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.

      A few years ago, an elderly woman entered my video store, along with her daughter. The daughter was displaying a serious case of 1, 2 her watch every few seconds. If she had possessed a leash(绳子), her mother would have been 3 to it as a means of pulling her along to 4 the rush of other shoppers.

      I 5 and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a 6 on a piece of paper. 7 rushing off to find the DVD for the woman, I asked her to  walk with me 8 I could show her where she could find it and I want to enjoy her 9 for a moment. As we walked along the back of the store, I 10 its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed “trip” and 11 conversation.

      I said to her daughter, “ 12 some advice?” “Of course not,” said the daughter. “13 her ,” I said. “When she's gone, it's the little 14 that will come back to you. Times like this. I know.” It was 15 . I still missed my mom and remembered the times when I'd used my impatience to make her 16 .

     Together they made their way toward the store's resting area. They sat there for a moment, side by side, 17 the holiday crowds. Then the daughter 18 and immediately regarded her mother lovingly. And slowly she placed her arm with 19 unaccustomed affection around her mother's shoulders and 20 guided her back into the crowd.

    A 1thing happened 2me last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day 3 I drove to go for a look in the country.

    On the way back home, my 4 stopped. It was out of gas on a 5 road far from a town! I decided to walk until I found someone 6could sell some gas. I had walked almost a mile 7 I finally found a house near the 8. I was glad to see it because it was getting dark.

    I knocked at the door and a little old lady with long white hair 9. She said, "I've been 10for you here for a long time. Come in. 11 is almost ready."

    "But I only came for some gas," I answered. I couldn't 12what she was talking about.

    "Oh, Alfred! Gas? You 13tea," said she.

    I quickly14 that my car was out of 15, but she didn't seem to listen to me. She just kept 16 me Alfred and talking about how long it had been17she had seen me. She was acting very strangely and I was anxious to leave. As soon as she went to get tea, I went out of the house as fast as I 18.

    Fortunately, there was another house down the road and I was able to buy the gas I needed. When I told the man about my 19, he said, "Oh, that's Miss Emily. She lives by herself in that big house. She's strange, but she wouldn't 20 anybody. She is still waiting for the man she was going to marry thirty years ago. The day before their wedding he left home and never came back because of the war."

    I'm heading for a week­long break with my friends, Gino and Connie, in Hawaii. I'm so 1that I can hardly type, not only for the wonders awaiting us, but also for the pleasure of 2 out with my friends.

    Isn't it 3 amazing how certain friends enter your life? I've known Gino and Connie for five 4 now. 5, I'd just got a job in a company.  I'd questioned whether I was making the right 6 or if it was really the best position for me. My 7 was to work as a magazine or newspaper editor. 8, something about the company felt right — like I belonged there somehow.

    The company was 9 fast. Every week brought new co­workers, most of them around my age. I met Gino who'd just 10 a week earlier. I hoped we'd become 11. We shared the same sense of humor. One month later, Connie 12 the company, too.

    It's been two years since I 13 that company. Gino and Connie no longer work there, either. But our friendship is going 14. We still get together for dinner and chat over group text daily. I never thought, five years ago, that we'd 15 together in Hawaii one day!

    The job that wasn't my dream job turned out to be the best job I could have ever found. The majority of the friends I have today came from that 16. Sometimes I 17 what I was doing there and 18 my writing dreams would ever come true. But I can 19 imagine my life without those friends.

    Now I can't wait to see what is 20 for us — who knows who we'll meet!

    This is a simple T-shirt, but it has taught me the significance of 1. Looking at it, I go back into the past.

    It was a warm day when I 2my elementary school. It made me quite 3. I lay in my front yard in the warm sun. As I fell into sleep, I vaguely heard my mother's steps approaching. Then, I sat up, 4 lemonade or some apples. But she was carrying 5, and her face was just as 6. There must be something wrong. "Simon is in 7," she said.

    Simon was my stepfather's nephew. 8 we were not related by blood, Simon in some way meant more to me than any blood relative. Being both 9, we always went hiking and surfing together. I really enjoyed his 10 I wished to attend middle school with him, too.

    "He has cancer," my mom added. When I heard that, my stomach got heavier. "But he will 11, right?" I asked. "Because he has a rare case, it's not clear whether he can defeat it." My mom replied.

    Day by day, Simon seemed to be getting weaker and his 12 was bad, making him lack nutrition (营养). Throughout his 13, Simon suffered allergic shock (过敏) due to the medicine's side effects. Somehow, Simon was having a (an) 14 later. The whole family were thrilled. 15, Simon's improvement turned out to be a flash in a pan (昙花一现).

    It was around then that I 16 the "Simon Says…" T-shirt, which was designed with letters, "Simon Says… Cancer is a detour (绕行), instead of a stop sign." I proudly wore Simon's present in the summer vacation and 17 wearing it when later attending middle school. That sentence taught me however that challenge fought against us, we shouldn't 18.

    At last, Simon didn't 19it. But his T-shirt would have a lasting positive impact on the world. Simon 20and inspired countless people with his spirits.

    A few weeks ago, while I was going home from work, I saw an old dog 1 on the side of the road. I got 2 to see why he would be there and felt shocked when I saw he was not able to 3 his hind legs(后腿), which seemed to have been broken. He 4 me with painful looks 5 he was asking me for help. I knew I couldn't turn my back on him when he needed 6.

    Some people who live nearby told me that he was 7 by a motorcycle and the 8 pushed him there. I went daily to give him food and water, 9 I also got a wooden board to cover him from the bright sun.

    I heard on the news about the 10 weather for that weekend and 11 to bring him home with some help from my father. He called some vets to help him with his legs, 12 he was not able to stand on four and dragged the hind legs.

    After some 13 and a sheltered home with love and 14, he is now able to walk with a little 15 and he even runs around now. He is so 16 and even though I have three other dogs and two cats, I made some 17 in my home and my heart for him. I feel so happy and 18 when I see his eyes. I love 19 and these six hairy babies are the most special things I 20 have.