Four beggars (乞丐) usually met at an old shack (小窝棚) at the end of the day. One day, they were very upset because none of them had got much in their begging bowls.

    "I only got this piece of meat today," the first said. "I hardly got anything," the second said. "I just picked up these few vegetables outside the fruit and vegetable store." The third complained that all he was given was a handful of herbs(香草) that he couldn't eat on his own. The fourth beggar didn't do much better. "I only got the handful of old, dried beans, but they aren't very nice!"

    As they sat around the fire, one of them had a great idea. "Let's put all our bits together and boil them. In this way, we can make a tasty dish and share it." They all agreed.

    However, the first beggar thought, "I don't want to share. I'll just pretend (假装) to throw my meat into the pot. They'll never know and I'll eat my meat later." So he pretended to put the meat into the pot. Now the same idea had also hit the other beggars and the shack was so dark that no one could see what the others were doing.

    Finally, one of them suggested that the dish should now be ready and, in turn, each of them helped himself to a bowl. They drank the hot water in absolute(绝对) silence, learning that selfishness doesn't taste all that good.

    Jack is 10 years old, and i am his pencil. I'm Jack's helper.

    Jack's pencil box is my home. I have some friends here. They are seven crayons, a ruler and a pencil sharpener. Because Jack loves me, I'm the king(国王) in the pencil box. My friends and I are happy every day.

    Today, I am not happy because a pen comes in. It's new and beautiful. It's a music pen. It can not only write but also sing. But I'm old and I can only help Jack to write. Jack likes it so much! The new pen is his helper now. It's the new king. What can I do now? Shall I go to a new home?

One weekend, my husband suggested we cook together. I had spoken to my mother earlier that day on the phone. I had told her about our life. She yawned(打哈欠) and we said 1 to one another. 

I didn't know then that just 16 hours later, my mother would die. 

My mother was my best friend. After she died, I felt 2 . She was the only person I wanted to 3 . The only person who could help me was the one who was missing. 

My mother gave me many things, 4 she had never taught me how to cook. She liked to eat more than cook. She loved to eat fish pie and 5 it to us for dinner. Almost every week, she would 6 a prepared fish pie. Then she would bring it home and make her own white sauce. 

My mother 7 taught me how to make a white sauce, and I never wanted to ask her. Since she was gone, I would have to teach 8 .

So this became my focus. For the first few weeks, I survived (生存) on cheap food. But one night, a fish pie mix 9 my eye at the store. 

When I got home, I 10 myself in front of our electric stove. Armed with a 11 , I tried to teach myself to make a white sauce. 

Halfway through the recipe, I couldn't believe it- I had made a white sauce on my own! Then I remembered: I had always 12 fish pie. 

Admiring my sauce, I wondered13 I wanted to make a dish I had hated for 25 years. Why was it suddenly so important?

I poured the sauce over the fish. Then I ate the pie. I realized that the act of 14 calmed me down. 

It helped me find15 .

①Shenzhou XVIII successfully launched. Shenzhou XVIII is the32nd flight mission of China's manned space program, and the third crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station. The Shenzhou XVIII crew （全体机组人员） members are Ye Guang fu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu. The Shenzhou XVII crew will go back to the Dongfeng landing site on Tuesday.

②Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut in space and now one of the chief planners of the nation's manned space program, said he has high expectation for the post-1980 generation crew. "It's such a pleasure to see the young astronauts can now carry out manned space missions and take on the heavy responsibilities. I am sure the Shenzhou XVIII crew will do well although the mission has become more complicated （复杂的） and difficult." Yang said at the launch center on Wednesday afternoon.

③Yang also noted that it has been 21 years since he completed the Shenzhou V mission in2003, during which he traveled in space for 21 hours and orbited （沿轨道运行） Earth 14 times. "Since then, China's manned space programs have made great progress according to the plan. Recently, the operation of the space station has been normalized （规范化）", Yang said.

④Lin, the China Manned Space Agency deputy director, said the Shenzhou XVIII crew will use the scientific experiment cabinets to carry out more than 90 experiments including microgravity ( science, medicine and technology). The Shenzhou XVIII astronauts will carry out two or three other activities to make sure the safety of the space station. The Shenzhou XVIII crew members are due to go back to the Dongfeng landing site in late October after six months in space.