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.

    Once when there was a famine (饥荒), a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, “In this basket, there is a loaf (一条面包) for each of you. 1 it, and come back to me every2at this hour till better times come.”

    The hungry children 3 eagerly around the basket, and quarreled for the bread 4 each wished to have the largest loaf. At last they went away without even 5the good gentleman. But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not 6 or struggle with the rest, but remained 7 modestly in the distance. When the ill-behaved children had left, she took the 8 loaf, which alone was left in the basket, 9the gentleman's hand, and went home.

    The next day the children were as 10 as before, and poor, shy Gretchen received a loaf only nearly half the 11 of the one she got the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the 12 open, and then many new, shining pieces of silver fell out of it. Her mother was very much 13 , and said, “Take the money back to the good 14at once, for it must have got into the loaf 15 . Be quick, Gretchen! Be quick!”

    But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother's 16 , he said, “No, no, my child, it was no 17 . I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to 18 you. Always be as contented (满足的), peaceable, and 19 as you now are. Go home now, and the 20 is your own.”

    At a battle, we walked slowly through the wet grass, our eyes searching for the enemy. 1, machine gun fire broke the 2. We hit the ground,3from the shots by a low stone wall a few feet ahead.

    My radioman called the commander to  4as I ordered two soldiers to help me locate and knock out the 5. While I crouched( 屈 膝 ) on one knee to talk to my guys, I heard an explosion — and then I was on my6.

    ＂Jack! Jack! You've been  7!＂ the radioman shouted.

    Two rescuers tied me to a stretcher (担架). In an aid station, a doctor put a bandage (绷带) over my8 knee. Some time later came a nurse's shout, ＂Wake up, Jack! You've got to get on a9— you're flying to a hospital in England!＂

    I became  10 . All my possessions lay in a11pile of equipment. I could12everything after the war except the photo of my new bride, Ellen, which I13carried with me.

    ＂I'm not going until I14my wife's picture again, ＂ I said. ＂It's in the gas mask cover you15 from me.＂

    I knew the nurse could 16me go, but instead she said, ＂OK, I'll see if I can find it,＂ then17out to search through the piles. Finally she came running 18back. ＂I've  got it!＂ she shouted,  waving  the picture in her hand.

    How she found it I'll never 19, but I'm glad she did. That photograph comforted me through20 times. Now, 69 years later, it sits on my bedside table.

    Bill White's father is a lawyer. In his 1 time, he likes to get out in the country and take some 2 of animals.

    For a long time, Bill had wanted to go with his father on one of his 3. But his father didn't take Bill along with him 4 he was fifteen.

    He and Bill drove to the farm 5 belonged to（属于）his uncle in the afternoon. They 6the night there, so that they could 7 out early the next morning. Uncle Steve and his son Larry, who was sixteen, were going to go out with them.

    It was still dark when Bill heard the alarm 8 the next morning. He wondered why it was running so early. He couldn't remember 9 he was. He turned over 10 and looked at the clock. It was 5 o'clock. Then he 11 that he was at the 12 and that he was going out to take pictures with his father. He jumped out of bed and got 13 quickly.

    He ran downstairs. The others were already in the 14. Uncle Steve was cooking bacon and eggs. There was a pot of coffee on the stove. It 15 good.

    They ate breakfast quickly. They didn't talk 16, because they didn't want to 17up the other people in the house. They filled a thermos bottle (保温瓶) 18 hot coffee and took some sandwiches 19 Aunt Grace, Uncle Steve's wife, had made for them. They gathered their camera 20 and started out.

    “Oh, no! You're moving?” Such was my neighbor's 1 when she saw household items appearing on my lawn and 2 my driveway.

    “Nope. Just cleaning house!” I called back, smiling.

    This yard sale had been the result of six months of 3. I had searched every 4 and overflowing closet and cupboard—crazy about my seeking to find items to 5.

    I met loads of 6 and friendly people. The Mirror Lady was 7 to buy the antique mirror from my first apartment for her daughter's first apartment; and the Futon Girl, a college sophomore, said my futon (沙发床) and frame were 8 for her dorm room.

    And how can I 9 the Camera Man? Bending absorbedly over the “technology” table, he spotted my husband's faded 10 bag from the early 80s. Zippered compartments (隔包) 11 a broken camera and a few old lenses. “Wow!” he said, as he picked it up and made me a(n) 12. I asked what he was going to do with it. “It's just cool—I have a shelf at home for cool 13 technology.” So apparently he 14 it just so he could look at it. As he walked down the driveway with the dusty bag 15 over his shoulder, for a second I 16 my journalist husband doing the same, heading out to 17 a story. That made me feel 18.

    All yard sales lasted two days. As hard as it can be to let things 19, the true value of those things is to 20 you of a place you lived in, a special time in your life, or a loved one in your heart.

    After she left the town, Jane stopped the car at the landing near the entrance of the bay (海湾).She stepped into the 1 and rowed out silently. The tide was rushing to the entrance and 2 to the wild open sea. She had to row across the bay to reach 3 side. The waves struck against the side of the boat, 4 and uneven; it became 5 difficult to row. If she 6 for a moment, the tide would push the boat back towards the 7.

    She wasn't even halfway 8 she was already tired and her hands 9 from pulling on the rough wooden oars (船桨). "I'm never going to 10 it", she thought. She rested the oars on her knees and 11 her head helplessly, then looked up as she 12 the boat shift (晃动) against the tide.

    The east wind , which had swung (旋转) around from the south-west, 13 her help and pushed the boat towards the mountains. It was going to be 14. Her hands weren't so painful. Her chest didn't feel as if it was about to burst 15.

    The lights of the town became 16, one of the oars banged against the side of the boat and she 17 it with a start. Had she been asleep, or just 18? She looked over her shoulder.  She was almost on the beach. The girl gave one last 19 on the oars to ground the boat, and then lay back against the seat. She listened to the waves 20 and knew she had come home. Far across the moonlit bay the lights were no more than a sparkling chain.