Sandwich was an Englishman. He lived in the 18th century. Sandwich was rich(有钱的), but he liked to play cards for money. He often played for 24 hours, and didn't even stop to have his meals. He ordered his servants(仆人) to bring him some meat and bread. He put the meat between the two pieces of bread and held the food in his left hand while he played cards with his right hand. People liked Sandwich's idea, and from then on they ate bread and meat as Sandwich did.

    From the name of the man, Sandwich, we have the word of the food "sandwich" today.

    I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

    Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk," she said again, "it's for Elizabeth."

    I never saw her anger, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me. She showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.

    They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was "too emotional". But she lived "on the surface".

    As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.

    I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

    My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

    Now the present of her desk told, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside-a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠)and refolded many times.

    Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always choose the act that speaks louder than words.

Nüwa is an ancient goddess in traditional Chinese stories. She is best known for creating human beings and repairing the pillars (柱子) of heaven. 

In Huainanzi, the four pillars supporting heaven were {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, a fire burned and a flood troubled human beings. Nüwa smelted (熔炼) a five-colored stone to {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the sky and saved plenty of lives. Then, she {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the rest of the stone on the earth, which turned into all kinds of jade (玉). The five-colored stone stands for the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} basic elements (元素) making up life: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. 

According to the tale of the five colored stone, many stories have been created in Chinese {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. In A Dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin, the hero Jia Baoyu {#blank#}6{#/blank#} an incarnation (化身) of a piece of the magical five-colored stone left by Nüwa. He was named Baoyu, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} he was born with a beautiful jade in his mouth. In Journey to the West, the main character Monkey King was described as a creation out of a {#blank#}8{#/blank#} from at mountain and had super powers at birth. 

Nüwa is believed to be the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} of Chinese people. In traditional Chinese stories, human beings nearly disappeared after terrible natural disasters (灾难). Nüwa and Fuxi were the only two left on earth. To remain reproduction (繁衍), she {#blank#}10{#/blank#} Fuxi and gave birth to the earliest Chinese.

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 2 be the first time that his classmates and teacher 3 his mother and he felt4 of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar（疤痕）5 nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to 6 why or how she got the scar.

At the meeting, the people were 7 by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother 8 the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed（尴尬）and 9 himself from everyone. He did, however, get within 10 of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

The teacher asked 11 , "How did you get the scar on your face?" The mother replied, " 12 my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was 13 afraid to go in because the fire was 14 , so I went in. As I was running toward his bed. I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked 15 but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She 16 the burned side of her face. "This scar will be 17 , but to this day, I have never 18 what 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 great 19 of the sacrifice（牺牲）that his mother had made for him. He held her hand20 for the rest of the day.