It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was 15 years old and feeling like the world was 1 for me because there hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted that year.

    Pa came back in and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” Pa said. “Dress warmly. It's cold outside. We're going to Widow Jensen's. They are 2 wood.” Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and 3 her with three children, the oldest being eight.

    I 4 went out with Pa and we 5 the sled high with wood. 6 we went to the store and Pa took down a big ham, some bacon, a sack of flour and some shoes, which were put into a smaller sack. We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's in 7. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. I knew we didn't have much money and Widow Jensen had 8 neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our 9.

    Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her 10. The children were wrapped in 11 and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that 12 gave off any heat at all. “We brought you a few things , Ma'am，” Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it.

    She 13 and took the shoes out one pair at a time. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from 14 and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, 15 it wouldn't come out. “We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am,” Pa said. Then he turned to me and said，“Matt，go bring some in. ”

    I wasn't the 16 person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I choked and as much as I hate to 17 it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept 18 those three kids huddled (蜷缩)around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much 19 in her heart that she couldn't speak. Just then the rifle seemed very 20. Pa had given me the best Christmas of my life.

    I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a 1 over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always2. Not knowing we were poor, my kids(孩子们) just thought I was 3. I've always been glad about that.

    It was Christmas time, and although there wasn't 4 for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big 5 for the kids was the fun of Christmas 6.

    They planned weeks ahead of time, asking 7 what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for 8 to share by all five of us.

    The big 9 arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and 10 them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would 11at the “Santa's Workshop”.

    Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, 12 my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually 13. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies— fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn't say anything 14 we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door,15 to be angry again. This is what she told me：

    “I was looking 16 thinking of what to buy, and I 17to read the little cards on the 'Giving Trees'.One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she 18 for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and 19 the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn't have anything.”

    I never felt so 20 as I did that day.

    “Mum ,can I invite my classmate Brett over to stay tomorrow night, please? It's Friday ,and we don't have any,Can I1 please?”Mum was sitting at the kitchen table. Dad was2next to her, resting his head on his arms. Mum could3that James wanted so badly to have his friend over.

    “I'm so sorry, James,”she said.

    “I'm never allowed to have friends come to the house? Why, Mum?”James asked sadly ,almost in4

    “I know it's5for you,”Mum said softly.“But I'm just worried other people might think we're a little... strange. And then they would make fun of you.”

    “No, they wouldn't, Mum,”James protested.“We're not6at all. We're just ordinary people.”

    Mum sighed heavily.“To tell you the truth, James, my neck has been so painful that it's given me a heavy7And your poor father—he doesn't feel8He really needs a rest.”

    “I can help, Mum!”James said.“9I can make you and Dad feel better ,can Brett come over? Please?”

    “Well...”Mum began.

    “Great !Thanks, Mum!”James almost shouted.“Just sit there ,don't move.”He rushed over to the kitchen drawer and10what he needed—two spanners(扳手).“Hang on, Mum,”he said.“This won't take a second.”After some11, James was finished. With a smile of12on his face he said,“There! How does that feel? ”“Oh, James,”Mum said.“That's much better! How did you do it?”

    “Easy,”James said13“Dad had tightened your neck bolts(螺栓)too much! I just14them slightly !I learned that in robotic science at school.”

    “What about your father? Can you15him?”asked Mum.

    “I'll try,”James replied. He16up Dad's hair at the back of his neck , and plugged the electric wire into Dad's head. Then he turned the17on. Dad opened his eyes and18immediately .“ He just let his19run too low ,that's all,”James said,“Shall I tell Brett to come over straight after school tomorrow?”

    “I guess so,”replied Mum.“Your friends will just have to20that we are a very unusual family. Thanks, son!”

    When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor of the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn't afford the operation because her family was poor.

    Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（阁楼）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, whoauthenticatedthe story as O. Henry's.

My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.

My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it could have been better than his own story.

    A father and his daughter have donated a C$44-million cattle ranch (牧场) to a school for veterinary medicine (兽医学). They want to 1  students a unique resource to learn about animal medicine. 90-year-old Jack Anderson and his daughter Wynne Chisholm have been 2 W.A. Ranches since 2005 when the senior 3 from his work in the gas and oil field. They are now 4 the 19,000-acre (about 77km2) ranch to the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM). Their only 5 for the donation are guaranteed 6 for their five full-time ranch workers and the ability to visit the ranch from time to time.7 that, the university will take on full 8 and ownership of the ranch and all of its property.

    According to the news, the ranch is the single largest 9 of a ranch to a university in North American history.

    “Our hope is that this gift will 10 the teaching and learning at UCVM, and make the students able to 11 and share scientific, evidence-based 12 .They will strengthen our industry, 13 animal care and welfare, and inform the public,” Chisholm added in a statement.

    Dr. Baljit Singh, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, said: “The gift of a cattle ranch of this size and standard offers unexpected educational 14 within the creative teaching model practiced at the university.

    “The ranch will provide a platform for 15 with other equipment, industry and the public sector. It can also 16 interdisciplinary (跨学科的) learning and research, and help develop an international centre in beef cattle health.”

    “This gift will 17 the leadership of our Faculty of Veterinary Medicine even further. It actually 18 a unique opportunity for our students to 19 practical learning. This will also develop their professional skills, and make the 20 between human, animal and environmental health,” says university president Elizabeth Cannon.

    Being jobless for the last three months, I am upset nowadays. My son has lost his 1 from a good school and he might have to go to a less qualified school. I have moved from a spacious (宽敞的) apartment to a small one in order to 2 my living expenses. My wife has built extra stress. On top of that, my father in-law 3 a week ago, which has added fuel to fire, 4 our family into a more terrible state.

    In these circumstances I have two mental 5: either to feel upset and keep losing my peace of mind, or 6 my negative thoughts with super mental powers about self-confidence and consistency, and 7 applying for new jobs with positive attitude.

    I choose the second option because I believe that the pain I am 8 today will build up my 9. My strengths will then increases my confidence and make me a good times make me a 10 man one day. I understand that good and bad stages are part of 11 . While good times make me happy, bad times 12 the ‘inner' me.

    Two months later, 13, I have finally landed on a job which is very exciting and offers a nice salary. Time has healed my wife's mental stress 14 the death of her father. My son has already been accepted by another good school because the admissions for new academic year were still 15 !

    As I am back on the track of normal life, I can 16 say that the most important things that helped me 17 the crisis (危机) were my consistent character of patience, and 18 attitude towards life. So, while I wish you all the best life can 19 you, I would highly recommend taking the same attitude towards life 20 you are trapped in any of such situations.