As the saying goes, rose given, fragrance in hand. I am always in the 1 of giving money to every beggar or homeless person I pass by. My friends say it is not good to 2. We may come across beggars or homeless people begging every day and all beggars have their ability to survive. It 3 them that I never listen.

    On a 4 day, my friend and I were walking to the 5 when I passed a beggar lady. I had seen her several times before and had always given her a few 6. That day, I gave her 2 Euros. I was waiting for the bus and reading a book when I7 to see that lady standing in front of me. She 8 me a piece of paper covered in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting 9. She stood there, looking at me 10. Putting away my book, I took the paper, which 11 she and her family had to 12 their country because of floods, and she was 13 to support them. She had got a bit of money, but she needed 5 14 Euros to get home. I 15 in my pockets and found 20 cents. My friend 16 a 5 Euro note. I asked her to give it to the lady, and said that I would 17 the next day. When she got the money, the lady hugged us and said thanks again and again, and went on her way. Later on the bus, I wondered where her home was and 18 she had gotten to this country. In her story, I felt that my friend and I would always remain part of it as the 19, who helped her get home on a rainy day. But for me, helping a stranger did bring me happiness, giving me a pleasant 20.

    At 7 a.m. on October 2, 2016, I got up, feeling excited and nervous. The first thought on my mind was, “Today's game is my first1football game.” I've played before but not like this, Not in pads (护具), not with a helmet on my head, my heart started beating faster. I 2finished breakfast and left for the field.

    The whole time on the bus, I felt sick and nervous. Finally, I reached the field3that white number 7 jersey (运动衫) for the first time made me feel great. I felt like4was my fortune.

    We stood there. By the look on our faces, you could see who had 5before and who hadn't. To me, it felt like a war. I was a(n)6soldier going into battle. Now I know that feeling was fear. We had7but not the real game. In training, we took a form and knew each other. In the8you don't know your opponent's strength. Everything just happened 9you know it was happening.

    We did warm-ups, some of us couldn't 10to play, jumping around and yelling. Others stood still waiting for direction. The referees came out. We knew the game11came. As a captain, I went out for the coin toss to see which team would get the ball first. Campus Magnet won the coin toss. They12to receive.

    Soon the game 13I tracked down the ball carrier and ran at a full speed. I lowered my shoulders and ran into his side with all my 14knocking him down and at the same time knocking my15out. I stood to my feet and16what I had done. I'd made my first tackle (阻截). I was 17my dream, feeling renewed, That tackle 18me, giving me strength, confidence and the desire to go on.

    We 19that game—48 to 6. That year we went undefeated20every team on our schedule, I was rated the best receiver in our division.

    After the quake hit northeast Japan on March 11, many moving stories that I saw with my own eyes happened around me.

    I had to walk home since all the 1 had stopped after the earthquake. On my way home I 2 an old lady at a bakery shop who was giving out free bread, which made my heart 3. A man was holding a sign that said, “Please use our 4.” He was 5 his house for people to go to the restroom.

    My friend wanted to 6 others. He stood in the cold with a sign “If you're okay with a motorcycle, I will 7 you to your house.” And then I saw him take one gentleman home, all the way to a faraway place! 

    Then next day I drove to 8 my car with gas. There is a lack (缺乏) of 9  now and many gasoline stations are either closed or have very 10 lines. I got 11, since I was behind 15 cars. Finally, when it was my 12, the man smiled and said, “13 this situation, we are only giving $30 worth gas per person. Is that alright?” “14. I'm just glad that we are all able to 15,” I said. His smile gave me so much comfort.

    I saw a man at the evacuation (疏散) center 16when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food was brought to their center. However, after he wiped the tears, his next 17 surprised me. “I am very 18 that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven't 19 any food at all. Please go to that center as well.” And when hearing that, I realized there is a bright future in the 20.

    Before I came to China, I had been somewhat unlucky in love. Days before my 1for Shanghai in 2016, my cousin made a 2without the slightest bit of irony（讽刺）,“You'll fall in love in China.”

    I met my husband at a Chinese 3. It was an embarrassing place to meet him approaching me 4I attempted to lift free weights. He spoke English poorly, trying to correct my form. I more or less 5him, figuring such a relationship was 6as we had little means to communicate. But I was very much 7. He ran after me for the next couple weeks and his persistence（坚持不懈）8won me over, and I was head over heels in love with him.

    The challenges we faced were 9—deciding where to live, 10over visas, dealing with my parents' doubts. In time, these problems got settled without too much work on our part. When others would 11on how tough it must be to marry someone from a foreign country, I quickly made my 12, trying to convince my questioner that marrying cross-culturally is really no different from 13within one's own circle.

    Our son was born in the spring of 2018. He was a very easy baby to care for—he cried little and slept well at night. My struggles in caring for a newborn were unimportant 14the other pressures I faced. By Chinese tradition, I was 15from taking the baby outside until he was 100 days old, for reasons I still don't fully understand.

    Since giving birth, I've learned that compromise（妥协）is more 16than it seems. If you give up too much of yourself, you may 17resentful（怨恨的）. If you compromise too little, you may be 18in a frequent battle. In a relationship, our values or beliefs often 19with our partner's, but with patience, most difficulties can be overcome. For that reason, I keep on working to better understand his background and beliefs while 20forgetting my own.

    Paul looked out of the window of the classroom and sighed. The driveway was still 1 and it was getting dark. His dad had said that he would 2 him up by 5:30, but it was almost seven and Paul hadn't heard a word from him. Paul 3 to do some of his reading homework. 4, he couldn't help thinking of his dad. He knew that his dad had a 5 and a life, but he couldn't 6 why he was always breaking his 7.

    The next day at school, Paul didn't 8 his math homework. Paul's teacher noticed his unusually 9 performance and asked him why. Paul didn't want to 10 him. He knew that if he started talking a flood of 11 would pour out. He just wanted to be alone with his 12, so he sat there 13, not even looking at the teacher. "Well Paul, you can't have this thing 14 you up. The sooner you get it off your 15, the sooner you can heal."

    As Paul walked home from school, he 16 the things the teacher had told him. Paul knew that he hadn't 17 himself recently. Maybe he stopped doing his work because he was looking for 18 from his father. He realized that he wasn't just letting his dad 19 his plans, but he was letting him spoil his 20. He decided to take the teacher's advice.

    A woman in her sixties lived alone in her little cottage with a pear tree at her door. She spent all her time taking care of the tree. But the children nearby drove her 1 by making fun of her. They would climb her tree and then run away with pears, 2 "Aunty Misery" at her.

    One evening, a passer-by asked to 3 for the night. Seeing that he had an 4 face, she let him in and gave him a nice 5. The next morning the stranger, actually a sorcerer (巫师), thanked her by granting (允准) her 6 that anyone who climbed up her tree 7 not be able to come back down until she 8 it.

    When the children came back to steal her 9, she had them stuck on the tree. They had to beg her long 10 she gave the tree permission to let 11 go. Aunty Misery was free from the 12 at last.

    One day another man 13 her door. This one did not look trustworthy to her, 14 she asked who he was. "I am Death. I've come to take you 15 me," said he.

    Thinking fast Aunty Misery said, "Fine, but I'd like to 16 some pears from my pear tree to remember the 17 it brought to me in this life. But I am too 18 to climb high to get the best fruit. Will you be so 19 as to do it for me?" With a deep sigh, Mr. Death climbed up the tree 20 and was immediately stuck to it. No matter how much he warned or begged, Aunty Misery would not allow the tree to let Death go.