therefore, he started a charity called Ramp Less Traveled to spread the 19 that college is 20 for students with spinal cord (脊髓) injuries.

    One day I was taking a bus. The driver didn't    1to start the bus soon because it was not yet 2.A middle-aged woman got on. Tired and sad, she told her story   3, not to anyone particular. On her way to the station, half of her    4was stole n. The other half was hidden under her blouse, so she 5still had some left. A few minutes later, she stopped crying, but still looked 6.

    When all the seats were taken, the driver started the engine. The conductor began to collect the fares. When  she came to an old man in worn-out clothes,  he    7that he had spent all his money as he accidentally got on a wrong bus and now was trying to g o home. On hearing this, she ordered the old man to 8the bus. The old man was almost in tears as he    9her to let him take the bus home. The driver took the conductor's side and repeated the conductor's 10.

    The woman was watching the incident. 11the driver and the conductor raised their voices at the old man, she interfered.

    “Stop 12him! Can't you see he's only trying to get home” “He doesn't have any money!” the driver 13.“Well, that's no 14to throw him off the bus.” She insisted.

    Then she reached inside her blouse, took out her15money, and handed it to the conductor. “Here's his fare and mine. Just stop giving him a16time.

    All heads turned to the woman. “It's only money,” she shrugged.

   She rode the rest of her way home 17a happy smile, with the money she'd lost earlier18. On the road of life, the help of strangers can 19our loads and lift our spirits. How much sweeter the 20will be when we make it a little smoother for others!

    Paen Long has had a dream ever since he saw a plane for the first time at the age of six. His dream was to 1 a plane. Last year, the 30-year-old man started building his plane 2. "I was afraid that people would 3 me, so sometimes I worked at night," he said. It was a long time 4 he put his dream into practice. Paen Long tried to build his own plane, using the money he had 5 from running his own garage. He has spent three years 6 YouTube videos in order to 7how to make a plane.

    It took him a year to build his plane, using mostly recycled materials. The plane's first 8 came at 3 pm on 8^th, March. Local villagers gathered excitedly to watch the plane fly. 9, the plane only got 50 m in the air before crashing (撞击) to the 10. "When all people were looking at me, I felt very 11," he said.

    Although the first try12, Paen Long remains 13. His next project is to build a seaplane. Paen Long thinks the plane will cost over $10,000. "I never feel 14 for spending all my money building a plane," he said.

    His wife, Hing Muoyheng, 15 about her husband, especially as they have two young sons. However, she has no 16. "I don't know how planes work and he doesn't have any 17 to help him. He can only search for information himself," she said. "I tried to ask him to 18 a few times because I was afraid, but he said he wouldn't 19, so I have to support his 20."

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1left them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the6again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was7out in the first and second rounds, but he still8to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. "I fell into a dark bottom," Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

One day, Mitchell11 upon a Mark Twain quote— "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12why." "After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13and their families." he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14anymore for fund-raising due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course.16by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19up in the morning knowing his 20.

    I ran into a stranger as he passed by. "Oh, excuse me please" was my 1. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you." We were very 2, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye. But at home a 3 story is told.

    Later that day, when I was cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very 4. When I 5, I nearly knocked her down. "Move out of the 6," I said with a frown. She walked away, her little heart broken. I didn't 7 how harshly (严厉地) I'd spoken.

    While I lay awake in bed that evening, my husband said to me, "While 8 a stranger, you are polite, but with the girl you love, you are 9. Go look on the kitchen floor and you'll find some flowers by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for 10. She picked them herself: pink, yellow and blue. She stood quietly not to 11 the surprise, and you 12 saw the tears in her eyes."

    13, my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt down by her bed. "Wake up, little girl," I said. "Are these flowers you picked for me?" She smiled, "I found them out by the tree. I picked them 14 they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like them, especially the blue."

    I said, "Daughter, I'm sorry for the way I 15 today. I 16 have yelled at you that way.

    She said, "Oh Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."

    1 said, "Daughter, I love you too. And I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

    I had got the world 17 again. I'd 18 to be polite to people in the street—good 19 make society work. But a stranger is someone we meet once and then never see again—and 20 is for life.