In January 2013,Sam Bloom was on a family holiday with husband,Cameron and their three young boys.After a morning1in the sea they discovered the hotel had a rooftop platform and all went up the2to enjoy their surroundings.Suddenly Cameron heard a tremendous crash.He3around and Sam was gone-as was the safety rail（栏杆）she had been4against.Sam fell into a deep depression after the fall from the roof left her paralyzed（瘫痪的）from the chest the chest down.Doctors said she could never walk again.

    Three months later, as they were heading home from Sam's parents,Noah,her middle son,5a baby bird that had fallen to the ground.So they6it up and took it home.They called her Penguin because she looked like a penguin.She was just very7at two or three weeks old,She would have to be fed every two hours,but they decided rescuing this little bird would be a8thing to do together.

    Penguin brought joy back to the family.Sam loved having Penguin a round because she was like9.Penguin would rest on Sam's lap or on her shoulder,Sam could finally10herself without feeling guilty-she would talk to Penguin; she would11to her behind Cameron and tell her how she was feeling,Some morning Penguin would just run down the hall and jump up into bed,12her way into the quilt and then roll over and sleep. Penguin had some13 —she was not toilet-trained, and the house got quite messy.As she grew older. Penguin did sleep outside,but at six o'clock in the morning she'd be at the door,with a special14that meant,“Let me in”!

    As her15 grew. Penguin stayed away for longer periods.When she was a year old,she disappeared for six weeks.But on the little son's 13th birthday.Penguin made a16visit.a year ago,she left again and hasn't been seen17.The bird has found her freedom and Sam has a freedom of her own. Sam made a new18 —she took up boating and even made the Australia Para-boating Team.she it out of the19and in the water and back in nature.

    Over the two years. Cameron took about 14,000pictures of Penguin.which have been collected in a book called Penguin Bloom,Penguin rescued the family as much as they rescued her.Sam got20it,thanks to her family, exercise and yes,the friendship pf a bird.Angels come in all shapes and sizes!

    There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many 1, but because he was a good piano player, some people 2 came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老主顾) told him he didn't want to hear him play but to sing a song.

    The man said, "I have never 3 that before in public. I think I'm 4at playing the piano."

    But the customer 5. He told the waiter, "I'm6 listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing."

    The waiter7 across the room, "Hey, buddy! If you want to get 8 , sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!"

    9 in order to bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And 10had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before 11 that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the12 himself!

        He had talent he was 13 on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but because he had to sing, he 14 to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.

    You, too, have skills and 15. You may not feel as if your "talent" is particularly 16, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence (坚持), most skills can be 17. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you 18! The19 is not "What ability do I have that is useful?" It is 20 "How will I use whatever ability I have?".

    In spite of the fun and laughter, 13-year-old Frank Wilson was not happy. It was 1 that he received all the presents he wanted. And he also 2 the big Christmas dinner with family members.3, Frank was not happy because this was his first Christmas without his brother, Steve, who during the year, had been killed in a car accident. Frank 4 his brother.

    Frank said good-bye to his relatives, and explained to his parents that he was going to see a friend. Since it was cold outside, Frank 5 his new plaid jacket. It was his favorite gift. He placed the other presents on his new sled (雪橇). Then Frank 6.

    As Frank went down the street toward home, through one front window, he saw a room with old 7 hanging over an empty fireplace. A woman was seated nearby, crying. The stockings 8 him of the way he and his brother always 9 theirs side by side. The next morning, they would find presents.

    Then Frank had a10. He knocked on the door. “Yes?” the 11voice of a woman asked. “May I come in?” asked Frank. “You are very welcome,” she said.12his sled full of gifts and thinking he wanted to 13 gifts. “But I have no food or gifts for you. I have 14 for my own children.” “That's not why I am here,” Frank replied. Please 15 whatever presents you would like for your children from the sled.” “Why, God bless you!” the 16 woman answered gratefully. She selected some candies, a toy airplane and a doll. Finally, the stockings were 17. “Thank you so much!” the woman Said. “You are welcome,” Frank said and left.

    Frank's18was full of happiness. Then he gave his jacket to a poor boy. At last, he19 all his gifts. Now Frank was worried how he could 20 to his parents that he had given his presents to others.

    Many people spend their New Year's Eve getting dressed up and dancing their way to midnight. My brother and I decided to do things a bit 1.

    We each filled a backpack with clothes, shoes and other things and headed out to the 2. The first person we saw was a 15-16-year-old boy picking up 3 plastic bottles on the train platform (站台). We called him over and started up a(n) 4. We had a look at his 5 and noticed he had 6 fingernails (手指甲). We explained that it was 7 to keep short nails and then we 8 cutting them for him. When we were 9, we offered him some chocolate candies, which made him look at us 10. We talked to him some more and began 11 some of the chocolate ourselves. Finally, he 12 took the chocolate himself and then began telling us his 13.

    His name was Raju. After his mother died, his father remarried. Unable to 14 his stepmother (继母), Raju ran away from 15 and has been living on the streets for 3 years, collecting and 16 empty plastic bottles.

    When we met Raju, he wasn't wearing any 17. One quick look into our backpacks and we 18 what we were looking for-a pair of Nike shoes. When we dressed him in them-Raju's eyes were full of 19. "These shoes are so great. Nothing will hurt my 20.Thank you so much!" Touched by our actions, he joined us as we walked around and looked for those in need.

    Several years ago I started riding a bike. At first, I thought it was only a 1 ride. But as I built up strength, my friends encouraged me to try some longer 2. The first one to come along was a 150-mile journey, an event held every year that 3 money to fight cancer.

    When I signed my name, the 4 seemed great — to support a worthy cause while going for the 5 — and I trained with great excitement. But as the time for the ride approached, my 6 gained ground over my endurance(耐力). I didn't really want to 7 all those miles for two days straight.

    The ride began on a Sunday morning in the Georgia countryside, 8 for the first few hours I felt wonderful. This was just the 9 I had imagined, and my spirits were 10 . But by the end of the day, I felt tired. I was sure I'd have to 11 .

    As I topped the hill, the nice sunset 12 me going for a few minutes more. Then in the distance, I 13 a lone rider riding very slowly. I 14 that the person looked different in some way, but I couldn't tell why. I managed to 15 . There she was, riding slowly but steadily, with a 16 smile on her face — and she had only one leg.

    My focus 17 at that moment. I'd been doubting my body for a whole day. But now I knew — it wasn't the body, but the 18 that would help me reach my goal.

    It rained all the second day. I 19 saw the one-legged biker again, but I pushed on without complaining. And at the end of the day, still feeling 20 , I completed the 150th mile.

    I grew up as the "baby" of my family. I was the 1 of three sons. My brothers were five and seven years older than me. They 2 with most of the chores (杂务) around the house, while I spent most of my time riding my bike, 3 basketball in the yard, and etc. To say I was a bit 4 wouldn't be unreasonable. I spent my childhood with all the fun and none of the 5.

    By the time I entered my early teens, however, my 6 had moved out of our home. My dad was badly 7 and became disabled. We had 8 a mountain top house heated by a wood stove (火炉) with only well water to drink. I soon 9 myself then doing more 10 than I had ever done before. I 11 our garden and mowed our lawn (割草) in the summer. In the fall I carried wood to keep us 12 in the winter months to come. And all year round I carried 13 containers of water from a mountain spring back to our house.

    At first I grumbled and 14 to myself. After a while, though, I began to find 15 in helping my parents that I 16 so much. I sang to myself when I cut wood and 17 while I carried water. I 18 found myself helping my mom with the dinner dishes and cleaning. I started to 19 something that I would carry with me the rest of my life too: When your work is done in 20, it isn't work.