As I drove my blue Buick into the garage, I saw that a yellow Oldsmobile was 1too close to my space. I had to drive back and forth to get my car into the 2 space. That left 3 enough room to open the door. Then one day I arrived home 4 , and just as I turned off the engine, the yellow Oldsmobile entered its space — too close to my car, 5 . At last I had a chance to meet the driver. My patience had 6 and I shouted at her, “Can't you see you're not 7 me enough space? Park farther over.” Banging(猛推) open her door into 8 , the driver shouted back: “Make me!” 9 this she stepped out of the garage. Still, each time she got home first, she parked too close to my 10 . Then one day, I thought, “What can I do?” I soon found 11 . The next day the woman 12 a note on her windshield(挡风玻璃):

    Dear Yellow Oldsmobile,

    I'm sorry my mistress(女主人) shouted at yours the other day. She's been sorry about it. I know it because she doesn't sing anymore while 13 . It wasn't like her to scream 14 . Fact is, she'd just got bad news and was taking it out on you two. I 15 you and your mistress will 16 her.

Your neighbor,

Blue Buick

    When I went to the 17 the next morning, the Oldsmobile was gone, but there was a note on my windshield:

Dear Blue Buick,

    My mistress is sorry, too. She parked so 18 because she just learned to drive. We will park much farther over after this. I'm glad we can be 19 now.

Your neighbor,

Yellow Oldsmobile

    After that, whenever Blue Buick 20 Yellow Oldsmobile on the road, their drivers waved cheerfully and smiled.

    A few years after Mom died, Dad handed me a plastic bag. That evening, I 1 the bag to find dozens of shells, each one2 in white tissue paper（纸巾）and having Mom's handwriting.

    The shells were pretty 3, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life and 4 me of the seashore trip with her. She was 61 when she 5 these shells, and already showing 6 of the lung disease. We knew something was 7 and Mom needed an adventure. She suggested a dinner and a movie. But two friends and I had bigger 8.

    Mom had been to the ocean only twice, but she 9 the seashore. Her kitchen was decorated（装饰） with souvenirs from those two trips. I told Mom that we would 10 for Jersey Shore. Mom was so 11 that she screamed and Amber, her dog was 12 to jump onto the floor.

    One of my favorite 13 on the road was a discussion about movies. Mom often got the titles wrong. “Ohhhh,” she said, “what was that movie about a teacher at the boys' school?” Before anyone could 14, she shouted, “The Dead Man's Poet!” I looked back and saw a back seat full of 15. “Mom,” I said. “You mean Dead poets Society?” “That's it!” Mom yelled. 16 filled the car.

    Once we got to Stone Harbor, she began to 17 the trip, greeting strangers and spending hours gathering shells. The morning we left, I found her photographing every inch of her bedroom. “I don't ever want to 18 this,” she said.

    For a long time, Mom's shells stayed 19 in a drawer. Last month, I 20 them again while searching for something else. I put them in a visible place as a reminder from a mother who never lost her sense of wonder.

    When Glen Kruger picked a small cat from an animal shelter, he did not expect much.  Yet right from the start, eight years ago, there was an uncommon connection between him and the small black cat.  He 1 her Inky.

     “ I grew up on a hundred-acre farm and had only cats 2  playmates ,” Kruger,

The seventy-year-old man , says. “My hearing was damaged by the 3of farm equipment , so I learned to connect with4.  They react to what they see and what you do.  ”

    Inky was a gentle cat, 5 the house with five other cats.  But on a January night in 2009,  Inky did6 that would set her apart from7 cats forever.

    Kruger had gone down to the basement to8 the wood stove for the night.  When he was finished, he 9 to the top of the stairs and reached to  turn off the lights. In doing so , he slipped and 10  his back against an old shelf.  The heavy shelf came crashing down and sent Kruger down the stairs.

    11 in a pool of blood on the basement floor, Kruger felt  12 going into shock（休克）.  He shouted for help , 13   his wife, Brenda , was asleep in their      

bedroom at   the opposite end of the house.  14  Kruger noticed Inky watching from the top of the stairs.

    “Go get Brenda, ” Kruger said to Inky.

    Inky 15  to the bedroom door and scratched 16  until Brenda opened it.  Then Inky led her to  the  17 Brenda found her husband 18  the stairs and called 911.  Kruger was rushed to the hospital. “I spent six months19  therd,”

    Says Kruger .  “Although I became lame , I was blessed. ” Since the accident, Inky has 20

    Left Kruger's side.

    Two old beggars (乞丐) were sitting on a busy street corner of a big city. They watched 1 as a lot of people walked by without looking at them. Sometimes, a kind-hearted woman or a small child would 2 a few coins in the hats in front of them.

    Today was not a 3 day for begging. The men were able to 4 enough for a big meal. As it was getting dark, they started to 5 their things.

    Just as they were getting ready to leave, they 6 a man walking toward them. He was a 7 man they could tell that from his fine clothes. The first beggar said to the second with 8 , “He's coming our way!” The man stopped, 9 into his pocket and took something out. What looked like a piece of hard 10 , wrapped (包裹) in white paper, hit each of their waiting hats. The rich man turned and 11 his way.

    “He could have easily left us a few 12 or a bill, but he laughed at us with a piece of rock candy,” said the first beggar. He looked at the offering 13 .“There's no way we can 14 this — we have no teeth.” With these words, he picked up the thing and threw it away. Then he collected his things and 15 .

    The second beggar wanted to do the same, 16 a second thought made him change his 17 .“I haven't had anything like this for ages,” he thought. “How 18 of that man to offer me something so sweet!” With that, he opened the white paper. To his 19 , there was no hard rock candy inside. 20 , a shiny white pearl (珍珠) worth thousands of dollars fell into his hand.

    A little boy invited his mother to attend his school's first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy's 1, she said she would go. This would be the 2 time that his classmates and teacher3 his mother and he felt 4of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar（疤痕）that5 nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to 6why or how she got the scar.

    At the meeting, the people were 7 by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother 8the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed（尴尬）and9himself from everyone. He, however,  10 a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

    The teacher asked11 ,"How did you get the scar on your face?"

    The mother replied,"12my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was13 afraid to go in because the fire was 14, so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked15 but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She16 the burned side of her face. "This scar will be17 , but to this day, I have never 18what I did."

    At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great19of the sacrifice（牺牲）that his mother had made for him. He held her hand20for the rest of the day.

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.