It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25. I didn't think there would be any 1 , sighing (叹息)about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies 2at my desk, a pale woman and four children.

    “Are you all3?” I asked. “Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.

    But when it came to 4their problems, things got a little strange. They all claimed to have headaches, but the headaches weren't 5by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still.

    Something was wrong. Our hospital policy,6, was not to turn away any patient. I explained it might be a little while 7a doctor saw her. She responded immediately, even a bit 8“Take your time,” and then added, “It's warm in here.”

    Then, I checked their registration（登记，注册） form out of curiosity. No address—they were  9.The waiting room was warm. I went back to the nurses' station and mentioned we had a homeless 10in the waiting room. The nurses, complaining of11on Christmas, turned to sympathy for a family just trying to get 12on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there's a 13emergency. But this was a Christmas emergency.

    We were all 14a free meal on Christmas Day, so we took back that meal and prepared a big dinner for our15.We needed presents. We 16from different departments candies, fruits and other things 17that could be presents. Just like we 18the physical needs of the patients, our team worked to meet the needs of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas.

    19, as the family walked to the door to 20, the mother came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”

    In high school I had a math teacher, Mrs. Davies, who took her job seriously and expected her students to put forth the same degree of commitment (付出). Strict but fair, she held our attention with her great method. One of her 1 was for students who were more advanced academically. I chose to 2 it and soon realized that the course was a bit over my head. I 3 with the complex problems that others seemed to learn without much effort.

    One Friday we were tested 4 our ability to use a theorem (定理) that no one in the class thoroughly understood. The teacher would 5 our papers based on our ability to progress through the problem which easily filled two pages of formulaic notations (公式符号). I was absolutely 6. Finally, I didn't use the required theorem. Instead, I decided to use more familiar theorems to arrive at an 7. I knew I had failed because I hadn't done the 8 assignment. I became resigned (顺从) to my fate.

    Our test papers were 9 back the following Monday. Everyone received a "C" except for me. To my surprise, I received an "A". I 10 that there must be a mistake. I watched 11 as the teacher approached my desk, smiled, and asked for my test 12 back. She then went back to copy my work onto the blackboard, 13 the class how I had arrived at the correct answer. "Mathematics is meant to be a creative tool, pushing our minds to a rewarding answer," she said with confidence. 14 I didn't use the required theorem, she seemed really proud of how I'd worked through the problem. The class saw her fold my test paper and put it into her textbook. She announced that it would be 15 with future classes.

    My teacher would have been justified (合理的) in giving me a 16 grade. Instead, she used the 17 to deeply influence a student who often struggled. And after forty years, I still cherish the 18. It helped change my self-image. I 19 up to a broad boundary of possibilities which has made my life an adventure. She understood that teaching went beyond strict demands and could be used to 20. Thank you, Mrs. Davies.

    In my whole life I've been interested in martial arts. But it was only when I1in another city New York where there was a kung fu club that I really enjoyed it and fully2why they call it an art. It is fighting and3yourself，but it's also understanding your body more，making it4and healthier. Kung fu is a big 5of Chinese culture. I have always watched kung fu movies（who doesn't know Bruce Lee，Jackie Chan or Jet Li？）, because I loved their6.When I started to practice kung fu, I realized how7it was and a simple kick demanded months of practice. But I loved it！A whole new world was opening to me.

    After I8four years of kung fu in New York，I wanted to go to the9 where this martial art originated from. I went to China with a travel organization. It was a trip that10some kung fu and tai chi lessons. It was a（n）11 group，so there were people from all over the world. We went from Hong Kong to Guilin, Yangshuo, Xi'an, Luoyang and Shaolin and 12Beijing. We did two kung fu lessons in Yangshuo with the brothers Gao, who had a family style which was 13 Bu Di Zhen. We did one tai chi lesson in Xi' an and two14 kung fu lessons in Shaolin.I was15by Yangshuo and the Gao brothers. Yangshuo is a(n)16 town in the middle of mountains and near the Li river. The Gao brothers' family 17of kung fu practice was close to mine in New York. I could only18of my next trip to China.

    The next year my dream 19: I went to China again, together with some friends of my kung fu club. We 20one month in Yangshuo, just to practice kung fu, which made me understand more of Chinese rich culture.

    A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox (儿童玩耍的沙场).  In the process of creating roads in the soft sand, he 1 a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.

    The boy 2 around the rock, managing to move it from the sand. With a little bit of 3, he pushed the rock out of the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, 4, he found that he couldn't 5 it up and over the little wall. The rock was too 6 for his small body.

    As he 7 to accept his failure, the little boy dug, pushed and dragged, but every time he thought he had made some 8, the rock rolled and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy 9 again and again, but his only 10 was to have the rock roll back.

    11 he burst into tears. All the time the boy's father 12 from his living room window as the story continued. At the moment the tears fell, a 13 voice rose above the boy's head. It was the boy's father. 14 but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the 15 that you had?" Defeated, the boy replied with tears, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I 16 all the strength that I had!" "No, son." 17 the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't  18 me to help you." With that the father picked up the rock and 19 it from the sandbox.

    Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have the strength it takes to lift them? There is one who is always available to us and willing to 20 you with the strength you need.

    Long long time ago, in a small and distant 1, there was a place known2 the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and 3 to visit it. When he arrived, he 4 happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail 5 as fast as it could. To his great 6, he found himself staring at 1000 other 7 little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was 8 with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he 9 the House, he thought to himself: This is a10 place. I will come back and visit it often."

    In the same village, 11 little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, was determined to visit the house. He 12 climbed the stairs and 13 his head low as he looked into the door. 14 he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was 15 to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a terrible place, and I will 16 go back there again."

    All the faces in the world are 17. When you smile at the world the whole world will 18 at you, and vice verse (反之亦然). 19, it is you who can choose to be happy or to be upset. And what kinds of reflections (思考) do you see in the 20 of the people you meet?