Cheating happens a lot in our city. It can be hard to know who is really in 1 and who is trying to take advantage of other people's   2.

    Recently, I was finishing my work at home3 the dog barked letting me know that 4 was at the gate. I rushed to see who it was and there I saw a 5 weak woman in her late fifties.

    I said to her, “May I ask what you6?”

    She 7, “Hello, my name is Parvathy. My husband and I live nearby. We earn our living8working at construction sites. A few days ago my9 fell off the stairs while 10 a heavy load. He is 11hurt and hasn't been able to 12for the past five days, so we have no food. Now he is at home in bed with a high fever. Please help me! I need to take my husband to a doctor!”

    “Oh!” I said. “Please13here.” I went into the room. I felt really bad about her 14but ...Was she telling me the15or trying to cheat me out of my money?

    Finally, I 16 to help her. But first I said a simple prayer, “Dear Lord, you know17 I earn my pennies, so please make sure that my hard earned money helps those who 18 need it.”

I went out with a fifty note and19 it to her. The moment she got the money she broke down in tears. She took my hand and said, “Thank you so much!”

    I was so 20, and turned back to my work smiling.

    In the United States there was an unusual tale telling of the daughter of a mechanic（技工）. One day while walking along the bank of a lake, the girl 1 to see 20 eggs laid by a wild goose. After some time the girl 2 the mother would not return to her eggs and she 3 to take them home. There she carefully 4 the eggs in the heat of a lamp. Several days 5 the eggs broke and the baby geese came into the 6.

    Geese are known to take the first living thing they see as their mother. 7, to these young geese, the girl was their mother.

    As they 8, the girl was able to 9 her birds to run across the grass, but she could not teach them to 10. The girl became increasingly worried about this, both when 11 and in her dreams. Later, she had a(n) 12: She would pilot a plane to guide them in 13. She asked her father for a plane and he assembled（组装）a small aircraft for her.

    Caring about 14 safety, the father decided to pilot the plane himself. However, the birds did not 15 or follow him, and 16 slept in the grass.

    One day, the girl 17 into the plane, started it and soon left the 18. Seeing their mother take to the air, the birds 19 flapped（拍打）their wings and 20. She flew the plane freely in the sky, her young birds following.

    I learned my first lesson at a meeting. As we sat around the table I heard Meg, who was 1 a recent operation, talking to Judith, the manager of our project. “Thank you so much for 2my daughters to their dance lessons last week.” “Don't mention it,” Judith says, “It was nothing.”

    Knowing how 3Judith's schedule is, with her work, kids and aging parents, I found her driving Meg's children to lessons unbelievably 4. I was about to say more about this when Donna, another colleague, entered the room 5. She apologized for being late, saying she just hosted a lunch for her friends who are over seventy. “That is so nice of you,” I say,6 how busy she was, how she didn't like to cook and clean. “Oh,” she said, waving her hand, “It was nothing.”7, I could still tell the 8in her voice. She did gain a sense of satisfaction from the entertainment offered to her friends.

Seeing their 9to help others selflessly, I started thinking about the concept of “nothing”, this peaceful and generous way of living— had it really been nothing or were they simply saying that? It 10to me that once I spent a whole afternoon after work helping a friend 11a speech. I 12her to rearrange the sequence of the stories in the lecture to make it sound more 13. After the fifth try, she finally 14it. She hugged me with 15, saying thanks to me. I smiled and said it was nothing.

    Suddenly, I realized that helping someone was really something to me. I learned that giving from the heart doesn't 16mean sacrifice and hard work. The 17is finding something we love to do and finding someone who 18that something. Our generosity pan benefit others 19ourselves. Once you have a good 20of it, it's nothing. And it's really something.

    It happened when I was in Grade 4. My teacher Ms. Orange asked us to bring cards, candy and other 1to class. She wanted us to celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a class. I 2this activity and thought it would be fun, 3I asked my mom to help me make some nice cookies. I 4bought some Thanksgiving cards. I couldn't wait to give them to my classmates.

    When the day finally5, things went very well. People gave each other cards and candy. Everyone seemed very6. I gave out all of the things I took to school to my classmates. However, I received7. I was surprised at what was happening. Ms. Orange then asked us to8 what we received and say whom it came9. When my name was called, I couldn't hold back my10because I didn't get anything from anyone. I was 11 by the people who said that they were my 12.

    It was surely a 13Thanksgiving Day for me. I was angry. But I didn't want to 14 my classmates. I kept being kind to them and 15hard. And what I did paid off. I became one of the 16 students in my class. My teachers and classmates were proud of me. Now I have many good friends by my side. The_17from them alone will always be the best gift I will value forever. I 18that the best gifts in life don't come from stores. It's the things that we value in our 19that count. I'm glad that I made the right decision and 20 my classmates' friendship in the end.

Pass Your Love On

    Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, "Would you mind 1 your seat? A couple would like to sit together." The only 2 seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts (石膏绷带)， a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. "3 am I going to sit there," I thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, "She needs help." Finally, I 4 to move to that seat.

    The girl was named Kathy. She 5 in a car accident and now was on her way for 6.

    When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 7 that Kathy would not be able to 8 herself. I considered 9 to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too 10 to offer a service to a 11. But then I realized that Kathy's need was more 12 than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat, and 13 she was uncomfortable to accept, she 14 as I expected. We became closer and closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart 15, and the 16 was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself.

    I was very glad I had reached 17 my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her. Love 18 flows beyond human borders and removes the fears that keep us 19. When we 20 to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world.

    I began to do volunteer work in grade seven. I experienced many meaningful moments, and the most1ones were when I was volunteering as a swimming2at the YMCA in Brockton, Massachusetts. At first, I was a teacher's3. "What are we going to do next?" When is the play time? These were just two of the questions I was often4there. On the day of my first class, I thought it was going to be a(n) 5 job. I 6that since I had taken swimming lessons from the age of five, I knew the7about swimming. After all, I was good at all8of swimming! 9, I soon found out there was more about teaching swimming than just knowing how to swim.

    During my first class, I assisted the swimming teacher in teaching a group of five-year-old kids. From that moment on, my10of teaching changed. Teaching is communicating. To instruct children, one has to make the lessons11 and interesting for them to learn. I had to learn many games that would help the children to 12as swimmers. Such as "Red Light, Green Light" and "Blast-Off." I must devote myself to teaching them and set a(n)13example to them.

    I expected to teach a group of children, but it14my students were the ones who taught me how to be a(n)15teacher. Not only was it challenging to learn the children's names, but it was also challenging to16to their many personalities and moods. There were many 17that went along with helping these children, among which was seeing a child18a task that he or she could not do before they met me. 19, through the volunteer work, I learned that there would always be rewards by giving, and there would be20by making efforts.