My parents always made extra Christmas specials for my sisters and me. Of course the big 1 was that my sisters and I would run down the stairs to see our Christmas tree surrounded by mountains of 2. We got bikes, microscopes, cameras, and 3 else a kid might want. They were great, though I didn't 4 appreciate all that my parents did. It was quite common for me to be trapped in 5 the endless gifts. As a result, I'm unable to remember everything I 6.

    As my husband Joe and I were ready to welcome our first child 7 the world, we thought about how to give Christmas gifts in advance. Finally we 8 the decision to set the three-gift 9 for our holiday celebrations. I had ever 10 about the idea in a few magazine articles. And I really liked how it made the 11 decide the things they truly wanted. Mostly, I loved the idea of 12 our holiday. I would see my kids get the same 13 of gifts. I expected a Christmas day when we could actually 14 each other's company, as well as the gifts and the spirit that our children were given.

    15 those ideas that Joe and I came up with before they were born, such as never letting them eat junk food, or 16 TV time to only one hour a day, the three-gift rule is one thing that 17 the test of time. We've done it each year since Tom was born 18 years ago, 18 it's actually done in the way that we had hoped. Joe and I are less 19 because we just need to focus on giving each child the top three things that they desire. And we find the kids do 20and enjoy the gifts.

    Until a few years ago, I had what most people would call a good life. I had a 1job that paid the bills; I had a good family that I was close to, and I had a place to live and money in the bank for trips and 2, and there was nothing much wrong in my life.3, I was bored.

    I wanted 4. I wanted to live brightly and loudly and make sharp memories instead of the 5 ones of everyday life. But I was 6. I've never had any7in myself. As a child, even buying something in a shop caused me a great deal of 8, and even though I did get better as I got older, I never really9 that childhood shyness.

    And I tried everything, like reading books about confidence. I took tiny steps leading to my goals. But none of them really10.

    So I 11 that the small steps weren't enough. I signed up for an internship（实习期）teaching English in Vietnam, an12 huge step, one that13 me as much as it excited me. And then the day came and I left my home and my loved one. I was alone in a country where the food was14 and the streets were dirty. I had no idea whether I would be able to 15everything this very strange environment would16 at me.

    I spent five months in Vietnam, teaching and exploring and laughing. I'd learned to 17 myself, my skills, my abilities and my decisions. I returned home 18, even to myself, let alone to others. The19 that had controlled my life and the self-doubt completely20.

    That one big chance changed everything for me, and in me.

    Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really 1them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could never play basketball.

    I like playing basketball though I'm not good at it. I've had a basketball2 I was a child. At first, I could play freely because no one3when I was just a kid. But as I grew up, it seemed harder and harder for me to enjoy basketball.

    At school, it was always the boys who played basketball during PE classes. The girls were 4allowed to play volleyball or badminton.

    My parents did not 5 me play basketball at home. "Basketball is not fit for girls," they said. 6 when I went to play basketball with my friends, boys 7 at me on the court as if I were an alien.

    I was feeling8  and had lost hope of playing basketball. 9 , something changed the first day of high school. I made some friends who also enjoyed playing basketball. They 10me to get back on the court.

    One of them told me with a smile, "Go your own11, let others talk." This girl would always play basketball with me. Even the boy who sat next to me in class talked about12with me almost every day. I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion 13to my heart. I am ready to stand up and play. I will play as well as I can, 14 for me, even the sky is boundless (无垠的).

    Basketball has become an important part of my 15. I am interested in it. I watch matches and enjoy playing almost every day. Through basketball, not only do I feel happy and confident, but also16 a lot.

    I've heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, "Nothing is impossible." It is from an advertisement on TV. I have 17to realize that life is just like playing basketball. You should have an18. After that, just be confident and 19 going. Never give up and you'll make it sooner or later. I love the motto of the NBA. It can 20 my strong feelings for basketball, "I love this game!"

    Hello, Mr. Wi-Fi. Life without you is next to impossible now. We're happy to sing your name from morning till evening, sometimes till dawn. 1 I know you help me, sometimes you're making me do things with 2 attention. Many times I promise myself that I'll 3 my feelings towards you, but you're 4 me closer and closer...You've entered both my home and my 5, You're just a window for our 6 and information. But we people aren't 7 only with the window. So we open all our 8 for you. Is this a(n) 9 or some kind of attachment? If this is an illness, is it curable？And if this is an attachment, will you 10 me the lifelong togetherness?

    We want you all the time. Can't you take a few days off so that both you and I can   11？You're a poison—not a slow one but a super 12 poison which holds our mind and makes us dance 13 its tune. Nowadays you're so 14 that anyone can buy and make you our 15. You'll never worry about our health but we'll 16 be concerned about your “health”.Because you accompany us everywhere and never let us be alone.

    If you were a 17 person made of flesh and blood (血肉之躯) would we love you the same? You 18 us with your great talents and we even can't get rid of you. We're all your 19. Sometimes I wonder how people in the previous generations 20, but if they did why can't we?

    I was ready to pay for my bananas at the grocery one night, when fear seized me. My wallet was gone. I could only have left it on the G9 bus, which was now speeding in the dark to some1station.

    The2moment was quickly followed by mental math. How much time and money would it cost to replace the3of that little wallet？The credit cards, the driver's license, the cash, all lost to the bus.

    Two hours later, back at my house, I heard a knock on the door. My husband 4it while I was on the phone in the dining room. "Does Jennifer live here?" I heard a lady say. In my husband's hand was my wallet, with not a penny5. She left before I could 6 make it to the door to offer my thanks.

    After sharing the story online, I heard from someone, who 7 the lady as Erin Smith. Without 8 , I called to thank her. She said she 9 my wallet on a bus seat. She10that going to a stranger's house was a 11 move, but she decided to take the chance. "If I were in that 12. I would want someone to try to find me," she said.

    This one stranger responded beautifully to my small 13 , but she actually wasn't the only one. Right after Erin 14 my wallet on the bus, she posted a picture of my driver's license to an online forum（论坛）, trying to see 15 anyone knew me. No sooner did she leave my doorstep than I had emails from two women whose kids go to my son's nursery and who recognized my face. I've never 16 words with those moms beyond small talk, but they wanted to help. I read that people are more divided than ever, but that's not how the people I17tend to act.

    18, I feel blessed someone had wanted to help a stranger. Erin had gone 19what almost anyone would have done, finding my house on a bitterly cold night, and for that I was extremely 20 .

    I learned a valuable lesson from my 13-year-old son last week. We were hiking in the woods on our very hilly, rocky farm. He stopped near a cliff (悬崖) and started1some rather large stones towards the edge, seeing how2he could break them into pieces on a large rock lying at the3. I got tired of4him do this after about 20 minutes and suggest that we5on. He refused and kept on his constant picking,6and throwing stones.

    Finally after some time I said, “Do you7that you have been-picking up stones for more than half an hour? This is just the8task as Dad asks you to do every weekend to help9the fields. But you always do it for no more than two minutes, and then find a( n)10to quit." His reply was, "But this is11!"

    This hit me like a rock. How many tasks that we are tired of can be12something fun? I know this sounds like a13because sometimes things are just not fun at all.14, with some creative thinking, I bet there are15. For example, you can try turning on some pleasant music and then dancing16the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器), or you can write a secret message in the dust on your dresser and erase it when you clean it.

    For17, organizing competitions for your employees can create some fun and increase18. If you19a business yourself, you can compete just with yourself. Simply set your goals and choose a(n)20for your completion. The idea is to make achieving goals fun. So, make your work fun and get it done.