When I was in my twenties, I travelled alone through the UK. In order to 1 locations that the public transportation couldn't get to, I bought a(n)2 car, drove it around for three months and sold it before I returned to Australia. The car cost most of my money, so I lived mainly on3during that trip, it being cheap and filling. In Ireland, my4 was stolen, and it was impossible to get another. So for the rest of the trip I 5out in my car, being too poor to afford bed and breakfast.

    One morning, I 6 in my old Skoda under a twisted tree on a remote lane in the Irish countryside, with no more than a 7 house in sight. I had a terrible desire for a 8 cup of tea and some hot water to make porridge with 9 I would not have to eat the cold leftovers from the previous day.

    My thermos (暖瓶) had gone cold overnight so I knocked on the door of the house. A woman opened it. Hot water? She 10 let me get away with just that! I was invited indoors, seated at the breakfast table with the 11 and given a delicious breakfast, as much as I could eat. I was 12 to eat something more than porridge! I 13 being friends with the whole family.

    That was only one of many acts of 14strangers showed me when I was traveling alone in foreign regions. One London businessman rushing to work, seeing me 15 offered to pull my ridiculously heavy suitcase 16several flights of stairs in the underground. After he'd done so, with a smile and a wave, he 17 into the crowd.

    Kindness gets 18. The other day, I was able to point out a rare parking spot to a young man who had been driving around the railway car park, looking 19 desperate. His grateful smile was all the 20 I needed as I dashed off to catch my train.

    Little Amy, a six-year-old kid, arrived home when her parents were talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her1mother with whispered desperation, ＂2a miracle can save him now＂, the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She3all the change out and counted it carefully. Then she 4her way six blocks to the drugstore.

    ＂What do you want?＂ asked the chemist. ＂It's5my little brother,＂ the girl answered. ＂He's really, really sick and I want to buy a6. His name is Andrew and he has something7growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him.＂ ＂We don't8miracles here, child. I'm sorry,＂ the chemist said, smiling 9at the little girl.

    In the shop was a 10customer. He stooped(弯腰) down and asked the little girl, ＂What kind of miracle does your brother 11?＂ ＂I don't know,＂ she replied. ＂He's really sick and mommy says he needs12. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my13.＂

    ＂How much do you have?＂ asked the man. ＂One dollar and eleven cents, 14I can try and get some more,＂ she answered quietly. ＂Well, what a coincidence,＂ smiled the man. ＂A dollar and eleven cents — the 15price of a miracle for your little brother. 16me to where you live. I want to see your brother and 17your parents.＂

    That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon(外科医生). The operation was completed without 18and it wasn't long before Andrew was 19again and doing well.

    The little girl was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the 20of a little child.

There Really Was a Santa Claus

    Ann worked for a big company. One of the duties of her 1 was to go to the post office every day and 2 the company mail. One day in December, she 3 a beggar making himself up as a Santa Claus 4 on the corner of the street. Each day she 5 her coins and dropped them in his bowl. He would smile and 6 her a Merry Christmas.

    At night the temperature dropped below 0℃, but the Santa Clause 7 stood in the cold wind. 8 she dropped her coins into his bowl, she handed him a pair of gloves.

    A week later, a(n) 9 Santa Claus was standing there. "What happened to the other Santa Claus?" she asked. He told her, "He's very 10 today." She prayed for his health.

    Later that day, a colleague came into her office 11. "I don't know what I'm going to do." "What's wrong?" she asked. "It's my ex-husband," her colleague 12, "I don't have any money to buy my boys anything for Christmas, 13 my ex-husband refuses to send money to them. It breaks my heart that they won't have anything this year." The lady 14 her colleague, "I'm sure everything will 15. It's Christmas. Believe in miracles(奇迹)."

    That evening, she told her husband about her colleague's 16, "I know we don't have much money to 17, but I'd like to give her fifty or a hundred dollars. We'll just get ourselves less this year. Last year we couldn't 18 to buy anything for ourselves but we still had a wonderful Christmas." Her husband smiled, "Give her one hundred dollars. She needs it more than we do."

    She reached up and held him. Warmth spread 19 her body. He held her and realized that 20 really was a Santa Claus — and he had married her!

    An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his tuition fees. As an orphan, he didn't know whom to 1 to for money. So he decided to host a musical concert at Standford University to 2 money for his education.

    He reached out to the great 3, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Paderewski 4 a fee of Us $2,000 for the piano concert. A deal was 5. And the boy began to 6 to make the concert a success.

    The 7 day arrived. Paderewski performed at Standford University. But 8, the boy hadn't managed to sell enough tickets. The total 9 was only US 1, 600. Disappointed, he went to Paderewski and 10 his plight (困境). He gave Paderewski the entire US $ 1, 600, plus a cheque for the 11 of US $4, 00. The boy promised to 12 the money as soon as possible.

    Paderewski tore up the cheque, 13 the US $1,600 and told the boy, "14 the money for your tuition fees, and just give me whatever is left." The boy was very 15, and thanked him sincerely.

    It was a small 16 of kindness. We all come across 17 like this in our lives. And most of us only think, "If I helped them, what would happen to me?" The truly 18 people would think, "If I don't help them, what would happen to them? They don't do it 19 something in return. They do it because they feel it's the 20 thing to do.

The True Story of Treasure Island

    It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson's imagination. 1 recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.

    Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived 2 for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a 3. With him were his American wife Fanny and his son 4.

    Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long 5 over the hills. They had been 6 this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain, Lloyd felt the days 7.To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some 8.

    One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island, Robert 9that the boy had drawn a large cross in the middle of 10. "What's that?" he asked. "That's the 11 treasure," said the boy. Robert suddenly 12 something of an adventure story in the boy's 13. While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the 14 a twelve-year-old boy, just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate (海盗)？

    Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the 15 of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to 16 such a man in a story. 17 Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was 18.

    So, thanks to a 19 September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest 20 stories in the English language.

    I stood in the front of the classroom like a specimen(标本) under examinations  of 23 pairs of eyes. I began stuttering(结巴)and gave wrong answers to some questions.

    In the summer of 2016, I worked as an assistant teacher at a children's day camp. Lacking in experience, I 1 to create weekly lesson plans. Kids shouted at each other in class. Sometimes, I had to pull apart kids who were 2 each other. The rare moments of3 came only after my booming calls for attention. Every day was a 4 between me and these wild little creatures.

    One day I suddenly 5 that I was supposed to teach them instead of being led by the nose. It was time to do something to change the 6. I was older, more knowledgeable, and most 7, I had more authority. The next day, I firmly8into the classroom and stood in the front9.The students studied me curiously. But I did not stutter this time. It10 me that the class went smoothly without being 11 for the first time. From that day on, they gradually started to pay attention. Some 12started calling me "Ms. Amy". Seeing a sign of respect in their wild eyes was like getting 13 for my achievements. I was finally acting as an authority figure. The 14 I received also increased my self-confidence. It made me believe that I had the15 to overcome difficulties.

    One month after my summer job 16, I went back to visit the students. I saw the 17 kids running around in the classroom. 18, their playful shouts were a different kind of music to my 19now. Instead of the unpleasant sound I heard the first day, this was a20 song that played during my march to self—confidence.