Heaviest snow in half a century hit the south of the country. It snowed continuously for half a month, 1the railways, highways, and runways in the airfields. Ice wrapped and paralyzed（使瘫痪）the power and communication system. Many people were2in railway stations, bus stations and airports, and3in cars, buses and trains. Governments and people did everything they could to fight the snow4, resulting in the good news that no one was killed from5and hunger. Gradually, trapped people all went back home6. While fighting the snow, people forgot their7until a moving story of a swallow couple was widely8on the Internet.

    Being hungry and cold, the swallow couple tried to fly9people's home to warm themselves, but every house was closed10. They jumped and flapped their wings to11the attention of the people inside the house, but failed. The wife's body was12, she could not move any longer. The husband came near and wrapped his wife with his wings. He lost his13soon because of his opened wings. The couple died in the end.

    The next morning, the housemaster went to the balcony to14his flowers because of concern and saw a15swallow outside the window pane. Touching it, he found that they were two16together. Moved to tears, he took them in, giving them some17, but in vain. He found a small cardboard box, laid them in and18them in the back garden.

    In my hometown, in the countryside, a swallow family lives in the19of my house. I wonder if they will come back this spring20they did.

    The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer.

    The 1of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would2 himself watching how the tradesman worked.

    "Young man, why don't you try your 3to learn to make shoe tacks(鞋钉), even if it is only to kill the time?" said the blacksmith. "Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you."

    The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little 4 he found that he was becoming very5 and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

    Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war6all his goods. He had to leave home and was7 to take up residence(居住) in another country. It 8 happened that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were9 a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid10 prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high11for soldiers' shoes.

    Our young Mr. Smith, who was 12 it difficult to 13 his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of 14 tacks and had the15 idea of making a 16 with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him 17 in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the18. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

    "How19 it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a 20. My trade is more useful to me than were all my former riches."

    One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his schooling by selling goods from door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to 1 for a meal at the next house.

    However, he lost his nerve 2 a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked 3so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it 4, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

    “You don't owe me anything,” she 5. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a 6” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger 7, but it also increased his faith in God and human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

    Years later the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were confused. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly，now 8, was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light 9 his eyes. Immediately, he 10 and went down through the hospital hall into her room. 11 in his doctor s gown he went in to see her. He 12 her at once. He went back to the consultation room and 13 to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave 14 attention to her case.

    After a long 15 the battle was won. Dr. Kelly 16 the business office to pass the final bill to him for 17.

    He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was negative that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her 18. She read these words...

“Paid in full with a glass of 19.” (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

    Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she 20 silently. “Thank you, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

    Clara Daly was sat on an Alaska Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles. Then a flight attendant asked an urgent question over the loudspeaker: "Does 1 on board know American Sign Language?"

    Clara, 15 at the time, 2 the call button. The flight attendant came by and explained the 3. "We have a passenger on the plane who's blind and deaf," she said. The passenger 4 to want something, 5 he was traveling alone and the flight attendants couldn't understand what he needed.

    Clara had been 6 ASL for the past year and knew she'd be able to finger spell into the man's palm(手掌). So she untied her seat belt, walked 7 the front of the plane, and knelt by the seat of Tim Cook, then 64. Gently taking his 8, she signed, "How are you? Are you OK?" Cook asked for some water. When it 9, Clara returned to her seat. The flight attendant 10 again a bit later because he wanted to know the time. On her third 11, she stopped and stayed for a while.

    "He didn't need anything. He was 12 and wanted to talk," Clara says. So for the next hour, that's 13 they did. She talked about her family and her plans for the future. Cook told Clara how he had 14 become blind over time and 15 stories of his days as a traveling salesman. Even though he couldn't see her, she "looked 16 at his face with such 17," a passenger reported.

    "Clara was 18," a flight attendant told Alaska Airlines in a blog interview. "You could 19 Cook was very excited to have someone he could speak to, and she was such an angel. And Cook said it was the best trip he'd 20 had."

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—— a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I 1all the necessities — 2the guidebook.

    While the 3of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my4, this was not the only reason I decided to fly 5.

    To be honest, I find the guidebook 6a journey—like a bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do,7she doesn't always know what's best.8has taught me that there is a clear 9between a tourist and a traveler.

    While waiting in a queue to see Michelangelo's Statue of David in Florence, I met a man who showed me his 10of "Top 20 Things to do in Italy" and told us11that he'd "seen" everything Italy has to 12in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's way of 13was that he was too 14the information provided by his guidebook. He was 15in the so-called "must-sees" and blind to all that was happening somewhere else.

    So, guidebook-less as we were, I traveled to Estonia. Arriving for no good reason, I had no option but to16some friendly faces for advice. I 17myself and asked them what was happening around town. When this resulted in an 18to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I enjoyed a 110-degree wood-stove sauna(桑拿), 19picked forest-mushrooms and the good 20of my five new-found Estonian friends,  I was most glad I had left our bossy aunt at home.

When I was three, I was inseparable from my parents. Where they went I went, always reaching out for their hands to ensure their1.

As we2 my preschool for the first time, my hands tightly3 my parents'. We walked past the 4 sign out front which read "Welcome to the Lakeschool!", up the stairs and through the front door. I was happy and5– what could this new place be? Soon enough, however, I was introduced to my teachers and as they warmly6 me, they separated my hands from my parents' hands. As we progressed across the room, my parents7 broke away from our little group and went a8 way. They seemed, in fact, to be heading toward the door. When I realized what was happening, I9 to run after them, only to be held back by my teachers. My small face contorted (变形) and tears began to flood my cheeks. My mouth opened and a desperate10 escaped, loud enough for my parents, who were now outside, to11. I stared at them, pressed up against the12. But soon another little girl13. She wrapped her14 around me until I stopped crying. Then she took my hand and led me away from the window. My parents breathed a sigh of15.

The girl was Helen, and from that moment on we were best friends.