A few years ago, an elderly woman entered my video store, along with her daughter. The daughter was displaying a serious case of 1, 2 her watch every few seconds. If she had possessed a leash(绳子), her mother would have been 3 to it as a means of pulling her along to 4 the rush of other shoppers.

      I 5 and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a 6 on a piece of paper. 7 rushing off to find the DVD for the woman, I asked her to  walk with me 8 I could show her where she could find it and I want to enjoy her 9 for a moment. As we walked along the back of the store, I 10 its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed “trip” and 11 conversation.

      I said to her daughter, “ 12 some advice?” “Of course not,” said the daughter. “13 her ,” I said. “When she's gone, it's the little 14 that will come back to you. Times like this. I know.” It was 15 . I still missed my mom and remembered the times when I'd used my impatience to make her 16 .

     Together they made their way toward the store's resting area. They sat there for a moment, side by side, 17 the holiday crowds. Then the daughter 18 and immediately regarded her mother lovingly. And slowly she placed her arm with 19 unaccustomed affection around her mother's shoulders and 20 guided her back into the crowd.

    I am a girl, but I was born to be a rebel（叛逆者）. I like games that can be 1 . Some of the sports I like, even boys won't play!

Wrestling（摔跤）is 2  seen as a sport for men, but I 3 to see if I could do it.

    Every Saturday morning, I got out of bed early to go and watch my brother  4 . From morning to night, I would sit watching the5  have all the fun. Since then, wrestling has been part of my 6.

    For three years, I 7  all the boys and became the best player in the team. My 8 memory of wrestling is when a boy walked off  9  because he'd lost to a girl.

    My last 10  was at this year's Girls' State Wrestling Championships.

    I was so  11 . I was sure I would win. My heart was beating hard when the match started. I could see 12  but my competitor. When the final whistle blew, I had  13 by four points. The cameras and 14 all turned to me: I was the new wrestling champion. I felt so15 . But after a few minutes of enjoying being a champion,16began to run through my knee.

    Because I hurt my knee, my 17 of being a national champion ended. Even so, I still18 to wrestle next year when I go to college. I have 19that you can do anything you want if you put your 20 into it.

    Jim and his sister May walked in the street, and then they noticed a pet store. It was a very small pet store that didn't have many 1. The owner of the shop, Mr Smith, greeted Jim and May when they 2. May said, "We would like to buy a dog." "Ah, well, our shop is not very 3," Mr Smith told her. "So we only have two dogs to choose 4."

    They asked Mr Smith to 5 them the dogs. Mr Smith took them to see the two dogs. One was a big Bulldog named Buster. The other was a tiny Chihuahua named Teacup. May wanted Teacup, 6 Jim wanted Buster. They walked outside to 7. They couldn't agree 8 a dog. May 9 they race home for it. The one who won the race could choose the dog.

    Jim agreed, and then told May her shoelace was loose. When May 10. he ran off to get a head start. Jim ran as 11 as he could because he really wanted that Bulldog. When he looked back, he found May was so 12 behind that he couldn't even see her. Jim finally got home. He was 13 but happy. He knew he was the 14. May arrived a few minutes later. She congratulated him and they 15 the pet store together. However, when they arrived they 16 saw Teacup. They asked Mr Smith where Buster was.

    Mr Smith gave them a(n) 17 that a few minutes after May and Jim left, two boys walked in and bought the Bulldog.

    Jim looked at May, and she held 18 a smile. Jim 19 and turned back to Mr Smith. "Sometimes you win the 20, but not the prize!" Jim smiled sadly. "We'll take the Chihuahua, please."

    There was once a boy called Joseph Webb who always loved to show off how many friends he had at school. One day his 1 said to him, “Joseph, I 2 you a big bag of popcorn that you don't have as many friends as you think. I'm sure many of them are nothing more than companions.”

    Joseph 3 the bet at once. However, he wasn't sure how to 4 whether his schoolmates were real friends or not, so he asked his grandfather. The old man answered, “Wait a minute.” Then he left and 5 soon as though carrying something in his hands, but Joseph could see 6 there.

    “Take it. It's a very 7 chair because it's invisible (看不见). It's rather 8 to sit on, but if you take it to school and 9 to sit on it, you'll activate (激活) its 10 and it'll be able to tell who your real friends are.”

    Joseph, brave and determined, set off for 11 with the strange and invisible chair. At break time he asked everyone to form a(n) 12, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. Having difficulty seeing it, Joseph tried to sit on it but he 13 the seat and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone around him had a pretty good 14.

    Wait! Let me try again, Joseph said. But again, he missed the seat, 15 more surprised looks and a few catcalls (尖叫,喝倒彩). Joseph didn't 16 and kept trying to sit on the magic chair. But he kept falling to the ground…until, suddenly he tried again but didn't 17. Looking around, Joseph saw three of his best friends holding him up. 18, many others he had thought of as friends had done nothing but make fun of him. And there, the show came to an end. Joseph understood that 19 friends were those who care for him, and not just the 20 that happened to be passing by. And someone who took joy in his misfortunes (不幸) was even less of a friend.

    A few weeks ago, my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good opportunity to 1my 7-year-old son's room and 2some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We 3 that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.

    The night before the 4 we loaded(装载)up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too 5for him. In the yard he   6 the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. This little bike had at least two previous (以前的) owners as far as we 7 .It was certainly not 8, but the tyres (轮胎)were 9 good.

    We put a price of $ 10 on it, but it didn't sell. So, after the sale was 10 , my friend put it on the sidewalk, with a sign that 11 "FREE BIKE". Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was 12 there. In poor English he asked whether the bike was 13 free. She said yes and that he could have it for 14He smiled, got on the bike and rode away.

    Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale, he was very 15 , shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things, wondering 16they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that made him 17. He was much happier than when I told him how much he had 18 He was so happy to 19 that someone else would make good 20 of that little bike!

A Wonderful Christmas Gift

    Ann and her mother had lived in a small cottage. Christmas was so close，and so was her birthday.

    Ann wished she could get a new1with lace as a wonderful Christmas gift. All her friends would be getting new dresses.2Ann did not want to ask her Mom for that.  She knew how hard her mom worked to make both ends meet. Maybe she could make a3maybe Santa Claus would come，even though she knew that Santa Claus is just an imaginary character.

    It was not just gift that4Ann. It was her mother. Nowadays she was working overtime and looked pale and worn out.

    The days passed and soon it was Christmas Eve. In everyone's house, except Ann's ,a Christmas tree adorned(装饰)the living room. In the5there hung the baked cakes and turkey. But6lovely was being cooked in Ann's house. Every child went to bed eagerly waiting for the lovely gifts that he or she would7the next day. Ann went to bed with a8heart. She knew that there would be no gifts for her.

    Ann wished with her whole heart that at least this time she would get a gift from Santa Claus. Ann slowly drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of Santa riding in the snow on his reindeers.

    Ring.…Ring.…Ann jumped, hearing alarm.

    She suddenly remembered that it was Christmas morning. Without much hope she looked9there were any gifts for her. Wonder of wonders! There lay a beautiful packet tied with a red ribbon.

    Ann excitedly opened the package. It was a pretty white dress with attractive lace. She10the gift carefully to find out who gave it to her. Suddenly a small piece of paper fell out from it. Ann11started to read the note.

    "Dear Ann ，

    This dress is given to you as a12for being a good girl. Hope you continue to do good things and help your mother.

    Your Loving friend ，

    Santa Claus"

    Ann felt that there was something familiar about this note. She looked into the note carefully. Then it13her. It was her mother who had worked overtime to save money to buy this expensive gift. Ann was happy14words. She knew that she was the15girl to have such a wonderful mother as a wonderful Christmas gift.