If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that 1 my life forever.

    One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a 2 on life support with less than two percent 3 of living. It wasn't until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a 4 blood infection. Over the 5 of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knee. When my parents 6 me out of the hospital, I 7that I had been put together like a patchwork(接缝物) doll and I had to live with 8 legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken, 9 streaming down.

    But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and 10 the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant 11. And that is when it 12 me that I didn't have to be five-foot-five anymore, 13 I could be as tall as I wanted. And 14 of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were 15 here.

    Four months later, I was back upon a 16. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals, 17 me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

    So, instead of looking at our 18 and our limitations as something 19 or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful 20 that can be used to help us go further than we ever know we could go.

      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 Claus 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 afford to buy anything for 18  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 there really was a Santa Claus—and he had 20  her !

    A boy named Nick dialed 911 this Thanksgiving. He just wanted to give 1 to his local police office. Nick asked the police officers to 2 him and his family for their holiday dinner at their home.

    "With all the 3 calls we take on a daily basis, this one was a welcomed happy call that made all of us 4," said Monica from the police office.

    The boy admitted that he'd 5 the number soon. "I had told him to do that for 6 only." The boy's mom, Mary Ann 7.

    When two officers 8 Nick's house to thank him for his 9 offer, she said her young son began crying because he thought he was 10.

    "The policemen had to 11 my son, so did I," Ann said.

    "The officers told Nick that it was 12 to know someone that young was still thinking about them over the holiday and that they were very proud of him, " she 13.

    The officers didn't 14 eating any of the family's turkey, but they did give the boy a badge（警徽） and let him take 15 inside their police car. While he now knows that the number 911 16 be used for non-emergencies, Nick also has his 17 set on becoming a policeman when he's older.

    "It just goes to show that policemen aren't just about 18 people and putting them in prison," Monica told the local media.

    "Nick's call 19 all of our days, and the officers' surprise visit gave Nick a sweet Thanksgiving 20 that will stay with him for the rest of his life. It is a special holiday for Nick and us."

    If you have been to Harbin in winter, but didn't have a 1 to see people do winter-swimming, I am sure you will feel it's a(n) 2. Can you imagine swimming in a river with the temperature being about 10 degrees below zero? This would be 3 to the people from the South. If you were on the Songhuajiang River, you could not help 4 those brave swimmers.

    I felt greatly excited as well as 5 when I first saw the winter-swimming, though it was very cold that day, the swimmers were only wearing 6 clothes, while all the people watching were having heavy clothes covering all their bodies with only two 7 visible. I had thought that the river was warm, but it 8 much cold when I dipped my hand into the river water. What excited me most was the way they 9 into the river from the high ice-platform and the styles in which they swam, 10 butterfly-stroke and back-stroke.

    My uncle has been 11 about winter-swimming for several years. Now he is a member of the Winter Swimming Club. Once I asked him, “Aren't you afraid of cold? Have you got a 12 from it?” Smiling, he said, “13 we have a strong will, we can surely overcome any 14 and difficulties. I haven't got a cold at all. On the contrary, I have become 15 than I was before “That's true, he 16 suffer from bronchitis. However, since he began to like swimming, he has been fully 17 from the disease.

    Today, more and more people are 18 joining in the winter-swimming, including women and children. This activity shows the great 19 and strong will of the people in Harbin which I think is just what we 20 in our work and study as well.

    In the palace of Rubyland there was a thief. No one knew who it was, but the only thing known about him was that he1 in the palace.

    The King decided to 2 who it was, and he asked for help from a wise dwarf who was famed for his 3. The dwarf spent some days there, watching and listening, until there was another 4 —another ruby(红宝石)was stolen. The next day after breakfast the wise dwarf made all the 5 inhabitants meet up together in the same room. The dwarf 6them all one by one.

    But suddenly, one of the 7 began coughing and crying, writhing and crying, and finally he 8 to the floor. The dwarf explained that the food they had just eaten was 9, and the only antidote(解药) for this poison was hidden inside the ruby that had been stolen the 10 night. And he expected that only the thief would be able to 11 himself, because the poison was 12 quick working.

    Gradually the coughs and groans spread around the whole room, and 13 took hold of all present. All except one person. A footman quickly 14 over to where he had hidden the ruby, from where he took the ruby, opened it and 15the strange liquid inside to save his own life.

In fact, the gardener was one of the dwarf's 16, and the poison was just a kind of potion(药水)prepared by the dwarf which could cause a few 17 pains for a short while. Then the footman was 18 by the guards and taken immediately to court.

    The King, grateful, generously rewarded the dwarf. When he asked the dwarf what his 19 was, the dwarf smiled and said: "I only try to get the person 20 the truth to reveal that truth. Anyone can deceive everyone, but no one can deceive themselves."

    As the train picked up its speed, the passengers slowly settled down on their seats, I1the lower berth(铺位),so that I could enjoy the2of outside from the moving train. I don t know why I always preferred to get the 3 seat. An elderly lady4the front seat of mine. I looked at her. She must be in her eighties, I guessed. At one point, we met our5. She smiled at me and I gave her a response. Both of us were6. By that time, the train was in its full speed.

    It was 4:50 pm, evening time. So,7time was still in a long way, I couldn't8myself any longer and asked, "Auntie! Where are you going?"

    She looked at me and friendly said, "9 camp, dear."

    Suddenly my enthusiasm10to know the reason. I politely said. "Auntie, you are 11 someone?"

    She smiled and said, "Yes!"

    Just to continue the conversation, I talked to her in a very cheerful 12. "Auntie, you must he feeling so13to see your child and your grandchildren."

    14, this question hurt her a little but boldly (大胆地) she answered, "Oh, dear! You are so sweet! Anyway, I had only one son who was15and was killed in a battle just a few days before. I bought so many new clothes for him. So, I thought why not 16my son's clothes for some other soldiers, so that I would control my 17and would be happy thinking that my own son has18it."

    I was shocked hearing her heartbreaking story! But I19the old lady from the core of my heart, I was thinking of her20heart!