As we know, it is important to be honest with children. But there are some things in this world that simply aren't 1 . Sometimes it makes sense for parents to2to their children.

    I still remember my three-year-old daughter's face when we watched the 3that twenty children at Sandy Hook Elementary School had been killed. After a few minutes she 4and put her5arms around my legs and said, “I love you, Momma.” I was still 6whether or not to turn the TV off when she, 7, asked, “Momma, why aren't those kids OK?” I just 8that they were smart children,9 they did something wrong and got punished.

    We're not all 10of a little lie here and there. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Snow White are just a few examples of 11for parents to keep magic in the world. Magic, imagination and creativity are very essential in life, 12 for children. These stories battle against the negative aspects of the world and create 13. In the end children will be able to 14what is true and what was made to 15their lives. Out of five brothers and a sister I can happily report that not one of the children I grew up with was16when we discovered who all those17people really were.

    In life, a parent is the 18of knowledge, and it is up to the parent to decide what knowledge to teach and when. There's no 19to tell children all about the truth. As they become20, they will have a better understanding of the world.

    Last year I went to America and stayed there with an American family for two months.

    As is said, “The best house is in America, the best wife is in Japan, and the best food is in China.” So I 1 pride and pleasure to 2 “the best food” for my American family. Each day, regardless of my poor skill of cooking, I would do something in a 3 way: changing the dishes color, the meat's type or the soup's style. Thus, my American friends could discover the 4 of eating Chinese food. Because of my “5” job, I was often rewarded by their 6 of thanks such as “very delicious”, “excellent”, etc.

    7 something funny happened yesterday when I cooked Sichuan style fish for dinner. I was 8 with my work.

    When the whole family sat round the table, they first looked 9 at the fish, then looked at me. “Why do all the fish have their 10？” they asked，“It's terrible!”

    11 or terrible？I can't understand. But I do know that fish heads are delicious. The head is the 12 part of fish; in 13 only the important guest can have the 14 of enjoying it.

    Another 15 thing is: the American friends often said to me“16 ”as they 17 home fruits or other things. According to Chinese tradition I would simply smile in answer to their kindness 18 actually helping myself to any of the food. 19, I said “help yourself” to them whenever I brought home fruits. Dear me! No matter how much or how often I brought home food, as long as it was nice to their taste, they 20 hesitated (犹豫)to use their hands to “help themselves” until all was finished.

    I'm always inspired by kids who look at the world and decide to start changing it for the better. They don't need to 1 until they become an adult-they look for ways to solve problems 2 they see them.

    A group of high schoolers in Chicago, US, 3spring break in Puerto Rico helping rebuild the island, which is still 4 from a hurricane that struck six months ago. Eight students traveled with a teacher, Lou Ramos, to help rebuild homes and 5 resources among the victims.

    “You read a lot about how we're in a 6of self-focus and iPhones and i-everything,” Lou Ramos told me. “But when we put this idea out there, the 7was amazing. They don't see this as 8anything. They see this as a great opportunity to make a 9.”

    Ramos' daughter, Faith, also went on the trip. I asked her if the 10 of spending spring break doing work—probably, 11, hot work rather than spending time with friends left her feeling conflicted (矛盾的). “12, I'd much rather help other people out,” she said. “I just feel more 13 being able to go and make a difference.”

    Her family 14to Puerto Rico two years ago for vacation. After they watched the videos of the hurricane's destruction, she said, they were 15. They wanted to do something, so they started 16 this spring break trip late last year.

    “I think it's going to 17 our young leaders to achieve an even bigger ambition.” Ramos said. “Some of them have 18 flown in an airplane, this is going to be a life-changing 19for them.” I cannot agree more with him and I'm sure it will also change the world more20.

    I lifted my wet woollen gloves to my face and wiped the snowflakes from my eyes. I could not feel my nose and my 1 formed a thick fog in the air. The biting wind was making me 2 I was fed up! I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go home. But Mum and Dad had 3 me to go for a Sunday afternoon walk in the park. I could see my 4 in the snowy path, like a trail of breadcrumbs(一串面包屑) in the forest showing me the way 5. I stopped and listened to my 6. I could 7 the wind crying like a homeless dog hungry for a delicious 8. The once-green tree 9, which used to wave gently in the breeze, had become bare, and the grass was covered with a 10 blanket of fresh snow. Then I saw a broken spider's web shining golden beneath a pale sun. My breath was like silky soft 11 floating up into the freezing cold air.

    Suddenly there was Mum, 12 handing me a big cup of hot chocolate. Her big smile immediately 13 my heart.

    "Here you are, Jo. This will keep you 14," she said as she placed a comforting arm around my shoulders and 15 her cheek against mine.

    I slowly took a mouthful of the hot 16 and felt it slowly dripping down my throat like lava(熔岩) 17down a mountainside. My wet woollen gloves were now warm, not 18. My breath warmed, and I was 19fed up or cold. I was happy and 20.

    I remember my first woodworking project－a small table. It was absolutely beautiful and I was so 1 of it that I looked upon it as if I had created a(an) 2. I could 3 wait to give it to Mother Winters, the administrator of our orphanage (孤儿院), as a gift. We called our female caretakers “mother”. It was the title that we used when 4 them.

    As the table legs were not 5 from the coating, we were instructed to wait a few days before taking them to the dormitories. But I was just so 6 that I couldn't wait. When I saw my chance, out the door I went like a 7, carrying my table and smiling from ear to ear.

    I was 8 it in my dormitory when Mother Winters entered. She walked over to the table and run her hand 9 the top.

    "It is very pretty," she told me. 10 when she touched the table leg, she noticed that it was still wet.

    "Were you 11 to bring this home?" she asked.

    "No, ma' am," I whispered with my head 12.

    She made me throw the table out. After she left, I got it back. There was 13 stuck all over the legs. I brushed and cried and brushed and cried, but it would not 14. I hid the table in my closet.

    A year later, I asked Mother Henderson, my houseparent (宿管员), to throw it away.

    Thirty years later at a reunion, I 15 that Mother Henderson was living nearby, so I drove up to see her. As I was about to leave, she asked me to come down to her 16 to help her get something important. I 17 her into a dark corner. She picked something up. 18 she turned around, I could see that she was holding a little table.

    Today, I look at that table with bittersweet memories but full of 19to Mother Henderson, who kept it for a young orphan who tried very hard to 20.

    The day when I would go off to college was around the corner. Mom stood me in her usual spot behind the ironing board(烫衣板) and said, "Pay attention: I'm going to teach you to iron."

    Mom clearly explained her 1 for this lesson. I was going to be 2 and needed to learn this 3 skill. Also, I would be meeting new people, and properly ironed clothes would help me make a good 4."Learn to iron a shirt," Mom said, "and you can iron 5."

    But ironing shirts was not 6 work. It didn't make use 7long muscles we used to throw a baseball, and it wasn't a 8 operation like ice­skating. Ironing was like driving a car on a street that has a stop 9 every 10 feet. What's more, an iron produced steam and it carried a possibility of 10.If you touched the wrong part of it, you'd get 11. If you forgot to turn it off when you 12, you might burn down the house.

    As for technique, Mom 13 me to begin it, 14  sounded easy but skilful .Mom said it looked very simple ,but you must do it with your15 .Over the years, I've learned to iron shirts skillfully, which gives me a sense of 16.

    17 failures I suffer in my life, an ironed shirt tells me I am good at something. 18, through ironing I've learned how to find out the 19 to working out even the most troublesome problems."20 wrinkles one at a time," as Mom might have said, "and before long everything will get ironed out."