The wagon train (马车队) had been traveling for weeks now. Emily was getting tired — tired of not having a comfortable bed to sleep in or a 1home. She was also2because there was never anything fun for a girl her age to do. Mama promised it wouldn't be too much longer,3 the trip seemed to take forever.

    Then, one day, a rabbit caught Emily's eye. Maybe she could4it, and then she'd have a pet! Emily ran after the rabbit into the woods behind the wagons, but it5. Emily looked for it, and at last she6. She turned to go back, but 7looked familiar (熟悉的). She started in one direction, but it was the wrong8 Emily tried another direction, but soon found that that was9, too.

    Emily was 10 What if she couldn't 11 the wagons? What if they didn't realize she was 12 and just kept moving farther and farther away from her? What if some dangerous animal attacked her?

    Emily sat on the ground and started to cry ... but wait ... did she hear 13? She stood up and ran toward them. As she got 14 she recognized Mama's voice and the voices of some of the men from the15. Then she could see them. Emily ran as 16 as she could, right into Mama's 17 arms.

    Mama carried Emily back to their wagon and put her to bed. Emily was 18 that she was home.19 was wherever Mama was. She'd never 20 about being bored again.

    People from every corner1into the streets that Christmas Eve. "Frosty the Snowman," and "Jingle Bells"2in stores; on the pavements, the street singers performed happily. Everyone was3by someone else, delighted and cheerful. I was alone.

    As one of 8 kids of a Brazilian family, brought up in America's crowded apartment, I'd spent several years searching for aloneness. Now4 at 27, a college student after the5with my girlfriend, every cell inside me wanted to be alone6not at Christmas. My family had returned to Brazil and my friends were7with their own lives. Dusk was approaching, and the fact that I had to return to my8home made me sad. Lights from windows blinked , and I hoped someone would 9from one of those homes to invite me inside with a Christmas tree decorated with shiny fake snow and beautiful10.

    At a market, I felt more11when people were buying lots of goods, which12the gifts we received as children in my mind. I missed my family and wanted to cry for wanting to be alone and for having achieved it.

Outside the church, a manger(小耶稣) had been set up . I stood silently watching the 13 some of people were crossing themselves,14.As I walked home, I realized that leaving Brazil was still a painful experience as I struggled with15 I had become in 15 years in America. I16 the losses, but for the first time, I recognized what I'd gained. I was independent17and healthy. My life was still ahead, full of18

    Sometimes the best gift is the one that you give yourself. That Christmas, I gave myself19for what I'd obtained up to now and promise to go forward. It is the best gift I've ever got, the one that I most20.

    Joe Biggs was a butcher. His shop was in a village in the beautiful south of England, and he 1 in it for many years while his father was there. Then when his father reached the age of 65, he stopped working in the shop, and Joe was alone in it, so he had to work2.

    Joe worked five and a half days a week. His shop3at one o'clock on Thursday, and it was closed the whole of Sunday. Saturdays were the4 days.

    Most of Joe's 5 came to his shop from the nearest town, but sometimes he got up earlier than usual in the morning and 6 into the city to choose meat. It was7 there.

    Joe had a big8 in his shop, but he tried not to buy too 9 meat at a time, and to 10 it before he bought more.

    One 11 a woman came into the shop at five minutes to one. “Sorry I'm late,” she said, “but some friends have just telephoned to say that they are coming to 12 tonight, and I need more 13.

Joe only had one piece of meat in the shop. He had sold all the others 14 in the day. He took the piece15 and said to the woman, “This is 6.5 pounds.”

    “That piece is too16 the woman said. “Haven't you got anything bigger?”

    Joe went17the room behind his shop, opened the refrigerator, put the piece of meat into it, took it out18 and shut the door of the refrigerator 19 then he brought the piece of meat back to the woman and said, “This piece is bigger and more expensive. It's 8.75 pounds.”

    “Good,” the woman answered with a smile, “give me20 of them, please.”

    Since my childhood, I always dreamed of becoming a full - time writer. Two years after my graduation, I 1my job and made up my mind to realize my 2.

    No one could tell me 3I would succeed or not. I rented a cold storage room in a building, set up a used desk and4 to write. I had too many things to write and I had to write because the5was full of my heart.

    After a year or so, however, I began to doubt myself. I found it6to earn my living by selling what I wrote. I can't remember how many times my novels were7during that year. But I8to put my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of9I believed anyone with a dream must learn to struggle for the10 .

    During the most difficult period of my life, one of my classmates came to see me and tried to 11me, “Yun, come to our company, and we will 12you 2,000 yuan a month.” 2,000 yuan was really a big13at that time. It would enable me to live14As the money were dancing in my 15, something cleared my senses. Hadn't I dreamed of being a writer A full - time writer.

    “Thanks, but no,” I said16 , “I'm going to stick to writing.”

    Again and again, I said to myself, “I will be17. People will love my novels.”

    Finally my first novel was 18 in 1991. I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever 19.

    Twenty years have passed, but the effect it had on my life has lasted. Now I often20the time working in that cold storage room. I will say, “Anyone with a dream, courage and persistence will be successful.”

    There was once a famous king whose name was Tamerlane. Like Alexander the Great, he 1 to become the master of the whole world. So he raised a great 2 and made war on other countries. He conquered many kings and 3 many cities. But at last his army was beaten; and Tamerlane escaped alone from the field of 4.

    For a long time he wandered in 5 from place to place. His enemies were 6 him. He was about to lose all hope.

    One day he was7 under a tree, thinking of his failure. He had now been a wanderer for twenty days. He couldn't  8any longer. Suddenly he saw a small object climbing up the trunk of the tree. He looked more 9and saw it was an ant,10a grain of wheat as large as itself.

    There was a 11 in the tree only a little way above, and that was the home of the ant.

    “You are 12, Mr. Ant,” he said, “but you are carrying something that is too heavy for you.” Just as he 13, the ant lost its footing and fell to the ground. But it 14 held on to the grain of wheat. Tamerlane 15 the little insect. It tried the second time, the third time ... the twentieth time — but always with the same 16. Then it tried the twenty-first time.17, one little step at a time, it climbed across the rough place where it had 18 so often. The next minute it climbed 19 into its home, carrying the grain of wheat. “Well done!” said Tamerlane, “you've taught me a lesson. I, too, will try again,20 I succeed.” And he made it.

    As she waited at the edge of the ice for her music to start, Peggy took a quick look at her father standing nearby with a group of parents and teachers. He smiled at her. Then she 1 out at the audience, 2 to see her mother. These two, Alvert and Doris Flemint, had 3 all the way from California more than 2,000 miles away, to see their 4 compete in this sports meet in Cleveland, Ohio.

    The music 5 and Peggy moved onto the ice, letting the music 6 her along into her turns, and she began skating with much 7 in herself. The cold fear she always had in the 8 seconds before skating onto the ice was 9. She was feeling the movement of the 10 and letting it carry her. She skated easily, 11 did some jumps, a final turn and her performance was 12.

    The crowd loved it and cheered 13 she skated off the ice. "Nice job," said one of the other 14. It was the remark that 15 came after a free-skating performance. But what should the 16 say? Standing beside her father, Peggy 17 for the scoring to be finished. On all sides were other young skaters, some waiting 18 alone, others with a parent. Shortly before 10 o'clock the results were 19. The new United States Women's Figure Skating Champion was Peggy Fleming of Passdena, 20.