Lunch Made of Love

    In those poor times, many of my classmates couldn't bring a nice meal to school for lunch. My deskmate's meal was always cabbages, while {#blank#}1{#/blank#} （我的） was ham and fried eggs. Sometimes, my deskmate would first pick the hair out of his lunch and then eat it as if {#blank#}2{#/blank#} （没事） had happened. This continued for a long time.

    "His mother is so lousy（邋遢的）that her hair drops in the meal, "my classmates said. I {#blank#}3{#/blank#} （想）it was really dirty, but I couldn't show that because I didn't want to hurt（伤害）his feelings. Still, I started to think that he was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} （肮脏）, too.

    One day after school, he called me and said, "Would you like to come to my house if you are {#blank#}5{#/blank#} （有空）?"

    Though I didn't want to go, I knew it would be impolite to refuse because this was his first invitation. Following my friend, we {#blank#}6{#/blank#} （到达）at a poor village.

    "Mom, I brought my friend home. "

    His old mother opened the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（门）, "My son's friend is here. Let me have a look. "But to my {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（惊讶）, his mother was blind. She couldn't see anything.

    I felt sad. Now I understood why my deskmate's lunch had hair in it. His mother got ready for it {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（仔细）for him every day, even though she was blind. It was not only a lunch, but also a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} （母亲）love.

A: Hello, Cathy! What were you doing at nine last night?

B: I was reading a book. How about you?

A: I was {#blank#}1{#/blank#} you at that time.

B: Really? Sorry, but I didn't {#blank#}2{#/blank#} your telephone.

A: What book were you reading?

B: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The book is very interesting.

A: Was your sister {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, too?

B: No, she wasn't. She was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} with her pet dog.

A: That {#blank#}5{#/blank#} interesting.

B: Where were your parents at that time?

A: My parents were at home. And my mother was watching TV.

Students go hungry for charity（慈善）

    Students at New Point School enjoyed their breakfast today, for it broke a 24-hour fast（禁食） for charity. During the fast, they could not eat any food {#blank#}1{#/blank#},and they could only drink water, tea and clear fruit juice. The students all volunteered to go without food for one day to raise money for UN projects to help the poor {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Mr. James Wood, their English teacher, said, “The students {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the idea themselves after seeing photos of hungry children. They organized the whole thing. I'm very proud of them.”

    “Twenty-four hours did not feel like a very long time. Next year, I might even double {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I spend fasting. Then I can raise twice as much money!” said Jane Austin, a student. “It's so wrong for us to have lots of food while many people in the world are going hungry. We need to give to those in need.”

    The students collected about $2 400 from the fast. They were {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the total amount. “It's amazing! People are so kind, and they want to help others,” said Alan Long, another student.

    My children are growing up fast. My daughter is 16 and my boy has just started junior high school. As they get bigger, our house {#blank#}1{#/blank#} to get smaller. So we have been {#blank#}2{#/blank#}out a lot of things from our bedrooms for a yard sale.

    We've decided to each sell five things that we no {#blank#}3{#/blank#} use. We'll give the money we raise to a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} home. My son was quite sad at first. He {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a lot of toys that he doesn't play with anymore but still wanted to keep. For example, he has owned a train and railway set since his {#blank#}6{#/blank#} birthday, and he played with it almost every week until he was about seven. And he didn't want to {#blank#}7{#/blank#}the toy monkey. I remember that he would never go to bed {#blank#}8{#/blank#} it. My daughter was more {#blank#}9{#/blank#}, although she also felt sad to part with certain toys. As for me, I didn't want to give up my football shirts, but, to be {#blank#}10{#/blank#}, I haven't played for a while now. I'm getting older, too!

—{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it's/they're) on the bed