Today is Mary's birthday, but her mother had to work late tonight. She 1 Mary that they could have a party next week. Mary was very disappointed.

    Mary walked to school and hoped her friends would 2 that she was eight today.  “Hi, Mary. Happy birthday,” Julie said.

    Mary smiled 3 and asked, “Julie, can you come to my birthday party next week?”

    Julie said, “I'm sorry, Mary. I can't.” The rest of the day didn't go much better. All of her friends said they could not go to her party next week. Mary was very 4. Cindy tried to cheer her up, but it was not  5. Her big day was turning out to be 6. She had to wait until it was time to go home.  Evening came, and Cindy's mother drove to Mary's home with Cindy and Mary. When Mary opened the door, the house was 7. Her mom didn't come back home. She turned to ask Cindy and Cindy's mom to wait. “Surprise!”

    Mary 8 and all the lights in the house went on. Her mother and all of her friends were there! The coffee table in the living room was 9 presents. She ran into the kitchen. Her mother had 10 her favorite meal. Mary stood next to her mom. “Thank you!” Mary said happily. She had a happy birthday party with her friends together.

    My father was born in a poor village in the north of Jiangsu, China. When he was a young boy, he went to school in the morning, and then 1 in the fields till sunset. And then he did his homework until midnight. Life was hard, because they had no 2!

    At the age of 14, my father heard of the United States of America. It was the 3 of gold, the land where poor people can become rich.

   “Why don't I go to America?” he thought to himself, full of 4.

    So, my father came to America. “I had thought it was easy to 5 money in America.” he told me. “But when I arrived there, I realized it's not 6. They didn't like to hire(雇佣) me because I spoke little English. Later, I worked in a small restaurant, cleaning up tables, 7 dishes and sweeping the floor. Life was hard for the first few years. I worked from 10 a. m. to 11 p. m. I wanted to go to school to learn English, but it's impossible. I couldn't 8 the schooling(学费).”

    My father 9 working hard，and reached his goal.

  “Alan,” he often told me. “If you want something, you have to work for it and never give up. Things do not come  10 in life.” That's what I learned from my father.

    Beethoven had an ugly face and a very1temper(脾气)but people2him to their homes. When he lost his temper, they forgave(原谅)him. He was often poor and ill during his life. After one illness, he suddenly3himself deaf. At that time he was431.What a blow it was on him!

    5this didn't stop Beethoven6on in his life.He went on7much music. He wrote long pieces and short pieces, happy ones and8ones. During his life, he composed(作曲)about 300 pieces. 9people's surprise, he wrote some of his best and most beautiful pieces10he became deaf. Many of them are known and loved all over the world.

    I have a good mother. She has always made sure we eat very 1 . We live near the sea and have fish about four times a 2. We eat flesh fruit and vegetables every day. We don't eat too3sugar or fat. I'm not too heavy, so I never have to lose weight.

    I'm quite healthy. I don't often get cold, 4I had a bad cold and a high temperature last week. The reason was that I played football in the 5. I don't often have things6 the flu, either. Last winter, for air pollution, almost all my classmates cough. They have got a pain in their throats, but I didn't. I don't get these things7 I take a lot of exercise and I am very strong. Two years ago I broke my8while I was playing football and I couldn't move my arm for a month. But, 9my mother, I became well later. So as you can see from what I've said, I'm a lucky person because of my great mother. I will take good10 of my mother when I grow up.

    Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a pianist's concert on a summer holiday evening. After they found their 1, the mother saw two friends in the hall and walked to 2 them.

    It was the boy's first time to come to the hall. He thought it was a good 3 for him to explore the wonders of the concert hall. He 4 and walked around.  He walked 5 a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE"(禁止入内).    When the hall lights dimmed (变暗) , the 6 would begin.  The mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was 7. The mother was 8 worried at that at the moment that tears (眼泪)  were in her eyes.

    The concert began, and the lights focused on (聚焦于) the wonderful piano on stage. The mother was 9  to see her little boy sitting at the keyboard, playing the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star 10 he did at home.

    At that moment, the great pianist came, quickly moved to the piano and 11 in the boy's ear, "Don't stop. Keep playing. " He leaned over (俯身) and began filling in a bass part (低音) with his left 12, then added a running obbligato (伴奏) with his right hand. They played the piano together 13.The old pianist and the young novice (初学者) changed a frightening situation into a wonderful creative experience. The audience (观众) stood up and  14 them.

    An artist's achievements and charm depend on not only his perfect skills 15 his good qualities.