During the war, my husband was stationed at an army camp in a desert in California. I went to live there in order to be1him. I hated the place. I had never2been so unhappy. My husband was ordered out on a long-term duty, and I was left in a tiny shack alone. The heat was3-almost 125 ^°F even in the shade of a cactus(仙人掌).4a soul to talk to. The wind blew non-stop, and all the food I ate, and the every air I breathed, were5with sand, sand, sand!

    I was so sorry for myself that I wrote to my parents. I told them I was6 and coming back home. I said I couldn't stand it one minute longer. I 7be in prison! My father answered my 8with just two lines-two lines that will always sing in my9 two lines that completely changed my life:

    Two men looked out from prison bars

    One saw the mud, the other saw the stars

    I read those two lines10I was ashamed of myself. I made up my mind I would find out what was good in my present 11 I would look for the stars.

    I made friends with the natives, and their 12 amazed me. They gave me presents of their favorite artworks which they had13to sell to tourists. I studied the delightful forms of the cactus. I watched for the desert sunsets, and14for seashells that had been left there millions of years ago when the desert had been an ocean15.

    What brought about this16change in me? The desert hadn't changed,17I had. I had changed my 18. And by doing so, I changed an unhappy experience into the most amazing19of my life. I was excited by this new world that I had discovered I had looked out of my self-created prison and20the stars.

    When I heard the news, tears ran down my face. Some years ago on a hot summer day, a little boy decided to go for a 1 in the lake behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the 2 water, he ran out of the back door. He flew into the water, not 3 that an alligator（鳄鱼）was swimming toward the 4. His mother in the house was 5 of the window and saw the alligator 6 it got closer and closer. In fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her sin as 7as she could.

    Hearing her voice, the little boy became 8 and made a return to swim to his mother. It was to 9. Just as he reached her, the alligator 10 him. From the shore, the mother grasped her little boy by the arms just as the alligator grasped his legs. The alligator was much 11 than the mother, but the mother was much too struggling to let the boy go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her 12, raced from his truck, took aim and 13 the alligator.

    14, after weeks in the hospital, the little boy 15. His legs were scarred by the animal and, on his arms, were 16 scratches where his mother's fingernails scratched. A newspaper reporter, who 17 the boy, asked if he would show him his 18. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious 19, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let me go. They are my mother's 20 for me.”

    If we redouble our efforts, our dreams will come true. Chen Zuobin had 1 for 13 years already. Finally, he decided to become a 2 again. Born in a mountain village in Anhui province, Chen Zuobin walked out of the 3 for study when he was 19. Thought he had a 4 life as a creative director of an international agency in Shanghai, he couldn't 5 the anxiety reflected in his dreams.

    “I dreamed about 6 branch roads several times a year. I didn't know which one leads to 7 . It made me feel terrible.” One day, Chen Zuobin said to his wife, “I want to go home.” 8 being surprised, his wife said, “9 your heart. Don't worry about me.”

    The young couple returned to their hometown and 10 the Real Food Farm just to lead a real and simple life. Chen Zuobin shook off the 11 and tiredness from too much 12 in the city. Only in the mountains can they enjoy the 13 air. There isn't the smell of tail gas, but the smell of 14 when it shines over the woods. They live a life of “eating healthily and 15 well.

    In a time when eating 16 becomes a luxury（奢侈）in the 17 life, it's truly a right way to return to the 18 . “Life is a journey of 19 the proper way.” Said Chen Zuobin.

    Those dreams about branch roads have 20 because he has found his own path.

    Life is colorful. Sometimes it's just like potato salad; when it's shared, it became a picnic.

    With three young children to bring up, my husband John and I were very 1. "Can we go on a picnic, Mom?" my six-year-old daughter, Becky 2. "Please." I had said no so many times in 3 months, and I decided the usual Saturday morning chores could 4. To her 5, I agreed.

    I prepared a few sandwiches and 6 a cooler with ice and drinks and called John 7.

    My eleven-year-old twin sons loaded the cooler and the picnic basket in the trunk and off we went to spend some 8 time together as a family.

    About the time I got the lunch 9 out on the table, John arrived on the 10. That was one of the happiest meals we ever shared together. The meal was full of 11. We felt a closeness that had been hidden by work and school responsibilities for so many months. John and the boys 12 rocks into the lake, Becky fed the ducks and I sat quietly at the picnic table, 13 God for blessing me with such a wonderful family.

    That night as our children went to bed, I kissed their cheeks. It 14 me what a wonderful life I had. As I walked out of the room it dawned on me that even the busiest 15 could become a picnic when it's shared with the ones you 16. Even though kids have now grown up and 17 from home, I can still remember how I felt that day while sitting at the picnic table.

    Maybe today would be a good time to 18 potato salad, call all of my 19 kids, feed some hungry ducks and skipped a few rocks into the lake. Since life is like potato salad, let's make it a 20.

    There were once two 1 sharing the same hospital room. One man was allowed to 2in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain(排空)the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the only wall in the room that had a window. The other man had to spend all his time lying 3 on his back,4 at the white, dull ceiling.

    The men talked for hours 5 with each other. Best of all, every afternoon when the man by the window described all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour 6 where his world would be 7 by all the activity and colour of the world outside.

    The window 8 a park with a lovely lake. Around the lake there were couples 9 romantically arm in arm. Mothers were pushing their baby carts. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.

    One warm afternoon, although the other man couldn't hear the 10 -- he could see the parade in his mind's eye as the man by the window 11 it with descriptive words. He knew now 12 he had to get better, and get out there to see all the wonderful things outside again, as soon as possible! 13, the next morning, the nurse found the man by the window had passed away 14 in his sleep. As soon as it seemed 15, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse agreed to make the 16. Slowly, painfully, he supported himself on one elbow to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a 17 wall. The man asked the nurse what could have 18 his 19roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse 20 that the man was blind. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."